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.

What You Need to Know About Hybrid Cloud Security and Other Risks

what you need to know about hybrid cloud security and other risks

According to a report published by Gartner, the cloud is about to transition into a prolonged phase towards mainstream adoption. Its “hype” bubble, which affects all burgeoning technologies before they are fully embraced, burst somewhere in the midpoint of 2012. 2013 is considered a critical year for hybrid clouds and they are are an important consideration for businesses because they are still parsing out which functions can be exposed to the risks of public cloud and which are best left private.

In the general case this will mean gradual cloud network migration as the risks are vetted by one by one. Some of the challenges hybrid cloud introduces are in compliance, security management, and meeting service-level agreements (SLA).

Compliance

High-stakes enterprises benefit from implementing hybrid cloud solutions, but they must also remain compliant with regulations such as PCI and HIPAA. Maintaining compliance with such standards using cloud systems is not as inherently onerous as some would think – in fact they were designed to be platform-agnostic. For example, if requirements such as a firewalls or encryption of personal data are in place, it does not matter what technology or architecture is used to implement them.

However, with a hybrid cloud data moves with relative ease between public and private, meaning that there are additional points of scrutiny adding to the challenge of compliance. Not only must the public and private components of the solution be up to standard, the coordination between the two must be compliant as well.

Security Management

In order to manage the security of a network, multiple controls must be in place such as authentication and credentials. Hybrid cloud introduces the complication that these security items may need to be replicated on both the public and private side, meaning potential skew and additional points by which access may be compromised.

SLA Issues

Public cloud providers go out of their way to make good on SLA promises of uptime that exceeds 99% and approaches perfect availability. However, when an organization mixes public cloud with private cloud, it must account for the fact that it may not be able to meet such an SLA from the private side and should craft its agreements realistically.

For more on the risks and challenges of cloud network migration, contact a trusted cloud solution provider.

Moving Your Business to the Cloud

moving your business to the cloud

Making the switch to cloud computing is both a painless and effective move that is crucial to your businesses productivity and efficiency. You will see vast improvements in your day to day operations when you utilize our cloud computing solutions and here is why.

Collaboration

Through cloud computing employees can share and edit projects simultaneously with real-time collaboration. Our cloud-based customer relationship software lets you collect and manage client information and generate new leads without the headache of having to install software and make constant upgrades on all your workstations.

Increased Security and Availability

Your data is only as safe as your infrastructure. Encrypted cloud storage protects your sensitive business data and documents from virtual attacks and allows you to access them from virtually anywhere!

Savings

Cloud computing will save your business money in different ways. Did you know that a cloud network can reduce your energy use by up to 87%?

We can offer your business a cloud-based service that will improve your work flow. Some of solutions include:

iceCRM – A cloud based customer relationship management. This service is accessible 24/7 from any device in any location! This service is customized and tailored specifically for your business, enabling you to manage your daily business needs!

Zarafa – Our collaborative cloud based email groupware. Zarafa has all the benefits of big name email services such as Microsoft Outlook, but is only half the price!

ASK4Cloud – One of the most secure and reliably cloud drives available to small and medium size businesses. You are enabled to sync files, backup multiple folders and have unlimited access anywhere, even on your mobile device! Your cloud is located on a private cloud server and can be re-branded to your company name. Your name, your data, safe and secured.

ASK4Backup – We provide our clients complete cloud based data recovery and business continuity programs. All of your sensitive and crucial business documents and data can be stored and backed up through cloud computing and you’ll never have to worry about losing a document again!

10 Reasons to Go Paperless

10 reasons to go paperless

Managing a business looks much different now than it did a decade ago. As the world becomes increasingly more digital every day, businesses must adapt in order to stay relevant to its employees and customers.

One way to leverage the potential of technology is to migrate your business to a cloud network. This is a dramatic shift away from how business used to be done, but its benefits are many.

Speed

When documents are centralized in a cloud environment, information can be transferred and shared instantly. Interoffice mail envelopes are dependent on the pickup schedule; this system is antiquated and can be easily replaced with a paperless system.

Cost Savings

The Return on Investment (ROI) is significant when you take into consideration the cost of implementing a cloud-based system over annual expenses for paper and printer supplies.

Eliminates Redundancy

We all know what happens where someone prints a memo or other document and finds an error or a necessary amendment – that paper is thrown in the trash and an updated replacement is printed. This creates excessive printing and can cause confusion when employees are receiving multiple versions of the same document. Since cloud documents are retrieved from a central location, they can be updated instantly without creating redundant copies.

Collaboration

Cloud documents can be easily shared and, depending on the system, can even be updated synchronously by multiple employees. Real-time collaboration can take place even when the project spans multiple offices.

Environmentally Friendly

Every company wants to be environmentally friendly but it can result in considerable financial strain. Purchasing products made from recycled materials tend to be more costly and may be of a lower quality. Also, arranging pickup of recyclable waste from your office may also incur additional fees. A paperless environment eliminates these costs, allowing your company to reinvest in ways that will truly improve performance and customer satisfaction.

Accessibility

Data stored in the cloud is accessible at anytime from anywhere. This is ideal for employees who travel or for those who need to access information from a mobile device. This also makes employees more accountable since work can be easily monitored.

Easy to Audit

No one likes an unexpected visit from the IRS, but a searchable cloud system makes it easy to retrieve invoices, receipts, and reports. This same feature can be used for internal audits.

Security

Once a document is printed, it is only as secure as the file cabinet where it is stored. Cloud storage can be encrypted to protect from virtual attacks while still allowing easy and safe access for those who need it.

Centralized Resources

Organizational management is easy with cloud systems since all templates and related materials can be stored in a centralized location.

Disaster Recovery

If you have ever had the misfortune of dealing with a fire, flood, or other natural disaster, you know how chaotic it is to recover important documents and records. With disaster recovery, since cloud data is stored remotely, this is no longer a concern.

Let AE Technology Group assist you with your business’s cloud migration. We provide online common data solutions and business applications that are accessible from a web browser. We can customize a solution that fits your needs. Contact us to learn about the benefits of cloud network migration.

3 Considerations to Make Before a Cloud Network Migration

3 considerations to make before a cloud network migration
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Cloud network migration for most organizations is part of the future IT roadmap.

Though cloud migrations sometimes remain stalled due to concerns over security as well as maintaining total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI), the next few years will see an inordinate growth in the amount of data center traffic coming exclusively from cloud services. When cloud network migrations are part of a company’s march into the future, there are some key considerations to make.

Providers Are Not All Are the Same

The number of cloud service providers has grown rapidly, with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Rackspace being just a few of the organizations that offer enterprise cloud services. They also all happen to have existing track records of delivering such services, giving a discerning organization plenty of history and information with which to judge the best partner to meet its network needs. Pricing is typically one the main points of consideration when choosing a vendor.

Though most cost models are usage-based, rates, policies, service tiers, and SLAs vary greatly among providers. Cost, however, should not be totally overshadow less tangible factors such as how well a cloud provider’s technological direction aligns with strategic vision.

Transitioning Systems in a Simple, Slow, Staged Approach

An organization will often have to start somewhere when moving systems to the cloud. This approach should be phased – cloud migrations that fail tend to do so due to the lack of planning. The guideline for beginning such a migration is to select a system component that has low complexity, lax security requirements, and limited risk of failure to the organization.

Straight Replication of the Existing Infrastructure Never Works

It behooves an organization to not plan on a one-to-one mapping of existing resources into the cloud. Doing so would mitigate the advantages in terms of scalability and better resource allocation that justify the move to the cloud in the first place.

Cloud solutions offer many ways to improve tech mainstays such as application servers, DMZs, and database service. Such improvements should be an essential part of any cloud migration plan rather than an afterthought.