Cloud Network Migration is the Wave of the Future

cloud network migration is the wave of the future

Having all of your personal, or business files on your computers hard drive takes up a lot of space. Most people run out of their computers hard drive space eventually. One option is to set up your own network, but that is difficult and time consuming. Migrating your files to a secure cloud based service is the wave of the future.

When you take part in cloud network migration, you’re migrating your files from your computer, onto a cloud. A cloud is a server center where files are stored, processed, and shared through, rather than a local network.

Why should you choose to use the cloud? First of all, it is much more convenient than having your own server in your work space or home. That can take up a lot of money, and space. When you use a cloud, you don’t have to host the network, and someone else monitors it for you. It takes the stress off of you, but still leaves you with the advantage of storing your files onto a network. If you were previously just using the hard drives in your office’s computers, then you know how hard it is to manage space. Hard drives only have so much space. Clouds have much more room to store data onto.

Some people are worried about clouds not being secure. This isn’t true. Clouds are just as secure as your very own network would be, and they’re often even more secure.

One thing you can do to minimize the chance of a hacker getting into your files is creating a password that is very hard to guess. Make it case sensitive, with numbers, and as long as you’d like. Remember, the harder the better, because it’s being used to protect your files.
Altogether, getting your files onto a cloud network can be very helpful. Clouds are just as secure as your own network, and it also takes the stress off of you to manage a network. Migrate your files to a cloud today!

Why There Should Be No Fear of Completely Cloud-Based Operations

Scared-of-the-cloud

In a Computer Weekly round table featuring IT executives discussing the most important transformations occurring in data centers, UK CIO at City broker ICAP Jack Scard-Morgan, had the following to say about cloud computing:

“There are 20 different definitions of what cloud is and we have different comfort zones of what we are happy to put in the cloud, but we are all using some sort of software-as-a-service.”

This encapsulates current attitudes towards cloud computing very well; many companies have hesitations about cloud solutions based upon factors as diverse as performance, security, training, and in some cases the classic “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality. However, the benefits in terms of agility and potential cost saving with a cloud network migration are too great to ignore, meaning that we will be hard-pressed to find an enterprise that is not leveraging at least one SaaS solution.

However, a growing number of startups are rolling out entire operations onto IaaS/PaaS platforms. Organizations such as Netflix have shown that it is possible to run a stable, world-class service organization almost entirely from a cloud platform, and this arrangement is now becoming more of a default option than an overtly risky venture.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no considerations to be made with cloud platforms. An organization has to be able to trust the security guarantees of the vendor, relinquish some of the control that comes with complete ownership of infrastructure, and make sure that its business model accounts for all recurring costs of cloud services. However, we are rapidly seeing that some of the greatest fears with these platforms are often exaggerated.

This also does not imply that every business needs a cloud migration just for its own sake. Not all business models nor functions map over very well to cloud services. However, this fact happens to tie into the cloud philosophy very well; there is value gained in mixing and matching the best available solutions for specific business needs and lowering the barriers to entry in leveraging them.

IT Network Support Why the Options Have Never Been Better for Small Medium Business (SMB)

it network support why the options have never been better for small medium business smb

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It is very difficult in the modern age to understand how dominant the Microsoft Windows brand once was at every level of business. Though Microsoft is still going on strong, it is diversifying its offerings as it must compete with many other tech vendors. This is very different from the 90s and most of the 00s; Microsoft Office mainstays such as Exchange/Outlook as well as varieties of Windows Server (including Microsoft Small Business Server) were pretty much default for SMB IT. Though many enterprises, of all sizes, still depend upon Microsoft products, there is an even split of viable options.

All SMBs are relatively lean. As such, the cost of licensing, hardware, backups, floor space, and personnel can quickly eat into their profit margins. Furthermore, license renewals, forced obsolescence, and evolving IT skill sets require a business to constantly keep up. Most of these problems were endemic to the Microsoft-centric way of managing SMB IT, though in fairness this is true with all on-premises solutions.

Thankfully, a modern business has a multitude of options and flexibility in finding an effective IT solution while still keeping expenses at a minimum:

  • Hosted telecom through technologies such as VoIP.
  • Hosted email through Exchange alternatives.
  • Cloud-based services, either for full-suite IT, or for individual components of IT such as backup/recovery, license/upgrade-free productivity software, or nearly unlimited storage.
  • Fractional CIO services, in which IT consultants attend to computing strategies on a short-term basis, only when they are needed.
  • Fully-managed IT services and service desk – the complete remote outsourcing of all IT functions.

Organizations have different needs, and some may prefer to keep a higher level of control over their IT functions for reasons of trust or security. However, the modern SMB can take comfort in the fact that there are many options for making sure that IT is a driver for success, rather than an impediment.

A Customer Relationship Management Software Developer Can Craft the Perfect Solution

a customer relationship management software developer can craft the perfect solution
CRM_mind_map

Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of many key business domains that is being enhanced by software. Like accounting, supply chain, and enterprise resource planning, the tools required for streamlining connections with future and existing customers are essential for any business. Not only that, but an effective CRM solution must have the ability to plug in to any other business process or functionality, allowing the user to achieve a complete view of relationships with all other core business areas.

There are a good number of CRM systems currently on the market. Some are cloud-based and fairly inexpensive. Others are installed on-premises and require a certain amount of overhead to operate. Most vendors offer several different tiers of service (including the option of cloud or local install), often bringing their clients in with basic, low-cost services and then offering more complete features and options for customization at a premium.

However, let us ask whether or not it behooves a company to look at customization as the core selling point for CRM. Almost every vendor offers some form of industry-specific template to set up the solution, assuming that companies in similar markets are well-off with similar configurations.

This ignores one crucial principle of business: it is important to differentiate from competitors. A template created with a whole industry in mind does not offer the client any form of CRM advantage. Keeping in mind how critically CRM ties into other business areas, this means that embracing a generic CRM solution can be detrimental to business overall. On top of this, a basic CRM solution will likely require a great deal of consulting and extra costs to bring up to speed with the inner workings of a business.

Given these considerations, it is important to think about customization from the very start. A CRM software developer can give a business an affordable, effective, well-tailored solution crafted to its specific needs. In order for a CRM system to become truly valuable, it needs a personalized touch. Contact a trusted CRM developer to learn how such a solution can serve your business.

Outsourced IT Network Support Has Many Advantages For Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMB)

outsourced it network support has many advantages for small and medium sized businesses smb
information technology

For many small or medium sized businesses (SMB), IT network support is becoming prohibitively expensive, yet they have a significant capital investment in their current equipment and software that makes a move to the cloud inappropriate until those assets are further amortized. That’s a perfect example of a situation in which outsourcing a company’s IT support would be the most cost-effective approach. Managed support services are like having an on-call IT department which is just a phone call away, and which doesn’t carry with it the employee overhead of an on-site IT department.

Beyond the employee expenses, managed support frees a company’s executives from the burden of micro-managing their hardware, software, and networking problems, and lets them concentrate on making the business decisions that drive sales. Meanwhile, their managed support team has the combined skills of far more IT professionals than would be available with in-house staffing, and the network can be managed proactively instead of reactively. This results in less network downtime and improved productivity. Frequently, the change is immediately obvious, as the managers become less distracted by IT problems, the cash flow improves, and the business begins to run more smoothly and profitably.

Typically, during the transition period while a company is enjoying the benefits of these managed services, it will also have its applications gradually virtualized so that they may be quickly and efficiently migrated to the cloud when the in-house equipment approaches its end-of-life. This strategy ensures the smoothest possible transition with the least disturbance to the company’s work-flow during that critical migration.

While far from exhaustive, this brief overview illustrates a few of the benefits your company can realize from managed network services. So if you would like to streamline the IT operations of your small or medium sized business, contact us today and let us show you what a managed service provider can do for you.