MSPNetworks Blog

Cloud computing is a major growth industry as businesses and individuals look to use the computing strategy to either save money or get resources that they would typically not be able to commit to. With cloud computing becoming more and more integrated into business each year, it stands to reason that the once Wild West of cloud computing would start to see a lot more regulation. This week, we’ll take a look at how the cloud is regulated and what to expect out of cloud regulation down the road. 

The Wild West

The cloud has been growing for years. Currently it is a $450+ billion market that is growing at over 13 percent annually. That’s a massive increase. All this tells you is that it is quickly becoming the priority computing model for businesses and individuals of all types and sizes. This rapid growth has started to gain the attention of lawmakers who are looking to rein in the growing power technology companies are accruing. 

Recent events have made this relationship even more tenuous. The cloud, for all of its benefits, has had a checkered security history; and due to the reliance that organizations have on cloud computing, it has perked the ears of regulators that expect that these computing structures be extremely secure; a problem that has long been identified by IT security experts.

Cloud Security

The current regulatory landscape doesn’t currently have many mandates on it. Cloud providers like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle have basically operated with very little governmental oversight. The same can’t be said for the users of cloud computing, who by-and-large all have some semblance of regulatory concerns. This creates a gap between what the cloud providers do in terms of cybersecurity, and what is the onus of the end user. Of course, regulators want to see the organizations raking in the huge profits from the use of these services do more, and that’s where this battle begins. 

The main point of contention seems to be that, since so many organizations rely on these cloud platforms for their central computing needs, that if full-scale regulation were to happen quickly, it could create problems for providers and thus have major effects on the economy. It stands to reason that regulation happens at some point, but many people in the industry are stumping for a more “light touch” approach, as the laissez-faire approach doesn’t really work for the national security of systems that are crucial to the sustainability of the world economy. 

Shared Responsibility

With security seemingly the hot-button issue, it’s important to understand where most of the cloud’s security comes into play. The provider is responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure, while the customer is responsible for the security of their own digital resources. This can get a little hairy in terms of overarching regulation, as there are several issues that need to be addressed in order for both parties to keep their computing secure. They include:

• Larger attack surfaces - With more publically available surface area to your organization’s data (from use of shared physical resources), there is simply more that can go wrong.
• User error - With phishing attacks being the predominant way hackers gain unauthorized access to computing resources, the end user becomes the choke point for your organizational cybersecurity.
• Poor configuration - The less care that is taken when setting up public cloud resources, the more apt they are to be insecure. 

Regardless of how your organization will be impacted by the incoming regulation of cloud services: Rest assured it is coming. Let’s look at a couple of actions you can take to improve your cloud security:

• Deploy Multi-Factor Authentication - One of the best ways to secure your cloud endpoints is to enact a multi-factor authentication system. This system adds an extra step of security for any cloud-based resource, significantly reducing risk. 
• Manage access better - Not all of your employees need access to every cloud resource, especially if you plan on hosting a cloud platform yourself. Doing your best to restrict cloud access to users that need it, can reduce exposure to potential security issues.
• Train employees - Having a comprehensive security training program in place has been shown to cut your exposure to end-user risks by as much as 70 percent. 
• Sufficiently monitor end-users - One of the best ways to determine if you have intruders in your network is to use technology to consistently monitor it to see who is accessing resources and when. Sometimes unauthorized access will come at unusual times of the day. 

The cloud is going through a lot of changes, and time will tell whether or not widespread regulation will be in the cards in the upcoming years. The only thing you can do is strategically enhance your security posture so as to not be caught off guard. If you would like to talk to one of our security professionals, give MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001. 

Software makes or breaks businesses, so your software strategy should be implemented with sound logic in mind. One of the ways you can make the most out of your limited resources and budget is to consider cloud-hosted Software as a Service offerings. With SaaS, you can implement better software that is more accessible, flexible, and manageable than the traditional method of hosting.

We want you to know that we have your back and can help you implement any technology solutions you decide would work well for your business. All you have to do is call us at (516) 403-9001 to get started. Now, let’s dive into the many benefits of SaaS applications for small businesses.

Remote Accessibility

Many employees are now going about their everyday tasks while out of the office, so accessibility is a major factor that plays into companies’ consideration of SaaS solutions. The cloud makes for a great way for your team to access their solutions, giving them the ability to get work done whether from the comfort of the home or from the office itself. If the application can be hosted in the cloud, the only thing you need is a stable Internet connection to get work done.

Flexibility in Your Operations

Your infrastructure is likely to undergo significant changes as your business grows and evolves, and so too will the stress you place on your company’s network. The scalability and flexibility that comes from SaaS solutions is extremely helpful here, as you can add or remove accounts and users as you need to. You’ll have greater control over your company’s capital by being able to remove accounts that no longer see any use.

For example, you can create an account for a temporary worker, then cancel the account after the employee leaves your business. This means you’re not purchasing an entire license for a short-term arrangement.

Better Maintenance and Management Practices

If you use SaaS solutions, you’ll be relieved to know that you aren’t going to be the one managing and maintaining the solution. This will be done by the cloud service provider, and on top of that, they will also patch and update their services so that you’re always using the most up-to-date versions of your software. It’s great for businesses that have limited resources for managing IT.

MSPNetworks can help your business implement SaaS solutions and best utilize your available resources. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Do your employees have a hard time with the technology that you’ve provided them? Are your digitization efforts lagging behind? Are the systems your business is using coming up on their end of support date? Old technology can cause major problems for a business. In this week’s blog, we go through some of the signs that you may need to upgrade your business’ technology.

Your Technology Is Slow

One of the most frustrating things any employee can deal with is a work computer that takes significantly longer than their personal computer to load up and function. The longer a computer is used, the slower it will become. If your computer is approaching the five-year mark and the person using it is constantly complaining that it is a hindrance to their ability to be productive (not to mention run more advanced applications that your business may use), it is probably time to consider an upgrade of that particular machine. 

For more centralized computing, you should keep in mind that we recommend that you start considering your server refresh at the four-year mark. While you can probably continue using that technology for years after that, you need to start considering a server upgrade because it takes some time to pull the trigger on large technology expenses and services. 

Your Company Is Growing Fast

If your company is experiencing a boom in growth, getting technology into your employees’ hands comes with the territory; and, it can start to become an issue. Not only do your employees need different types of technology, as your business grows this will become an even bigger issue, as presumably the array of different job-related tasks will diversify. 

Another issue is that if you’ve found success with older software (often called legacy), you may find it more difficult to purchase new hardware that is compatible with the older software. Of course, there are options to rent server space in the cloud to accommodate this demand, but there are other issues you then have to consider. Most businesses that maintain an upward trajectory find ways for their technology to grow with their business. 

You Have a Remote Workforce

Managing a remote workforce is a lot different than managing people that come to a central location five days a week. It becomes an issue to get everyone on your team the technology they need. In this case, obtaining resources in the cloud makes a lot of sense. Today, you can get nearly any computing your company needs through cloud-hosted offerings. 

Since the average cloud platform cuts computing and support costs by around a third, it creates a situation where an organization that has distributed employees will prioritize cloud computing due to the ease in which they can deploy required resources, the ability for access from nearly anywhere, and the built in management and support that you get when you purchase SaaS applications.

Ultimately, new technology can allow you to do more, build a more efficient and productive business, and do so with whatever workforce you feel comfortable utilizing. At MSPNetworks, our IT experts can help you procure and integrate your new technologies and help you manage your entire business IT infrastructure. Give us a call today at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

The following story and events are true, however, to protect the families of the innocent, all names have been changed. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or businesses, is purely coincidental. Enjoy and happy Halloween!

This is a transcript of a police interview with Stephen Corey. Taken by Det. Giles Gerald at 11:05 a.m. this morning. 

Det. Gerald - Please state your name and title. 

Mr. Corey - I’m the founder and CEO for North Shore Software Inc. 

Det. Gerald - Tell me what happened. 

Mr. Corey - We’ve been at the 1692 Osborne Ave location since May 10th. It was rainy, but it was actually pretty warm that morning, if you recall? I got to the office at 6:30; which is an hour and a half early as I like to have some time to myself before the staff arrives. I found it strange that there were several cars in the parking lot, but it’s not really unheard of to have cars in the lot from people that get a ride from the bar just across the street on Sundays this time of year. 

I didn’t think much of it as I gathered my things and went up to the office, but the first real curious thing was that the door to the office was already unlocked. This is Monday, mind you, ya’know, and there have been maybe one or two instances in the thirteen years I’ve owned this company that someone has beaten me to the office on Monday. I’m always the first one there; especially on Monday. So, I suddenly got a very cold feeling and was extremely worried that we’d had a break in. So instead of just barging in and potentially putting myself in a bad situation, I decided to go back to my car and call the office to make sure that I was just being paranoid and that there was, ya’know, people there who were, um, ya’know, were supposed to be there.

The phone rang twice and then Sarah answered. “Thank you for calling North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” 

Det. Gerald - This is Sarah Glanvill? 

Mr. Corey - Yes, she’s our receptionist.

Det. Gerald - Continue

Mr. Corey - I was immediately, ya’know, put at ease when I heard her voice, so I hung up without saying anything and headed into the office. Mind you, this was a very brief stretch of time; less than a minute or two. I got back to the door and went to open it and it was locked. Obviously, this was alarming, but I thought that, ya’know, it being Halloween and all that, someone was trying to mess with me a bit. So my first thought was to pound on the door. At this point, I wasn’t so much scared or annoyed, but was trying to be a good sport. I thought that Sarah, who is one of my longest-tenured employees, was just having a little fun with me. After a few seconds, there was an identical pounding on the other side of the door. 

I remember saying something like, “Okay, okay, this is fun,” as I went to unlock the door with my key. Mind you, the plan is to move over to electronic locks pretty soon, but right now we still have the wood door that came on the place with your typical locks, ya’know. Well I put my key in and it won’t turn. Now I’m starting to get annoyed, because all I want to do is start the day and I’m thinking this prank is going a little too far. I pound on the door again, and again the knocks are returned. You’ll see all this on the CCTV, but I tried to unlock the door a couple other times with no luck.  I then call to end the charade and have Sarah, who at that time I’m completely convinced is doing all this to mess with me, unlock the door.

So, as I went around the back to get in the building, I’m annoyed. I call up and she answers “Thank you for calling North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” I’m like Sarah, “This isn’t funny anymore. Let me in the building!” I get nothing, but “North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” At this point, I’m at the back door. I hang up, not finding the humor in this whole thing, and I go to unlock the back door. I unlock the door and I get halfway in and the door slams and locks. 

At this point I’m just standing there angry and dumbfounded. I try the lock and the key won’t turn. It’s as if the locks were magically changed. I start pounding on the door yelling and swearing. Just then I see headlights shining down the alley on the south side of the building. They are coming from the parking lot. I walk toward the parking lot and the lights go off and as I get to the front of the building. I hear: “Good morning, Mr. Corey. Happy Halloween.” It was Sarah. Even though I just saw her pull up, my blood is up, so I start yelling at her, asking her why she would keep the prank going so long? She has no idea what I am talking about. 

I start barraging her with questions, and accusations, really. She starts to plead and cry, not only because she is being accused, but because she must have thought I was losing my damn mind. By now it’s 7 (a.m) or just after and I’m in a frenzy. I put my phone on speakerphone and Sarah, who is standing right in front of me, on the verge of tears, answers “North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?”

I’m not so sure I’ve ever felt more insane and more sorry. She was as surprised as I was to hear her voice. I knew then that I was dealing with something I didn’t understand. I don’t believe in ghosts, but at that moment I thought for sure there was something paranormal going on, ya’know. I was, um, well, scared. Other employees began to pull up and I didn’t know what else to do so I called you guys and told them to go on home and work remotely until I knew what was going on.

Det. Gerald - What happened when the responding officers got there?

Mr. Corey - Obviously, I’m upset. At this point I was convinced there is someone in my place of business who isn’t supposed to be in there…or ya’know, something…There weren’t any lights on that I could see, but someone is actively trying to keep me out of the building. Officers Mather and Cotton came pretty fast and asked Sarah and I a bunch of questions about what was going on. I told them what I told you and they said if I let them in the building they would go in and see what is going on. I told them that the door was unlocked when I got there and then was locked and that someone slammed the back door on me after that. 

We went up to the door and the door unlocked fine. They went in and it was quickly pretty evident that no one broke in. They returned in minutes to say that there was nobody there and the place was clear. By then more officers had showed up and Sarah helped me by sending workers away as I looked around to see if I could figure out who the hell was there. The officers said the back door was not locked. Obviously, this surprised me. 

Det. Gerald - So who do you think was there?

Mr. Corey - That’s the thing, nothing is missing. I looked through the CCTV footage and I didn’t see anyone entering or leaving. The only thing I saw on those tapes was me struggling with the doors. Someone broke in; I’m sure of it, but I can’t tell you for certain who it was. 

Det. Gerald - Maybe you imagined it. Have you been dealing with more stress than usual?

(Just as Det. Gerald asked the question, an unknown number called Mr. Corey’s phone).

Mr. Corey - No. 

(Mr. Corey ignored the call)

No. I can’t really explain any of it, but I…

(Phone rings again)

Can I take this?

Det. Gerald - Yeah.

Mr. Corey - (into the phone) Hello? (inaudible; Mr. Corey then presses the speaker button on his phone) 

Phone - “...this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” 

Mr. Corey - Who is this? Who is this??! (hangs up).

Det. Gerald - What was that?

Mr. Corey - That was Sarah the receptionist, but it obviously wasn’t. 

(Just then the phone rang again: Unknown number)

Det. Gerard - Give me the phone. 

(Mr. Corey handed the phone to the officer and he answers it and puts it on speaker)

This is Detective…

Phone - “...North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?”

At MSPNetworks, we offer enterprise business telephone systems that have all types of features, including virtual receptionists that can help your business direct your calls to the people you are looking to talk to. You can gain the peace of mind that you will get the end-to-end telephone service your business needs without the chance of being haunted by a human or specter. Visit our VoIP page for more information. 

Since it first entered the mainstream in the mid-2000s, cloud computing has become a cornerstone of businesses of every size and shape. The big question that remains, however, is what your business could lean on the cloud to do. Let’s go over the multitude of options that the cloud opens up for a business.

To start, we’ll establish just what exactly we mean when we reference “the cloud.”

The Cloud is Just a Decentralized Network of Resources

That’s really the long and the short of it. The cloud is simply a network that many computers and workstations can access and connect to in order to collaborate and share the data stored within. Whether you need software, data, or raw processing power, the cloud delivers access to these resources and/or the infrastructure to host them.

Convenient? Absolutely… as well as cost-effective, and conducive to collaboration.

Of course, to get the maximum benefit from your cloud implementation, it pays to approach it correctly.

You Have a Lot of Options When it Comes to the Cloud

The cloud comes in numerous forms, and can be used to accomplish various things. In terms of the cloud options you have:

Public cloud - The public cloud is that which is provided by a third-party provider, with all the computing resources maintained and delivered by this provider for the business to use. As a result, the business gets all the advantages of the cloud’s solutions without any of the responsibility of upkeep.

Private cloud - The private cloud is one that the business owns and maintains for themselves, using infrastructure that is stored in-house to host and run the services and applications they rely on. While this puts the onus of maintenance and support on the business, it also helps keep data better protected.

Hybrid cloud - A hybrid cloud approach is one that combines private and public clouds, taking advantage of the benefits of each to fully optimize a business’ IT strategy.

You can use any of these cloud models to fulfill a variety of business needs, like:

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) - Rather than paying up-front for each version of an application—and over again each time an update is released—SaaS ensures that you have the number of software licenses you require, fully updated and ready to go.

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) - IaaS gives you access to the infrastructure needed to support your IT, similarly to purchasing the servers and other networking equipment, but removing all the responsibility for upkeep and maintenance from you.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) - Subscribing to PaaS gives you access to everything your business will need—from the software to the infrastructure to the specialized tools. This option gives you everything you need, fully managed by your provider.

Interested in implementing the cloud into your business’ IT? We’re happy to help. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001!

Your business depends on software for many of its day-to-day operations, whether it’s an email system, productivity suite, or other specialized software. When it comes to acquiring software, you have two options: the traditional method of acquisition, i.e. buying it from a vendor, or subscribing to a Software as a Service solution. What are the differences and how can you make sure your organization is getting value out of its investment?

What is Software as a Service?

The traditional method of acquiring technology often involves purchasing a license, which gives you permission to use the software for what you see fit. For example, you might purchase a handful of licenses for Microsoft Office for employees in your office. This provides consistent access to the software, often through a downloaded application or client located on the user’s desktop or on the network.

Software as a Service, or SaaS for short, can be seen as more of a subscription-based model of acquiring technology. In fact, chances are you use SaaS in your personal life. Consider the business models of Netflix and other streaming services; you pay a flat fee for access to an app and its content. This is how SaaS works. Rather than purchase the software outright, you pay for access to it, often through the cloud.

How Does It Benefit SMBs?

SaaS can help SMBs in a variety of ways. Here are just a few of them:

• Fewer up-front costs: Let’s face it; licenses are pricey and not always affordable for a large workforce. Rather than pay for the full licenses, you pay per user. This means you don’t have to scrape together funds to pay for a new solution, and therefore can get right to work.
• More up-to-date software: You might find yourself constantly upgrading your software as new versions are released or as patches are issued to cover security vulnerabilities. With SaaS, you get the most up-to-date version of that software, complete with patches and updates.
• Less maintenance and management: SaaS solutions aren’t hosted on your infrastructure in most cases; they are hosted by the provider or a managed service provider, meaning less responsibility on your part to take care of them.
• Greater accessibility: Since the software is often located in the cloud, you can access SaaS applications on your preferred devices through either an app or an Internet browser.

Overall, SaaS is a great investment and one that can help your SMB either get a new project off the ground or save capital in the long term.

Get Started Today!

MSPNetworks understands that you don’t always have the funds available to invest in software licenses, especially when you have a larger workforce. We want to help you get access to the software you need to be successful in all of your endeavors. We can equip your business with Software as a Service solutions that are scalable and in line with the needs of your business, and we can even host them on our infrastructure so you don’t have to worry about a thing! It’s a great investment and one that will pay off in spades.

To get started with SaaS solutions today, reach out to MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001.

When you think of the government, you don’t immediately think of an organization that is at the forefront of innovation. Sure, they have all that money at their disposal, but most of it goes here and there to try to help the people of a constituency; and, frankly it isn’t terribly efficient. What may surprise you is that governments are embracing cloud services and it tends to benefit everyone. Let’s see how governments are taking advantage of cloud computing.

Regardless of what your feelings are about government programs, there are a lot of them. For every one of them, there needs to be an online portal. One way governments are able to address these always-growing needs is through the partnerships they enter into. For the populace that depends on these government services, efficiency is an important metric. Traditionally, government agencies hosted their own websites and portals, but with demands and the need for security increasing, more and more of these organizations are using partnerships to facilitate changes in hosting, process automation, and even support. 

Government-as-a-Service

In an attempt to address the rising complexity of governmental IT systems and keeping them secure, there has been a significant push over the past couple of years to take advantage of strategic partnerships with application and website developers as well as cloud service providers. As mentioned above, efforts to make systems easier to navigate, and with the big data capabilities these systems provide, have an interesting place in public service delivery pipelines. 

Consider a government service website. There is a potential for millions of people attempting to access the same or similar services, all the while having agencies filled will civil servants trying to meet the demand placed on them by the people who qualify for the service, as well as the lawmakers and other entities who appropriate monies and dole out a basic framework for the disbursement of those resources. That’s a lot of moving parts, but with established and reputable partnerships, these systems can provide some of the answers and deliver some semblance of efficiency for systems that are traditionally defined by inefficiency. 

Boosting Trust

According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, public trust in government has never been lower. Establishing systems that work for people, without the inefficiency and red tape, is a key to building trust. With these partnerships in tow, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that these cloud-hosted government systems begin to curry favor with long-frustrated citizens.

What do you think about the government working with outside vendors to make their systems more user-friendly and responsive? Leave your comments below and check back soon for more technology-related content. 

Cloud computing is being used by nearly everyone nowadays, and most of the time it presents a lot of value that can’t be found with purchasing, managing, and maintaining an in-house computing infrastructure. As an organization begins moving more and more of their computing to the cloud, there is a situation that arises that industry professionals call “cloud sprawl”. 

What is Cloud Sprawl?

Cloud sprawl is the loss of awareness about cloud computing expenses that can add up if not monitored carefully. For example, say you have a project that requires a certain software title to complete it. You decided to get each member of the team a subscription to a certain Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) title. As the project extends more people are added, but when the project is completed the accounts that were added subsequently aren't canceled immediately. If they are found three months later, you are on the hook for the monthly cost of the software and infrastructure related to it.

This may seem like a small issue, but for organizations of dozens of departments, hundreds of project teams, and thousands of user accounts, you are talking about a large waste of capital. Wasting money buying things that aren’t being used is always frustrating, but it’s even more of a problem when with a little foresight and reliable documentation (and procedure), these expenses can be completely eliminated. 

The first thing you will have to do if you want to control your organization’s cloud expenses is to design, and completely map, a computing infrastructure that takes into account all current infrastructure plans, projects, and future computing investments. Once your entire infrastructure is completely mapped, it should be much easier adding and subtracting cloud resources based on need.

What is Cloud Complexity?

Cloud complexity is exactly what it sounds like. Not all software deployments are cost-effective if you use the SaaS per user model. There are definitely applications that your business uses that you want to host and manage yourself to ensure that it is secured the way you need it to be. Most businesses need to meet some type of regulatory requirements—and with much of that requiring proof of security—hosting those applications and data offsite may make it a little more difficult (and probably much more expensive). 

Other examples of cloud complexity are when organizations decide that they want to migrate away from onsite infrastructure and don’t take into account the different configurations that cloud platforms present. One major problem is that when an organization decides to migrate data and applications into a cloud-hosted environment, the legacy infrastructure (servers, databases, and other computing platforms) continues to exist for some time. 

Also, cloud options are unhindered by compatibility and compliance. Hosted infrastructure makes it easy to select whichever brand or functionality your organization needs. All these moving parts can make cloud computing a maddening jumble of sudden changes that can waste plenty of time and money if left unchecked. 

What is Cloud Security?

Since the advent of cloud computing, IT professionals have been asking this question. The biggest problem with cloud computing was the fact that they had little to no control over the setup and management of the underlying computing infrastructure. The single sign-on feature of most cloud platforms was (and is) disconcerting to the IT professional tasked with securing your organization’s technology. 

The truth is, cloud security is strong and shouldn’t be too worrisome for organizations using cloud computing for most enterprise computing needs. There are a few things you can do to ensure that your cloud security is commensurate with the IT security you have for your physical infrastructure. They include

• Backup and recovery - Hackers do attack cloud systems, this much is true, and if something were to happen in your cloud platforms, having a reliable backup and strong data recovery plan in place would take a lot of the heat off.
• Multi-factor authentication - One of the biggest problems with cloud platforms from a security perspective is the single sign-on. Today, all cloud platforms support multi-factor authentication procedures that work to enhance an organization's ability to keep unwanted entities out of cloud platforms. 
• Use encryption - Data is data regardless of where you store it. To protect any data, you will want to use encryption. Encryption restricts access to data and when looking to build secure practices around data, it is one of the best solutions out there.

The cloud is changing the face of business, but it does have its drawbacks. If you would like to have a conversation about your organization’s use of cloud computing and how you can use the cloud more effectively give MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001.

Most everyone uses the cloud in some capacity, even if it’s not a professional one. Simply put, the value it provides even on a consumer level is astounding, and this is even more so with business applications. The cloud makes it much easier for organizations to manage their resources compared to hosting them in-house, but a problem has surfaced with some companies suffering due to what’s called “cloud sprawl.”

What is Cloud Sprawl?

Cloud sprawl happens when businesses lose awareness of how much they are truly spending on cloud computing costs, leading them to add up and spiral out of control. Maybe you have a project that requires a specific software application, so you sign up for a cloud solution to make it happen. As the project expands and more people are added to the project, more accounts are created. When the project has been completed, these accounts are not canceled immediately, and you don’t find out until a couple months down the road and you’ve paid for multiple accounts for an extended period of time.

It might seem of little consequence, but these kinds of issues can quickly add up and become major problems, especially as the size and scope of projects grow. It’s simply unnecessary and wasteful; all it takes to avoid these kinds of problems is a little foresight and documentation.

To control your business’ cloud expenses, we recommend that you design and map your computing infrastructure, taking into account all of your current and future infrastructure plans, projects, and investments. Once your infrastructure is mapped, you’ll have an easier time adjusting cloud resources according to need.

What is Cloud Complexity?

While the cloud can be cost-effective, the solutions implemented through the cloud are not always Software-as-a-Service friendly. Some applications that are used to store and process sensitive information must be secured in specific ways according to regulations, something which can quickly complicate your efforts to utilize the cloud in this way. It also isn’t helping your cost-cutting goals.

Other times organizations might migrate away from an on-site infrastructure without first taking into account what types of configurations might be required to make the cloud work in the same way. Some companies find that when they migrate data to a cloud-hosted environment, their legacy infrastructures still exist well beyond what they should, something which complicates security, too.

Cloud options are generally unhindered by compatibility and compliance, however. With enough investment, you can select whichever brands and functionalities you would like based on your organization’s needs. That said, these many moving parts must be monitored and observed for the cloud to become a cost-saving machine rather than a greater investment.

What is Cloud Security?

The biggest problem with cloud implementation has always been the limited control that organizations have over the setup and management of the underlying computing infrastructure. While convenient, the single sign-on used by most cloud platforms is cause for concern for many IT professionals who are responsible for securing their organization’s infrastructures.

The fact of the matter is that cloud security is relatively strong and shouldn’t be a bother for businesses using cloud computing. There are certain things you can do to improve the security of these solutions, however. Try the following:

• Backup and recovery - Hackers do attack cloud systems, this much is true, and if something were to happen in your cloud platforms, having a reliable backup and strong data recovery plan in place would take a lot of the heat off.
• Multi-factor authentication - One of the biggest problems with cloud platforms from a security perspective is the single sign-on. Today, all cloud platforms support multi-factor authentication procedures that work to enhance an organization's ability to keep unwanted entities out of cloud platforms. 
• Use encryption - Data is data regardless of where you store it. To protect any data, you will want to use encryption. Encryption restricts access to data and when looking to build secure practices around data, it is one of the best solutions out there.

It’s not an understatement to say that the cloud is a game-changer for businesses. To find out how you can implement the cloud in the most effective way possible, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Smart devices have brought about unprecedented amounts of connectivity in aspects of running a business or owning a home that never could have been dreamed of in the past. People can now unlock their front doors, turn up their thermostats, and even switch the lights on and off through their smartphone. Unfortunately, the part that people don’t like to talk about with these applications and devices is security—big surprise, right?

Most consumers tend to lean toward technology that makes their living spaces easier to manage, but these technologies present their own set of problems and challenges, chief among them being security.

Connectivity Through the Cloud

Smart technology works by sending and receiving data from the chosen smart device, be it a thermostat or a video surveillance system, to your smartphone. It does this through the cloud, but there’s a catch—these connections are often unencrypted and unsecured, meaning that anyone who knows where to look can hijack the transmission and steal that data. If you are going to implement smart technology for your company or home, be sure to look for solutions that come with encryption capabilities, thus securing your connectivity through the cloud.

Be Careful About Permissions

Depending on the application, you might notice that it asks for permissions to use various other applications or hardware on your device, like the camera, microphone, or other data found on your device. Be very careful with these permissions. You must be sure of what permissions you are granting before you actually do so. Depending on what permissions are granted, you might accidentally opt into data harvesting. Furthermore, the more permissions you grant without understanding what they are doing, the more likely you are to get hacked, so it’s always better to err on the side of caution with smart technology.

You may have already noticed, but many of the challenges presented above can be mitigated through understanding the nature of what technology you are implementing and how you are using it. Always understand the details for any device you implement on your infrastructure before doing so, and if you don’t, consult professionals who make it their life’s work to help people like you improve their relationship with technology.

MSPNetworks can help you implement smart technology solutions for your office, but we can do so in a way that prioritizes security in all senses of the word. To learn more about what we can do to help you protect your business and its assets, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Cloud computing is a monster of a topic in and of itself, perhaps more so than most people might expect. Let’s define what cloud management is and take a closer look at what goes into properly managing your cloud-based resources.

What Does Cloud Management Really Mean?

“The cloud” can mean many things, some of which have different contexts depending on the company and industry it is a part of. The differences come from how they make use of resources and the capabilities their solution can offer, as well as what the solution is used for. Some of the more popular options include the public cloud, the private cloud, or a combination of the two called a hybrid cloud.

In terms of usage, many companies use the cloud for data storage and processing, application hosting and delivery, and improving accessibility of information in a way that would make on-premise solutions blush.

You can see how the cloud can make certain processes easier, but it also comes with its fair share of complications to consider. This is why managing your cloud-based resources is extremely important.

What Tools Can Help You Manage Your Cloud Resources?

No matter how you choose to implement the cloud, you can bet that there are resources out there and tools to use that can help you get the most out of your cloud solution. Depending on your needs, you might need differing levels of resource management tools, scalability, automation, compliance, performance monitoring, and so on.

These needs will generally require different technologies that adhere to best practices. Here are a couple of examples:

• For scalability, your cloud management tools should be compatible with new and improving technology, as well as different networking environments.
• For compliance, you must know who owns the various resources that your organization makes use of, as well as their roles in its management.
• For performance management, you should establish status review measures and automatic scaling according to your resource requirements. It is important that this be done proactively rather than after the fact.

MSPNetworks can assist you in putting your cloud resources to their optimal use.

If you need a hand with managing your cloud solutions, MSPNetworks can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

The cloud is a great tool to improve the accessibility of applications and data, but with so many options available to businesses, it can be a bit intimidating to get started with it. Let’s go over some of the various types of cloud solutions available, as well as some of the more well-known services that you might find helpful.

Keep in mind while you are reading this that all businesses will have different cloud needs, and as such, no two solutions will work in exactly the same way. We encourage you to reach out to us before making a decision as to what cloud solution you implement, as you will want to make sure that the solution you implement benefits your business as best it can.

The Public vs Private vs Hybrid Dilemma

Many businesses are unsure what type of cloud solution is best for their particular needs. To simplify things a bit, we have outlined some of the most common types of cloud environments. Use the information below to make the most informed decision possible:

• Public: The public cloud involves your organization storing data in its own dedicated part of a public cloud infrastructure. Basically, think of it like renting space online to host whatever you need to be hosted. Many businesses prefer the public cloud because of its ease of implementation, but it is not as flexible or customizable as other solutions out there, as you have limited control over the infrastructure itself.
• Private: A private cloud is a private place for you to store your data on-premises. Think of it as buying out a whole building to do whatever you would like with. Many businesses prefer the private cloud because they can make any changes they want to their infrastructure, including (most importantly) security.
• Hybrid: A hybrid cloud solution is kind of like a mixture of public and private clouds. Similar to the public cloud, you are not responsible for hosting the hybrid cloud solution, but you have just as much control over it as you would if you had a private cloud solution. It’s a great middle-ground for any business looking to implement cloud solutions.

Examples of Cloud Solutions

To give you an idea of what is out there for cloud solutions, here are some of the more popular cloud hosting providers that you might be familiar with:

• Google Workspace
• Microsoft OneDrive/Microsoft 365
• Amazon Web Services/Amazon Drive
• Dropbox
• iDrive
• And many more

While the above are some of the more popular choices for cloud storage and application deployment, we want to urge anyone looking to take advantage of the cloud to do their research and make informed decisions by working with a managed service provider like MSPNetworks. We can help you sift through the options available to you and implement a system that is perfect for your needs.

MSPNetworks can help your organization make the best decision possible for its cloud-based needs. To learn more about how we can help your organization, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Businesses use cloud resources all the time; and, they use them for many different reasons. Some use them because they have to support a remote workforce, some use them so they don’t have to come up with large swaths of capital or don’t want to pay interest rates for financing their central hardware. Some only use them sparingly to fill in the gaps created by product and service demand.

Whatever your business uses the cloud for, there are some major problems that can arise if you don’t actively manage your cloud accounts. Let’s take a look at three major issues small businesses can run into when over-relying on cloud services:

Cost Management

Consider that an individual can forget that they have signed up for a streaming service or another Internet-based service. This is exactly the problem with cloud services for business. Workers or departments can sign up for services through the business, and then never use those services again, but since most cloud services auto-renew every month “for convenience”, companies can be paying substantial money for services they don’t even use.

Beyond that, most cloud service providers market their services to small business owners and decision makers as being cost effective, but the more that a business depends on cloud services, the more they will pay for those services. Sure, they have the flexibility to scale up and back as needed, but if services that aren’t being used continue to be paid for, it can be plenty expensive.

Another consideration for businesses that forgo the software-as-a-service model to host their own infrastructure in the cloud can have difficulty predicting the costs of their hosted computing resources. Since most businesses need to set a baseline of cost for any and all of their technology, it could conceivably become problematic if the processing costs supersede the budgeted amount. There are ways to keep cloud computing costs under control, of course, but they can be difficult to manage for small businesses that may not have the IT coverage some larger companies do.

Lack of Security

From day one, the biggest bugaboo surrounding cloud computing has been the security costs, with good reason. The biggest problem is that, when using cloud computing, companies cannot see the location where their data is being stored and processed, and with no control over the physical infrastructure hosting the resources, they have to have faith in the provider to do the right things to protect data and infrastructure. In fact, it can be a very important consideration when storing what could be potentially sensitive information in the cloud. 

All the threats that a business faces from the Internet are still relevant for cloud providers. Things like data breaches, compromised authentication, hacked interfaces, account hijacking, and other security problems don’t go away because your business uses the cloud. It makes trusting a third party business to protect your data a little more difficult. Some tips that will help include: 

• Ensure the security of your cloud provider - You will want to choose cloud platforms that have identity management, authentication and access control tools integrated to give you the best shot at protecting your data. 
• Check their privacy and security controls - Before choosing a provider you will want to check which database privacy and security laws they adhere to. There is a growing list of new laws on the books. The organizations that adhere to those regulations will be more reliably secure than ones that don’t. 
• Ensure they help you stay compliant - This goes without saying, but if your business has regulations that you have to maintain compliance with, you will want to choose a cloud provider that will make that possible. 
• Set up cloud management - Today there are several business intelligence tools that can help you monitor the effectiveness of your hosted solutions. This will not only help you maintain security, it will also provide you with insights on how the solutions are working for your business. 

Cloud Performance

One issue that you don’t always hear about, but is an important consideration is how the cloud platform actually performs for your business. Of course, downtime is always going to be a consideration for platforms that require an Internet connection to work. That obviously isn’t going to be an issue if you’ve already decided to use cloud-hosted solutions. What is a consideration, however, is that if your business is using the cloud to gain access to tools that you likely couldn’t afford otherwise, will the cloud-based services have the reliability that is advertised?

A couple of the major cloud providers have had major outages the past couple of years, and this could actually negatively affect the continuity of your business. You will want to make sure that if there is an issue that the provider you choose has a system that will alert you as the problem is happening and not after, when it is also a major problem for your business. Remember, if you have problems with your cloud-based services, you have problems with your business, so be sure to do your research before adding cloud SaaS services to your infrastructure. 

Cloud computing can be a godsend for your business, but it can also change the way you need to think about your IT. Give MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001 to talk to one of our consultants about getting the reliable and secure cloud services your business needs.

When you are looking to implement new technology solutions for your business, the last thing you should do is skip the planning process. You need to carefully consider all of your options, your business’ specific needs, and the various benefits that can come from all of these options. Today we will discuss how your business can choose the best technology that suits your organization and its operations.

This process involves conducting a proper analysis of your business’ needs, identifying how your new technology will fit into your existing payment structure, whether or not it leans into what your business does well, and what your employees think will help them do their jobs better.

Analyze Your Business’ Needs

You can’t make the right choices for your business technology if you don’t know what your specific needs are. Consider what challenges your business faces and how you might overcome them. In this case, however, one thing we want to emphasize is that you should only implement technology when you believe that it will truly make things easier. Sometimes businesses implement technology solutions that only make things more complicated, which does the exact opposite of what it’s supposed to do. 

Consider the Price Point

Small businesses often struggle with large up-front costs associated with purchasing new technology solutions, mostly due to the large payments not being particularly conducive to budgeting. We’re not saying that you can’t purchase technology or services up-front--sometimes there are benefits to doing so--but what we are saying is that you should look at other options, like Software as a Service or other services with a monthly payment model. These services tend to be more scalable and fit more easily into budgets.

Lean Into Your Strengths

You do this every day with your employees on a micro level by segmenting off duties and responsibilities based on their roles within your organization, but on a macro level, you can encourage your business to lean into what it does well with the right technology solutions. For example, businesses that pride themselves on great customer service can provide even better customer service by implementing help desk solutions and instant messaging chats. In other words, you are supplementing your business with technology that makes your efforts easier and more effective.

Ask Your Employees

If you are unsure of how your business can more effectively utilize technology, consider asking your employees for their feedback. Ask them what challenges they face and how they might address them. You can then use this information to make informed decisions regarding the technology that you eventually go to implement for your infrastructure. Plus, employees love it when their opinions matter, so if you can learn a thing or two about your organization by listening to their woes, you can make your business a better place to work as a whole.

Work with a Managed Service Provider

If you’re unsure of any of the above, MSPNetworks can help your business identify business technology solutions that you will find helpful for making progress toward your goals. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

When we talk about the cloud, what springs to your mind? The cloud might sound like a business buzzword, but in reality it’s one of the most important components of a technology infrastructure, especially in today’s online environment. Considering the ongoing pandemic and unpredictability that the situation brings, you don’t want to wait any longer; you should have started thinking about implementing the cloud yesterday.

What is Cloud Computing?

When we talk about the cloud, it’s mostly in the context of cloud computing. Most people utilize cloud computing on a day-to-day basis in at least some capacity, whether they realize it or not. Most email solutions these days are stored in the cloud, so anytime you access your Gmail account, you are using cloud computing. Cloud computing is essentially when data lives in an online environment. This makes the data available through some kind of account or portal, improving accessibility and flexibility in general. It’s a great way for businesses to keep operations going even while out of the office.

That being said, most businesses will have to ask themselves whether a public or private cloud is the ideal solution.

Public vs Private

When considering cloud computing, you will find that these services can be broken up into two major categories: public and private. Each of these have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s dive in.

Private Cloud

It’s perfectly fine for businesses to host their own private cloud infrastructure. In fact, many organizations already do this. They have servers on-premises that they manage and maintain, allowing their workers to access the data found on them through approved mobile devices. The private cloud allows for many benefits that the public cloud does not, including greater control over your data and the ability to customize every little piece of your infrastructure. On the other hand, it is saddled with the costs of building, managing, and maintaining a complex server infrastructure, as well as securing it from would-be hackers.

Public Cloud

For those who do not have the capabilities to store, manage, and maintain an entire infrastructure of cloud servers, we have the public cloud. The aforementioned online services that many consumers use run on the public cloud. The public cloud is online space that is partitioned off per user, meaning that you and only you have access to your data, despite it being located in the same place as other users’ data. While this makes the cloud infinitely more accessible and easier to utilize, it does come with some drawbacks. Since the space is managed by a cloud provider, you might not have as much control over your data as you would like. This also extends into security; you might want to implement more powerful data security measures (especially since it is the public cloud), but you’ll be unable to do so.

This presents a difficult position. Do you skimp on security and customization, or do you bite the bullet and build an infrastructure that is impossible to manage and maintain on your own? Well, neither. We do have one other option for you.

The Solution: A Hybrid Cloud

Small businesses are in a unique position regarding cloud computing. They might not have the capabilities to manage and maintain their own private infrastructure of cloud servers, but don’t want to compromise on their ability to protect their resources or implement a solution that only solves one of many issues they are experiencing. This is why a hybrid cloud solution is often ideal for small businesses.

The way it works is simple: you essentially “rent” server space in a data center, allowing you to do what you will with it. The space is managed and protected by the service provider so that you don’t have to. It’s a great compromise that makes services more accessible to small businesses without losing out on the imperative security that is inherently unavailable to those utilizing the public cloud.

MSPNetworks can help your business implement a quality cloud solution specific to your individual needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Hardware is expensive, this much is certain. When a small or medium-sized business is looking to get the most bang for buck from their technology investments, they have to consider hardware to be the most crucial part of the equation. One option that businesses can take advantage of today is to use virtualized environments. Whether these computing environments are hosted onsite or in the cloud, a business can extend the usefulness of their IT budget by utilizing them. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of virtualization on your business.

Business Computing is Shifting

There was a time, not too long ago, where there weren’t a lot of options when it came to business computing. The small business that wanted to expand its computing infrastructure would buy a server and use it for a dedicated purpose. This strategy gives the business the most control over their hardware, data, and applications, so for the business that has an onsite IT support team, it’s logical. 

It’s also very expensive. 

One of the main problems with this organizational computing strategy is that it doesn’t utilize the capacity of these servers. The servers are used for a specific purpose and that can leave a significant amount of resources unused. This underutilization is a wasted opportunity. By using virtualized environments, new hardware can be more effectively utilized, and therefore, can help control hardware costs. 

Here’s How Virtualization Works

Instead of running one server for every mission-critical application, you run several virtual machines on one server. Each virtual machine only uses the hardware resources that it needs, meaning that three or four servers can be consolidated into one. You will get the same performance out of one server with many virtual servers on it as you would get from multiple in-house servers. 

Pros of Virtualization

Outside of the admittedly hefty upfront cost of virtualization, the reduction in hardware costs you see down the road make the strategy a sound one for almost any business. Not only do you save money on buying servers, the environments are accessible from nearly any device. This means that you cut down on your workstation spend, and you can take full advantage of remote workers. All-in-all, businesses that commit to virtualization can save between 40-to-60 percent on their organizational hardware costs, and see reduced management, utility, and maintenance costs as well.

This also allows you to spend more time driving your business forward and less time managing it. Virtual servers can deploy new environments in minutes, expediting the process by a substantial amount. Virtualization also makes security and data redundancy much easier as your IT admins only need to work on one server rather than several, and back up one piece of hardware.

Your Company in the Cloud

Another consideration is hosting your virtual environments in a bigger virtual environment. Cloud computing is more affordable and secure than ever and companies have been paying attention. By using cloud offerings to extend the benefits of virtualization you’re effectively paying to host your company’s servers in the cloud. This can be even more cost effective than using virtualization on your own in-house servers, but it does remove some of the control you and your team have over your hardware. 

Either way, if you aren’t considering virtualization, you are probably wasting money. If you would like to learn more about virtualization for your business, contact the IT professionals at MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001 today.

Cloud computing has been one of the most utilized tools for business in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it crucial for businesses to give remote access to tools and one effective way to make that happen was to look to the cloud. This has expanded an already booming market and presents businesses of all sizes with the opportunity to get the computing they need without huge upfront costs. Today, we’ll take a look at the cloud computing market and how you can leverage hosted computing solutions to improve your business. 

The Cloud Market

The cloud market was already hundreds of billions of dollars before 2020, but the realities of a global pandemic accelerated the growth of many cloud services. While overall growth might seem a little subdued when you look at the numbers, the percentage of growth cloud computing platforms saw in 2020 makes it one of the most utilized technologies in the world. 

Gartner has estimated that the 2020 public cloud market will come in around $258 billion which is a firm increase of 6.3 percent over 2019 numbers. In a clear recession that is extraordinarily impressive. What’s more, nearly half of all IT spending is now spent in the cloud. In fact, 60-to-70 percent of all new software purchased in 2020 were in the form of cloud solutions. 

A case could be made that cloud computing was COVID Kryptonite and it is actively changing the way we do business. The growth of AI and other automation-fueling technologies will be at the top of most business’ “get” lists as uncertainty takes hold over businesses. 

How Can My Business Use the Cloud?

Your business probably already has invested in cloud services at some point. If you have a hosted email server that you don’t have physical access to, you are using public cloud services. With the uncertainty of business today, with everything that is going on, having control over your digital resources is important.

One of the best reasons to use cloud services is that you can get the computing you need. Do you need a certain amount of file storage? You can get it in the cloud. Do you have a budget that is set in stone? You can find the resources you need in the cloud. Do you need scalable computing resources for specific project needs? The cloud presents a massive benefit for a business with variable user software demands. In fact, today, you can literally get any type of computing that you need in the cloud: from full infrastructures to host your business’ IT environments to software, to security to communications and much, much more.

Your business is most certainly a candidate for cloud services. It’s that simple. You just need some professional insight to help you determine what IT investments would be better off hosting yourself and which are right for the public cloud. At MSPNetworks, we have a team of certified technicians that are adept in the procurement, deployment, and support of today’s most important business technologies. Our staff can help you determine the best places to invest in IT, and how to keep your costs down at a time when everyone is looking to manage their budgets. Give us a call today at (516) 403-9001 to see how we can help you use technology to build a better business.

The cloud has proven to be an extremely useful tool for the modern business. Not only does it provide anywhere-anytime access to applications, processing, storage, et al; it also delivers those products as a service, allowing you to budget for recurring costs rather than major upfront ones. This provides your organization with functional, supported, and secure computing environments that eliminate a lot of the support costs that traditional computing environments require. It sounds like a perfect scenario for small and large businesses alike, but things aren’t always what they seem, as a lot of cloud users have found that they have incurred several hidden costs by using cloud platforms. Today, we take a look at these hidden costs.

A study from Research In Action polled 468 CIOs about their cloud usage and the costs associated with them. Many admitted that cloud investment was one of the largest expenses their organization would have from a technology point of view. The study went on to find that while a majority of CIOs considered the “hidden” costs of this technology, much of the concern is alleviated by the reputation of their vendors. Some of the potential problems they considered include:

Having to put forth more effort to properly manage vendors, and their corresponding Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Bottlenecking and the impact poor cloud performance could have on brand perception, productivity, and customer support. The increased cost of solving complex problems inside cloud environments.

Are these concerns justified? Sure, but they are hard to measure. Many businesses just haven’t developed a system to properly quantify the perceived loss in revenue tied to cloud inefficiency. In fact, most companies don’t have updated, automated methods in use to track and manage their cloud performance.

Costs of Scalability

Many organizations also run into cloud cost overruns when dealing with the scale of their cloud platforms. Costs associated with over-provisioning (buying too much), under-provisioning (buying too little), management, and administration of cloud hosted environments present costs that may not look significant up front, but over time can have negative effects on the overall profitability of a business. Understanding the amount of space/processing you’ll need to meet your organization's needs is almost always going to be a fluid situation, but understanding how they affect your business’ bottom line is crucial to mitigate unwanted monetary responsibilities or cost overruns associated with the cloud platforms you utilize.

Going Too Far

Cloud platforms are nice, but you don’t have to look much further than your personal situation to see how the ease of use these platforms provide can get expensive pretty quick. For the individual, costs add up quick thanks to cloud-based streaming media and other platforms that come in a subscription model. You’ve got Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, and many, many more that are relatively cheap. Microsoft Office 365 is exceptionally useful and affordable, providing unparalleled value for about any computer user. The more you subscribe to, the more costs add up, which is why you’ll want to design, and stick to a dedicated plan to avoid overextending yourself, or your organization.

Utility computing in the cloud, whether it be applications, storage, processing, or some other form, is extraordinarily valuable, but only if you understand how to avoid paying more than you should for your cloud assets. The knowledgeable technicians at MSPNetworks can help you come up with cloud deployment strategy, while also helping you avoid cost overruns typically associated with these assets. Call us today at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

Profitability is less the measure of being able to turn a profit, and more the measure of how much profit you can make. For the successful small business, the integration of technology can dictate what kind of annual margins you are looking at. For the new company, however, it can be something even more critical: the difference between setting a course for success, or wallowing in failure. Today we analyze the cost difference between hosting your IT in-house, or choosing to host it in the cloud.

For this experiment, we’re going to assume that we are starting from scratch. The optimism and cautious excitement that goes into starting a new business endeavor is palpable. Let's assume for our purposes that you’ve determined that you need to support the following applications:

• Email
• Voice over Internet Protocol
• Line of business applications
• Productivity applications
• HR and operations software
• Storage (enough to support above)
• File sharing
• Backup

It’s not hard to ascertain the surface costs of implementing these technologies, but when trying to figure out the total cost of ownership, it may be a little more difficult. Objective comparison of the two platforms has to begin at their core needs. On one hand, In-house computing comes with several, including power, maintenance, management, and redundancy (and the management and maintenance of that platform), while cloud computing may need enhanced bandwidth and redundancy to work for a business. These costs have to be figured in when trying to plan your next steps.

Then there is the question of who is going to use your data, and what kind of protections need to be put in place as a result of that qualification. What compliance regulations does your organization have to meet? How many users does the network and infrastructure have to support? What software do you need to run? There are literally dozens of questions you have to ask before making any definitive decisions about what kind of hardware you are going to need, let alone what kind of hardware solutions you plan on using.

Once you’ve ironed out the particulars, you will then have to make the big choice. Do you want to buy physical hardware, cloud-based hardware, or some combination of both? Let’s analyze all three options:

In-House Computing

The first thing you have to be cognizant of is that once you decide that your organization needs in-house server infrastructure, you have to know that it is going to cost you a pretty penny. In order to support a full-scale communications solution, all the applications your business uses to do business, email, and backup you are looking at a seriously hefty price tag. Not only are you looking at a few thousand dollars per server, costs that are incurred in configuring the servers, warranties, and maintenance to that server could push the cost into untenable territory, especially if there isn’t a good deal of upfront capital available.

Beyond all that there are HVAC and security costs that need to addressed the first time around. The biggest expense, by far, is the cost of management. If you outsource your IT services management to a company like MSPNetworks, you may be able to mitigate some of the recurring costs and get expert management, but ultimately the facts point to on-premise hardware rollouts costing a substantial amount more than utilizing cloud, especially with today’s IaaS costs.

Implementing an in-house server room does provide you with some pretty stark benefits, however. They include complete management over the systems within, the resulting comprehensive data security, and access to data without an Internet connection. It also front-loads the costs associated with the environment, so if the big capital expenses don’t cut into your operational budget considerations, you will be paying less per month. The infrastructure costs (which are fixed costs) and the management and maintenance of it, and operational costs (that are very often variable), all have to be taken into consideration, as does your organization’s regulatory compliance needs.

Cloud Computing

For the start-up that doesn’t have any overreaching data compliance issues, utilizing cloud computing is a no-brainer. Not only are there limited set up costs, there are so many different service-based computing plans that it is now possible to strictly use the cloud for all of your organization's central computing.

For the established company, it may be a little more difficult, so before we go “all hail the cloud!” on you, we have to admit that there are plenty of considerations you have to make if you were to go ahead with a completely virtualized computing infrastructure for your business. Here are a few:

• Migration Time and Cost: Getting started with cloud computing may not come with the enormous capital costs that an inhouse server would, but there is cost, especially if you are migrating data. For an established business to move from physical servers to cloud infrastructure there is a substantial investment. It takes a lot of bandwidth and time to move all if an organization’s data over, and in doing so, you will likely incur a fair amount of cost.
• Dependability and What Uptime Really Means: Cloud providers like to measure their effectiveness in uptime; and, in doing so, don’t properly represent what customers want from their cloud provider. Businesses need ubiquitous access to data and applications stored on a cloud construct, and sometimes that can be a problem. The VM running the server may be up, but if there isn’t access to critical information and applications, a business deals with their own downtime, which is a major problem.
• Problems Estimating Costs: The cloud’s cost to a business seems simple enough, but a lot of business owners do a poor job of estimating the true cost of the service. With cloud computing pricing costing businesses so many cents-per-service-unit, they often fail to multiply this cost over months and years. By moving the least utilized applications over first, a company can save more money than just moving it all over at once.
• Trusting Your Architect: Well before cloud implementation, a company would have a cloud architect make them a map (of sorts) so that decision makers can see how the data flows. A problem arises when you’ve trusted the plan and mid-implementation, the migration team wants to change everything. To avoid a complete cloud migration failure, your best bet is to consult with the architect to make certain that everything goes to plan.
• Cloud security: For companies that migrate over to the cloud, they will have to know beforehand that all of the solutions they had deployed to protect their systems from threats are probably not going to be deployed by the cloud provider. As a result, it may initially feel as if the cloud construct is lacking security. Hiring a third-party to test your security will go a long way toward alleviating (or reaffirming) the concerns you may have about your cloud’s security.

As costs go, it’s pretty evident after considering all the factors, that deploying new infrastructure is always going to be costly. An organization can save money by moving to the cloud as long as the migration is done properly and meets all the file sharing, data security, and deployment needs that an organization has. In fact, most organizations have some sort of cloud project on the books for this very reason. The benefits outweigh the detriments for a lot of what companies do.

The Hybrid Approach

Nowadays, the Hybrid Cloud approach is becoming more popular. As data regulations increase and legacy software is still mightily functional, the best option is often to deploy both a cloud platform and keep an on premise server. Essentially, finding ways for the two to work in unison is called a hybrid cloud. While this seems like a match for nearly every business, it comes with a great deal of design and implementation headaches, and can cause significant cost overruns.

In order to design and deploy an effective hybrid cloud, you first have to know what the potential pitfalls can be. Two include:

• Utilization uncertainty: When moving part of an organization’s data and infrastructure to the cloud, there should be a baseline of utilization that is acceptable. If you overplanned for cloud utilization, you could be looking a pretty hefty bill in the face for computing resources your organization will never use.
• Development costs: The two computing constructs often won’t “play nice” and as a result you may be looking at substantial development costs during the integration. These costs are variable and are difficult to plan for, so like everything else IT, plan to spend more than you will and you won’t be left disappointed.

To solve the challenges that come with significant hybrid cloud costs, many organizations will abandon the idea, but really it’s about simplifying the whole process. New strategies, practices, and products are being formed that will simplify the hybrid cloud process, while allowing an organization to get the most out of their IT infrastructure. It won’t be long before there will be hybrid cloud services that will marry the two ends into one secure and dynamic IT infrastructure. Until then, however, controlling your computing costs, no matter the platform, will take careful consideration and thoughtful planning.

At MSPNetworks, we have years of experience designing, implementing, managing, and supporting powerful IT infrastructures for businesses of all sizes. To learn more about cloud computing, including hybrid cloud implementations, reach out to us today.

Cloud solutions are extremely popular among modern businesses, whether they rely on public cloud resources or maintain their own in-house private cloud. Some businesses, however, elect to take the middle ground and use a “hybrid” cloud solution. Let’s take a few moments to determine if your business could benefit from this approach.

First, let’s examine what makes a cloud solution a “hybrid” one.

What is a Hybrid Cloud Solution?

As Peter Mell and Timothy Grance defined in Special Publication 800-145 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the hybrid cloud deployment model is defined with the following excerpt:

“The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities, but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds).”

Or in other words, two different cloud models that function separately, but are both used for regular business operations. Some businesses elect to run their operations and applications on a private cloud solution, but use public cloud platforms for their backup and disaster recovery needs.

Benefits and Challenges of a Hybrid Cloud Approach

There are quite a few benefits that a hybrid cloud approach has to offer, including:

• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: You have the option to focus the hybrid cloud exclusively on your continuity strategy. With a backup in both a public cloud and private cloud, your chances of not having access to your data when you need it are effectively eliminated.
• Better Control-to-Need Ratio: Combining private and public cloud solutions together allows you to ensure you have the control over some elements of your business, while the public cloud allows you to better scale to meet your needs.
• Cost Benefits: There is no denying that some projects are too big to efficiently run on a private cloud. A hybrid cloud approach allows you to both keep your data secure while accessing the processing power a public cloud platform can provide.

However, the hybrid cloud does have some inherent challenges that could prohibit you from benefiting from its use.

• Lack of Visibility: In a hybrid cloud system, it can be difficult to keep track of where your data is being stored, and whether you are investing more than you need in one of its parts. This can have detrimental effects on your budget.
• Complicated Security: Even though your cloud vendors are putting forth their best efforts, the security of your data is your responsibility, and the marriage between public and private clouds introduces additional risks.
• Bottleneck Concerns: When data moves between public and private clouds, there could easily be a bottleneck somewhere in your network, creating severely negative impacts.

Still not sure if the hybrid cloud is right for you? Reach out to MSPNetworks and find out! Give our experts a call at (516) 403-9001.