Tag: Cloud Computing

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Casserly Consulting Blog

5 Useful Cloud Apps for Small Businesses

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The cloud is a great tool that lets businesses take advantage of goods and services in never before seen ways. How does your organization use the cloud? Developers are trying to leverage the cloud to best assist businesses just like yours with their day-to-day functions, all the while improving flexibility and access to important information. Here are five cloud-based applications that your organization can benefit from.

QuickBooks Online
Quickbooks is one of the major accounting and payroll services out there, and Intuit has developed the platform for use in the cloud environment. QuickBooks Online can help your business build out invoices, track sales and expenses, manage accounts, download bank transactions, and schedule your invoices. QuickBooks Online is also compatible with many different devices, and it works well with over 300 other cloud-based applications. This provides your business with a dynamic and affordable solution.

Evernote
Evernote, a note-taking application, is now accessible through the cloud. Following this migration, users have discovered that Evernote is more functional and quick than ever before. Evernote can even save, and archive information found online so that it can be accessed at any time. Evernote has also added encryption to keep stored information safe.

DocuSign
You sign countless documents year after year. If you could get rid of all the meetings and time spent traveling to locations just to sign specific documents, how would you use this extra time? DocuSign makes this dream a reality by providing an application designed for this express purpose. You can remotely sign documents for a myriad of purposes, cutting down the time spent in between getting to a meeting location and signing the actual document.

Slack
Slack is a great communications system that can integrate with other project management and productivity cloud apps. Slack includes many features designed specifically to help your projects finish as quickly as possible, all while including various features, like message boards and instant messaging, so that all users can be kept in the loop on progress.

Asana
Asana is a cloud-based project management software that can be used for collaboration between projects, allowing you to set parameters and milestones that can be worked toward. This gives your team a way to visually gauge how much progress they are making on a project, as well as provides them ways to meet their deadlines, share files, be more productive, and create opportunities for success.

What are some cloud apps that you use to get more work done throughout the day? Let us know in the comments.

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Casserly Consulting Blog

Four Questions to Have About Cloud Services

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Can you think of a more revolutionary technology in today’s modern age than cloud computing? Companies are now able to implement solutions that are both flexible and scalable enough to suit the needs of both small and large organizations. To this end, the same cloud won’t work for every type of organization. Here are four questions that you’ll need to ask in order to get the best service from your specific cloud provider.

What Are Your Business’ Responsibilities?
You will have to work with your cloud provider to determine who is responsible for what functions and tasks. For example, your cloud provider might be responsible for security, but other types of responsibilities might fall under the umbrella of your organization. Knowing what specific details your company is responsible for is the first step toward achieving success with your cloud solution. Whenever you implement a new cloud service, the best way to start off on the right foot is by clearly outlining any and all responsibilities between the two of you.

What Kind of Cloud Security Do You Need?
There are several different kinds of cloud-based services that your organization can leverage. Cloud services range from intensive and sprawling solutions such as Infrastructure as a Service, all the way to simple productivity suites through Software as a Service. Depending on the extent to which you use the cloud, your security will need to adapt and change.

Does the Cloud Provider Offer Training?
While it’s beneficial that your managers and supervisors know how to use your business’ cloud solution, you’ll need all employees to be on board with your efforts to get the most out of it. Of course, training all of your employees is costly and time-consuming, so if you can avoid doing it yourself, all the better. Cloud providers will often provide their own specialized training procedures both during and after the implementation process, so try to take advantage of it if you can.

How Much Visibility Do You Get?
Visibility is important for a business. In this case, it’s defined as insight into how your organization’s data is being stored, managed, and secured within your cloud environment. Cloud visibility varies between providers and services, though. A small business using the public cloud may have limited cloud visibility, but a large organization with a dedicated private cloud service may have much greater visibility as a whole.

Do you know what you need in a cloud solution? COMPANYNAME can help. To learn more, reach out to us at PHONENUMBER.

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Casserly Consulting Blog

Tip of the Week: Which Storage is Better for Your Needs?

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Keeping your company’s data safe is extremely important no matter where it is stored. Making the decision to store data in the cloud or in an in-house server is just one consideration you need to make. Today, we will compare these two options to help you select the one is right for your business.

Cloud Storage
There are many advantages to using the cloud for backup and storage. Firstly, the platform is cost-effective because not only are you likely paying for only the space and services that you need, you also don’t have the extra utility and maintenance costs that onsite hardware tends to come with.

Another benefit is the scalability that you can get in the cloud. You can always get just the amount of space and computing services that you need, which is not something that you can expect in the case of an in-house computing platform. By being able to increase and decrease space as needed, all you’ll need to do is notify your service provider, and they will increase or decrease your storage space accordingly.

With cloud-based storage, you also typically improve on your accessibility. Any data stored in a cloud-based storage facility can be accessed through most Internet-connected devices that run an Internet browser (or through an app). Just log into your account and gain access to all the information you need when you need it.

Depending on your business needs, some of the few disadvantages cloud storage brings may not even impact your decision. The big one is speed. If you have a lot of data to store, and your Internet connection is less than stellar, backing up or transferring data to the cloud provider could take a while.

Local Storage
Speed is the one main advantage of storing your data locally, but there are some others. Businesses that rely on in-house computing infrastructures have more options than those that use cloud-hosted solutions–especially since you can just unhook the drive and the data is protected.

By having complete control over the management and design of your in-house computing infrastructure, you can create some pretty useful setups that will save your business money. Not only can you set up multiple virtual machines on one server, you can have full-scale redundancy to protect all of the information on your systems.

Some downsides include the upfront expense of purchasing all the major hardware and software systems needed. Scalability is more difficult, and most damning, if your data is saved, backed up, and protected in one place, if that one place gets hit with any issues, your data could be inaccessible, or worse yet, destroyed altogether.

While you have to make decisions for your business, depending on COMPANYNAME to help you make the right ones is advisable. Call us today at PHONENUMBER and one of our professional IT experts will help you design and implement a storage plan to meet your business’ needs.

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Casserly Consulting Blog

Amazon Has Taken Over the Cloud

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Amazon Web Services, or AWS, has long been a provider of quality web-based applications and services for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Nowadays, AWS is providing more services than ever before for the business world with more offerings regarding video creation, augmented reality, and virtual reality. With these new cloud-based services, Amazon is hoping to take advantage of a new market for emerging technologies.

Amazon’s Elemental Media Services introduced five new solutions that allow users to implement workflows to produce high-quality video content. The idea is to give users of AWS the capability to build custom video infrastructures to deliver content to viewers. Users can even build out custom video applications that only use technology resources paid for. This comes at a time when it’s much more efficient and cost-effective to hire outward for managing and maintaining a video delivery system, which allows for more flexibility.

Until recently, companies were spending most of their time and resources ensuring that the infrastructure they build works in an efficient way. In other words, they were more focused on the operations aspect of managing an infrastructure rather than the quality of the content produced. Amazon Web Services users can now outsource the management and maintenance of their video content infrastructure so they can focus on creating content that outshines the competition.

Some of the notable features of AWS’s new service include:

  • AWS Elemental MediaConvert: Formatting and compressing videos for distribution to devices
  • AWS Elemental MediaLive: Encoding for live broadcasts on televisions or connected devices
  • AWS Elemental MediaStore: Delivery of video from high-quality storage
  • AWS Elemental MediaPackage: Prepare and protect live video streams
  • AWS Elemental MediaTailor: Insert targeted advertising into media without compromising on quality

All of the above services will be compatible with other Amazon Web Services applications, so it’s worth considering for the deployment of a video infrastructure, even for small businesses who are on a budget.

Other new services offered by Amazon Web Services include Sumerian, which is AWS’s augmented reality and virtual reality development platform. Users can build out environments using 3D applications for multiple platforms, including some of the most well-known VR and AR technologies like Oculus. You can also import assets to edit 3D scenes, as well as using your own created imports or the pre-installed library of objects.

How do you see these new Amazon Web Services changing the way that your business functions, if at all? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog.

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Casserly Consulting Blog

2018: What to Expect from Technology

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2017 saw the rise of many great technology solutions for small business, including an explosion of popularity in business intelligence, artificial intelligence applications, and machine learning. Meanwhile, other established technologies have continued their domination of the industry. What can your organization look forward to seeing on the forefront of the small business technology race in 2018?

We’ll take a look at some of the upcoming and emerging technologies that your business may want to consider for future investment.

Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence in terms of business use consists of analyzing data to create better outcomes, remake the customer experience, and completely change the way that organizations conduct themselves through the use of automation. Artificially intelligent technology can help to streamline operations and the customer experience through the implementation of chat bots and other machine-learning capabilities. However, researchers have recommended that AI be limited to specific roles rather than broad concepts, as too much of a lack of focus could lead to poor performance as a whole, deterring organizations from implementation in the future.

Even if businesses aren’t implementing artificial intelligence as soon as possible, 59% of businesses are still collecting information so that they can benefit as much as possible from such an integration. By taking this proactive stance on artificial intelligence, they are ensuring that they can hit the ground running when it comes time to do so.

Intelligent Analytics
Analytics have become an increasingly important part of doing business. This is because the availability of data, and software that allows for the analysis of said data, creates an environment where better decisions can be made using this analysis. By taking a carefully crafted deep dive into the numbers behind goods or services, organizations can make greater profits and eliminate inefficiencies in never before seen ways. Think of it like “trimming the fat,” so to speak.

Of course, these intelligent analytics can also be used to find new and more lucrative business ventures. Without proper analysis, though, these statistics and analytics are just empty numbers. Business intelligence apps aim to provide perspective and create insight for operational efficiency and effectiveness. Businesses that want to reap the most benefit from their data will invest in business intelligence strategies to glean important insights.

Cloud Technology
The cloud retains its importance as one of the best ways to take full advantage of modern technology. This is because no matter what type of business applications are released in the future, the cloud will remain one of the best ways to access them. The cloud offers dynamic access to business-critical computing constructs and applications that business owners will want to utilize because they offer cost-reduction and other benefits.

How does your business plan on using the cloud and these other technologies in 2018? To learn more about your options, reach out to COMPANYNAME at PHONENUMBER.

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Casserly Consulting Blog

The Differences Between Sync, Backup, and Storage

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The cloud is a great solution for your business’s file management needs, but depending on your specific situation, you’ll find that the same cloud won’t work for every single business model. We’ll walk you through some similar-sounding terms related to the cloud that might sound like they are the same thing, even when they’re not.

Cloud Sync
Cloud sync is a way to access files and documents across multiple users and devices through a cloud-based folder on the device. You know how you open a folder on your laptop or desktop? It’s just like that. You place any files that you want to share across devices into this folder and they will be uploaded to the cloud and shared between them. Just keep in mind that any mistakes you make with the file will also carry over, which can be problematic, as they are all updated in real time.

Cloud Backup
Using the cloud to back your data up is a great way to change the way you protect your business’s future. You can automatically save your data to a secondary location, updating it whenever a file has been changed beyond the original. However, unlike tape backup, cloud backup doesn’t need any of your internal staff changing over tapes or initiating the backup themselves. Your data is then stored off-site automatically. You can retrieve your data as long as you have appropriate bandwidth. In fact, regardless of your bandwidth, it will likely be faster than your traditional tape backup solution. If you need your data for any reason, it can be encrypted and stored on a hard drive to be shipped overnight to your location as well. Remember, a great cloud backup solution will allow you to revert to a previous version of your data in the event that you suffer from a data loss incident.

Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is, more or less, exactly as it’s described. You store your data in the cloud. Cloud syncing forms the backbone of cloud storage. These services are quite reliable so that you almost always have access to your data. Depending on what kind of data it is, you could host it almost exclusively in the cloud. This type of hosting is somewhat situational, though, so we recommend that you consult with us before going ahead with such an initiative.

Forming Your Cloud Strategy
Ultimately, you want to have no fewer than two working copies of your data readily available in the event of a disaster. All of your important files and data should be kept off of your workstations and stored on a centralized network infrastructure, which is regularly backed-up directly to the cloud for restoration at a later date. This way, you’ll be able to minimize downtime and data loss. Above all else, keep your data backups off of your business’s internal infrastructure. If you somehow lose access to your data or your infrastructure due to a hacking attack or natural disaster, you’ll be glad that you backed up to a secure off-site location.

For assistance with forming a cloud backup solution, reach out to COMPANYNAME at PHONENUMBER.

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Cloud

Your Plate is Full Enough. Updating Software Shouldn’t Be on It

b2ap3_thumbnail_enterprise_software_updates_400.jpg Making sure that your company’s software solutions are up-to-date is something that should take priority, but it’s a chore that’s difficult to perform without a little help. How can you make sure that security patches and updates are always implemented, without sacrificing all of the time and effort required to do so? Even if you don’t think you need them, we promise that they are worth your time–or that of your IT staff.

There’s no way around the importance of implementing software updates, no matter how hard you look for it. In terms of preventing threats from taking advantage of existing vulnerabilities in your software, applying patches is one of the best countermeasures that you can take. You want to make sure that you are taking a calculated approach to your updates so as to make sure there are no cut corners or mistakes being made.

Having a Maintenance Routine is Crucial
From a break-fix IT standpoint, your business will only get much-needed software updates when something goes wrong with your IT infrastructure. This is counterproductive, as you want software patches and security updates to be installed as soon as possible, following their release. Plus, it’s just bad business for a break-fix IT company to do something for you that would keep your technology from working properly. After all, their entire business model relies on your technology not working as intended, so why would they go out of their way to update your software?

Having someone be in charge of implementing software updates is the best way to make sure that this task actually happens. This also presents another important question: do you have employees who have time to do all of this? Keep in mind that software updates need to be done in a timely manner, and it’s likely that they will need to be performed after-hours, so as not to disturb daily operations.

So… How Do You Do It?
For organizations that have an in-house IT department, the responsibility of software updates will usually fall to their technicians. Considering how many things can go wrong if this doesn’t go according to plan, you want to make sure that this process is only handled by professionals. For businesses that don’t have the technical know-how, managed service providers allow for outsourced maintenance–including the remote implementation of security patches and updates. This means that you don’t have to use your company’s time and resources to implement software updates, allowing you to focus on keeping operations running.

Even businesses that do have an internal IT department can benefit from a remote monitoring and management solution. If you find that your IT staff is overworked and they don’t have time for mundane, time-consuming tasks like applying updates, COMPANYNAME can provide co-managed IT care to help your team. While your IT staff is busy innovating, we can take care of the tasks that nobody really wants to do, like issuing software updates to all workstations on your network.

Besides updating your workstations, other available updates for your technology can also be handled relatively easily by our team. Here are a few examples that you’ll want to keep in mind as you decide how you want to implement your software updates.

  • Operating systems: Remember the fiasco from a couple years ago when Microsoft stopped supporting its popular operating system, Windows XP? This is what can happen if you don’t routinely update your operating systems. You’ll no longer receive security updates and you’ll put your company’s sensitive data in jeopardy.
  • Legacy applications: When you rely on mission-critical software, you might be hesitant to implement patches or upgrade the software. Therefore, you need the assistance of technical experts who can help you either move away from legacy applications or install updates in a way that won’t cause downtime.
  • Hardware quality: Thinking beyond just software, your hardware needs regular attention as well, if you want to make sure operations aren’t hindered by unnecessary downtime. Hardware refreshes should be considered in tandem with your software updates, as there’s no reason to update the operating system on a failing piece of hardware when you can kill two birds with one stone by simply ordering a new workstation.

Does all of this sound intimidating? Reach out to COMPANYNAME and you’ll never have to worry about software updates again. To learn more about what we can do for your SMB, reach out to us at PHONENUMBER.