Tag Archives: cloud computing

cloud computing

Do you fear the Cloud?

Whenever I speak to people about the Cloud, I get mixed reactions that border anywhere from fear to skepticism.  If you’re one of those people, rest assured that:  a) you’re not alone  and b) it’s not as scary as it seems.

First, let’s get through the basics.

What is the Cloud?

Simply put:  it’s the marketer’s way of explaining virtualization.

There are a few more bells and whistles but essentially it is making whatever component “virtual”.  It means you don’t have to have physical devices located around your office to hold information.  In most cases, it means you won’t have to maintain licensing or worry about upgrades as the “Cloud” will take care of that.

Is there just one Cloud?

Like its namesake, there are many clouds that exist out there and, likewise, they can overlap and integrate with one another.

The term “Cloud” is like calling a car ” an automatic”.    Is there just one type of automatic car out there?  No.    Look at all the dealerships who have various brands, makes and models.    They’re different but they all operate under the same generic principles.

So too with the Cloud.  There are many out there from a variety of sources.  Some are big, some are small.  Some offer certain features that others may not have.  What you use is dependent upon what you need.

Is the Cloud dangerous?

It can be.  Whenever you expose your data or information outside there are risks involved.  Equally, there are risks to keeping your data within your walls too.  Fire, theft, or any number of hardware failures can cost you valuable information on your business.

The best way to proceed is to review the systems you have and provide a proactive plan which ensures critical information and processes, like email and financial data, are properly secured.

What can go into the Cloud?

These days just about anything.  You can set up Cloud for:

  • Email
  • archiving and backup
  • collaboration tools (like Sharepoint)
  • communication devices (like Windows Communicator or WebEX)
  • Microsoft Office programs
  • accounting systems

…just to name a few…

The only things that generally can’t go on the Cloud are physical products like machines or things your business creates.   The trick behind getting on the Cloud is knowing the technology and understanding your business.  Some items make more sense to place on the Cloud than others.  Depending on a number of factors such as the size of the organization, usage, performance, etc., certain Cloud solutions may work better for you than others.   The only way to really find out what you need to place on the Cloud is to speak with your IT professional who understands both your business and the technology out there.

If you need assistance, please contact our Cloud specialist  at Solve-IT.ca.  We service businesses in Southeastern Ontario for all their computer and technology needs.

cloud computing

Should you virtualize your business

Virtualization seems to be the latest trend for business (and personal) these days. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about the “cloud” and utilizing their “online services”. But how realistic is this move for businesses? And is this just a passing fad?

First off, let’s be clear the concept of virtualization for computers isn’t as new as Microsoft or other big contenders would have you believe. In fact, the original computing world was completely “virtual”. Back then, we called them mainframes. All data and applications were in a central location; the only thing the user had was a terminal in which to log into the main servers.

Mainframes were powerful but the architecture had quite a few drawbacks. Limitations, such as capacity of simultaneous users and distance from the mainframe servers, directed companies more towards personal computers and stand-alone devices.

The idea of virtualization has risen again because of many advancements which makes the concept and technology far more accessible. In today’s world, virtualization refers to a diverse array of solutions and possibilities. Understanding the differences and possibilities are key to gaining the benefit of the technology.

Small companies (< 50 desktops)

Smaller companies can see real cost benefits from virtualizing their support or auxiliary systems. When we speak about virtualization for smaller businesses, we are talking primarily about utilizing the services of another company to eliminate the need of locally maintaining hardware and software.

Example: A mid-sized manufacturing company with roughly 15 employees was getting bombarded with spam in their email box. The spam was causing important emails from clients to be delayed and even rejected.

The cost for purchasing a local spam filtering software was a flat server rate plus individual cost per user. Divided across 15 boxes, it worked out to over $200/year/user.
Solve-IT.ca recommended they move to a virtualized spam filter, where they were able to reduce the cost of spam filtering to just a few dollars a month per user, or < $100/year/user. There was no compromise in service and in fact they gained message queuing, mail archiving and the ability to reply to emails in the queue in the event of a server outage.

Larger companies (> 50 desktops)

In larger companies, they can benefit from the same shared services as small businesses. But there are other opportunities available, such as Hyper-V, a Microsoft technology which allows for a single server to act like multiple.

Example: A large pharmaceutical company had at one time maintained close to 27 servers to store all their critical clinical trials data. This large number of servers was starting to impede the space allotted for computers and thus the ability for the company to continue to grow.

Rather than simply place more servers into the room, Solve-IT.ca worked out a new architecture for the environment that reduced the 27 servers down to 7 and allowed for additional growth within the existing environment. In addition to saving floor space, this allowed the company to retire the other 20 servers and save on maintenance time, reduce their carbon footprint and experience a utilities cost saving.

So what’s the right virtualization solution?

Virtualizing a company’s IT has to be done with a lot of care and forethought. Without the proper planning, critical systems can go down and data can be lost.

It is also not a “one-size-fits-all” environment. The solution has to fit with the company’s needs. For instance, a lawyer firm Solve-IT.ca recently worked with had legal requirements to maintain all data within Canada. Thus, it was critical for us to work with them and find the right solution to meet their needs and not compromise their data.

Are you interested in virtualizing your environment? Curious what options may be available to you?

Give us a call and book some Discovery time with Solve-IT.ca. We’ll be able to review your existing setup and provide our assessment on what architecture would make the most sense for your business.

cloud computing

Office 365: Does it matter for Niagara, St. Catharine’s or Hamilton business?

Microsoft officially releases their Office 365 in Public Beta. The United States and 37 other global regions open to the public beta of Microsoft’s new cloud service for Office, email and sharing.

Why should your Ontario business care? In a recently published news release Microsoft announced the public beta of their much-anticipated next version of their cloud computing service. Office 365 takes many of the applications used in business today and moves them to the cloud. Word, Excel and PowerPoint now run Online. BlackBerry, iPhone and other smart phone service run int the cloud and email, telephone and data sharing is now online.

This is nothing new for Microsoft. The cloud has been a Microsoft vision for the past 5 years. Starting with Kevin Turner (COO Microsoft) announcing Software + Services. Microsoft Live for consumers and Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) which is being retired and replaced with Office 365.

Office 365 is a direct answer to customer demand for affordable and pay per use type of service. In addition to increased pressure from Google and their enterprise application plus a wrath of other smaller companies who are also moving into this cloud services space.

But, what really matters to your Niagara Region business? We recently stumbled upon the Microsoft news release announcing Office 365 in public beta.

Office 365, Microsoft’s answer to Google Apps for Business, just became available to the public for beta testing. With this move, Redmond comes closer to delivering a package of tools to companies seeking e-mail, word processing, Web-based meetings, and scores of other services that work on PCs and mobile devices alike.

But wait a minute, wasn’t Google Apps Google’s answer to Microsoft’s dominance in the productivity space? After all, Microsoft has held a steady lead in such desktop software for decades. It wasn’t until 2006 that Google released Docs, a bare-bones online word processor formerly known as Writely. Docs still barely scratches the surface of the features found in Microsoft Word.

That’s all true, but Google offered collaboration as a killer feature while Microsoft dragged its heels in migrating Office to the cloud. Office Web Apps–online counterparts to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint–didn’t reach the masses until nearly a year ago.

Users of the free Google Docs only need to press the Share button to invite anybody to a document and watch each others’ edits happen live. People who didn’t “get” what Microsoft SharePoint does, or didn’t want to pay for a corporate account, could tinker with collaboration instantly in Google Docs. That kind of lightbulb moment radically shifted the way many people work.

Why These Services Matter

The cloud–just another buzzword for anything stored online–is where the future of productivity lives, after all. More and more workers take their work away from their desks onto mobile devices, and bring their own smartphones and tablets to work.

Office 365 and Google Apps for Business promise to manage the nitty-gritty, back-end tasks that many businesses pay IT staff to handle. Their cloud services can free a company to get things done without a tech whiz.

There are potentially big savings in migrating tools to the cloud. Online meetings reduce the need for business travel, and Web and mobile apps enable workers across oceans to work on the same page, literally, at the same moment. Plus, outfitting employees with software that works in a Web browser means there’s little need to install local applications, then manage updates and patches. You may not even need to equip workers with computers–or outfit headquarters with a server room and IT staff.

What’s Inside

Office 365 combines online editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, with Exchange for mobile calendar and e-mail access. There’s also SharePoint for an intranet and shared documents; and Lync for IM, online meetings, and audio and video calls. An extra fee covers Microsoft Office Professional Plus software, including Outlook for e-mail and calendars. Read more about what’s inside Office 365 here, and tour its tools for end users and business managers.

Solve-IT specializes in helping Ontario business understand technology and which IT solutions work best. As a trusted Hamilton IT support firm we work with large and small businesses to help them maximize the use of IT. Allow us to help you understand which cloud service is best for your business, it starts with a phone call to our office and ask to speak with Brett directly about any questions you have about the cloud and cloud services in your Ontario business.