What is cloud computing? Finding a trusted partner for cloud application management

what is cloud computing finding a trusted partner for cloud application management

Cloud computing allows an organization to take advantage of a wide range of new services to address its needs. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) gives acess to powerful web-based applications that are updated automatically and require no installation.

Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provides a portal from which a business can install or develop solutions for its IT needs (such as web applications). Infrastructure/hardware-as-a-service (IaaS/HaaS) allows resources such as storage and servers to be provisioned remotely so that an organization does not have to worry about physical resources.

There is a cloud-based technology to meet any of the challenges that a business must face: SaaS applications like Zarafa and iceCRM for productivity, PaaS platforms such as Heroku for deploying Ruby on Rails, IaaS/HaaS services like ASK4Cloud for storage, and countless more examples.

Of course, with this proliferation of technologies comes the added complication of managing them, and ensuring interoperability between vendors. Cloud solutions can typically engage parties from all over the world and across many private clouds.

In fact, for the cloud PaaS layer, technology providers have come together to introduce an open cloud application management standard. It has been taken up by the organization OASIS, which is a consortium that drives open information technology standards. The goal of the standard is to introduce an API and set of tools to allow multiple vendors to take advantage of common features from PaaS solutions.

However, the problem of application management with cloud computing is greater than just the ability to use standardized tools for platform management. Though such a standard will help organizations move and adapt their systems more easily, there are other aspects to the challenges that can be best met by finding an experienced cloud computing consulting partner. The savings and efficiency that can be realized through adopting cloud solutions can only be realized through the following steps:

  • Assess the migration of current IT implementations to cloud services
  • Implement and extend those solutions with cloud-specific capabilities
  • Maintain and monitor the cloud transition effort with an ongoing, proactive relationship

It is best to think of cloud computing as a change that occurs most effectively through an intelligent, guided process. Look for an experienced and trusted consulting partner to learn how to manage cloud applications for optimal success.

Watch this video for more information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txvGNDnKNWw

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IT Consulting A Service Needed Now More Than Ever

Information Technology consulting for businesses is more important these days than it has ever been before due to the current proliferation of new technologies that are allowing businesses of all sizes to maximize efficiency and cut costs. In fact we are almost blurring the line between traditional business and “tech” business as IT resources become more and more necessary for the operations of almost every company small or large.

Today’s modern business employee is offered an array of options that – almost coincidentally – reduce overhead, better manage personnel and minimize the effort needed to maintain your business mission itself. Let us examine the most popular and effective new technologies a business has at its disposal:

Managed IT Services

Rather than hiring on-site personnel allow AE Technology Group, an MSP (Managed Service Provider) that is always on the bleeding edge of technology to take over and streamline all of your IT needs so that you may focus all your time on your business and your customers. We provide, support, implement, and educate all our clients on the newest technologies they need to be industry leaders.

Cloud Computing

Uses web-based software and safeguards your data storage through a public or private cloud in order to avoid heavy startup costs, licensing fees, upgrades, and all the hassles of software/data maintenance. Your business is available from any device in any location.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Uses effective software systems to hold on to leads, close sales, manage feedback within your sales pipeline, and much more.

E-Mail

Almost everyone these days uses email on some level but an organization can get so much more if it uses email and its collaboration tools properly. Hosted email solutions manage email economically and avoid the costs of downtime and server maintenance.

Data Protection

Given the resources that potential malicious attackers have to your important data it is more crucial than ever to find the solution to keeping your information secure.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Traditional phone line systems such as key systems and PBX can be relatively inflexible and costly. Managing phone lines over Internet Protocol as you do your other Internet resources reduces costs, improves quality, and opens you up to a new array of applications such as video conferencing.

All of these solutions can increase productivity, reduce costs, and effectively make your business more profitable if implemented and managed properly. Expert IT consulting can make these technologies work for you. Contact us to learn more.

Doctors and Physicians are Moving Their Offices to the Cloud

doctors and physicians are moving their offices to the cloud
cloud-doctor

Doctors are implementing cloud based solutions to manage their offices, improve communication, store sensitive patient information safe and securely. Moving to the cloud has proved to be cost effective and has shown an increase in productivity for the small to medium size medical service providers than are utilizing it.

Using the cloud based CRM or customer relationship management software iceCRM, physicians offices have billing and scheduling solutions that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Patient’s records are stored in a centralized location making them available at all office locations. With cloud solutions, recovering from a computer crash can be done in a fraction of the time!

Mobilized open source solutions like Zarafa allow doctors to improve communication through email and calendars making it much easier to collaborate. Zarafa has proven to be more cost effective with better security than Microsoft Outlook.

Using a cloud storage solution such as ASK4Cloud, secured access to medical records, notes, test results, cardiology and radiology images, and other sensitive data is provided for the staff at all times, with the data backing up in real time.

If you are a doctor or office manager you may be using cloud based tools already such as box.net, Dropbox or Google Drive to store your office files. As a medical service provider a private cloud storage solution that has been approved for sensitive data such as patient records should be considered. Currently there are only a few solutions available in the market today that meet these requirements. ASK4Cloud ensures patient privacy and provides the highest form of encryption available today.

Cloud Drive for Businesses

cloud drive for businesses

More and more businesses are getting on board with the cloud and there’s no mistake that it’s a great idea. The cloud is lowering IT costs, increasing productivity, and broadening the range of the workplace. We are now using Internet-based software that can be accessed from home, a smart phone or tablet, or virtually anywhere an Internet connection is available. The idea of BYOD or Bring Your Own Device is in motion and companies are encouraging employees to work from any device they can.

Remember when you used to dream of sitting on the beach with a laptop and a cool drink, or the day you woke up and thought you’d just love to work from your bed in your PJs?

This is an exciting new era in business where this is totally possible. But like any new technology there is always risks involved, and some love to dive in without testing the waters first, so we want to let you know that not all cloud drives are equal, and from a business perspective the public free storage services are just not good enough.

The move to the cloud has led to an increase in the desire for flexibility, productivity, and mobility. Files need to be available across all devices, platforms, and applications. Without this fluidity backing up to the cloud becomes difficult and confusing. Cloud drive provider Dropbox only backs up data that is in your designated “Sync Folder”. If you’ve got all your files organized in one folder, that’s great. But chances are you have multiple folders across multiple drives that you would like to backup. And I am sure that you would prefer those files to be secured and well encrypted. Cloud drive provider Google Drive does not encrypt your files upon upload, you would have to do it yourself ahead of time.

Did you know that your Google Drive data belongs to Google?

Google’s privacy policy states that:

When you upload or submit content to [Google] services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, communicate, publish, publicly perform and distribute such content.

We are pretty certain that any company with sensitive data doesn’t want to use a cloud drive with those terms. So what is the answer for businesses looking for privately owned cloud drive services that allow multiple folder backup and file encryption?

ASK4Cloud Cloud Drive

ASK4Cloud is designed with small and medium businesses (SMBs) in mind. It enables online file sync, sharing with any other user, and multiple folder backups. ASK4Cloud focuses on security, reliability, and integration and provides a solution to the universal access, sharing, and file recovery problems that plague businesses today. 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.

Features:

  • Easily access all your files from anywhere, including mobile devices
  • No more need for FTP or VPN or access company data
  • Large email attachments are a thing of the past
  • Continuous uptime yielding high availability
  • Sync files in real time for quick, seamless backups
  • Multiple file/folder backup
  • Share files and folders with just a quick click
  • Secured and managed file sharing
  • Granular admin controls, user-access and security controls
  • 448-bit data encryption
  • Cross-platform ( Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android )
  • Comprehensive usage reports

With ASK4Cloud your company data is safe, secured, and always available via AE Technology Group. Contact us for a free one month trial today!

Automatic Online Backup: How can the cloud help keep my data safe and secured?

Clouds

For those of you who still don’t know, the term cloud computing can mean many things. The easiest way to describe it would be as a group of services that are available to you whenever and wherever an Internet connection is available.

An online backup refers to one of these cloud services that lets you take a copy of your personal files from your PC, Mac, or mobile device and store it in another secure location in “the cloud”. The benefit of this is two-fold. One so that you can access these files from any location with an Internet connection, and two so that in the event that your system fails your files remain safe.

Backing up has been a process that many home users and small business have always dreaded. Until now it has been confusing, and probably has left you wondering what files to back up, what media to put it on? You no longer need CD/DVDs, flash drives that get lost, external hard drives that are slow and fail; you have the cloud!

A quick setup ensures that all your data is backed up, and can be restored in no time in the event of a disaster. You can chose to back up in real time, or you can set automatic online backup in which, once selected, regularly and automatically backs up that data without any further user interaction.

Backing up has never been easier thanks to the cloud, and now AE Technology Group can integrate cloud solutions for you.

Call us at (877) 771-AETG to discuss options or e-mail us!