Cloud computing is saturating business media with the general reference to staying current with technology. So how many business owners have grasped the concept of the Cloud or have any real understanding of the value it could add to their business? My guess is that there are not many, especially in small business, so don’t feel alone.

Cloud computing itself has many meanings and is used to streamline processes in different ways depending on the many factors that make that business unique.

Private Cloud

• Is hardware and software for a company and is held and maintained either in house or by a service provider. Many of our clients operate this way now. They remotely access their central data which we host or which is located on the server at their office.
• Cost: Hardware, software and maintenance
• Security: Firewalls and compliancy concerns call for added security measures.
• Control: is in house or via third party service.
• Access: Internal intranets and externally by (VPN) Virtual Private Network. If the hardware goes down you are down, but if the internet goes down you can still operate.
• Scalability: Growth and user needs should be given careful consideration prior to investment, making sure that the expected/potential growth of the company meets the usability for the investments life.

Public Cloud

• Is the concept of hosting data and applications virtually
  • SaaS- Software as a Service (Salesforce, Sugarcrm, QuickBooks Online)
  • PaaS- Platform as a Service (Google App Engine, Force)
  • (IaaS)- Infrastructure as a Service (IBM Cloud)
• Cost: Usually a pay as you go situation, currently it can be just as costly as the private cloud scenario, depending on needs.
• Security: Depends on what your company signs up for. Most have serious security standards but some are open source and may have wholes. Careful research should take place especially if you are held to HIPAA compliancy standards
• Control: Internal application manager is recommended, especially since there may be various hosting sources working side-by-side with an array of technical issues.
• Access:  Virtual and available via internet from nearly anywhere. If the internet goes down you are down.
• Scalability: Most virtual applications are built for a changing business environment.

 Hybrid Cloud

• The developing Cloud dynamics does not offer the “Whole Package” for all companies, and many chose to combine aspects of private and public cloud scenarios. 

The key is not allowing the company’s overall resource plan to step to far outside its efficiency boundaries. Signing up for the many “COOL” new ideas out there, could eliminate the lean process concept of virtualization but it’s great to research and to begin an evolving Cloud concept for your company.

Kari Whittemore

We are always working to find new ways to improve our services, and our design team has just completed a new application that will provide additional value to our monitoring and maintenance clients.  Introducing the ‘NMI Database Project’!

This application optimizes monitoring & maintenance by providing two new support functions: 

  Accountability – We’ve streamlined reporting to make it more efficient & intuitive.  Past due resources and potential trouble spots are now automatically forwarded for review.  This accelerates the response cycle and reduces your exposure to network downtime.

  Actionable reporting – We will now consolidate all monitoring & maintenance activity, issues, and recommendations into a single monthly report.  This report will include an overall determination of network health and a point-by-point review of areas that need work, including recommendations for action. 

We will begin rolling out this new application shortly – this will really be an invaluable aid in keeping your networks safe, healthy, and operating at peak efficiency.  We’d love to hear some feedback about the reports, so lets know if you have any comments or questions.