Hey! You! Get Off of My Cloud - The Rolling Stones ("Get Off of My Cloud," 1965)

At this point, you would almost have to be living under a rock to not have heard the phrase “cloud computing”. It just sounds sexy, doesn’t it? Cloud computing. Much more fun to say than “updating my infrastructure” or “deploying a server refresh.”  Unfortunately, however, many SMBs (small to medium businesses) still don’t realize how this “new technology” (not really…it’s been around for years) is about to change the way they do business.

In a nutshell, cloud computing is this: Taking advantage of IT resources, such as a server or a software application on a server, that are physically located elsewhere, and doing so by way of an internet connection. [Disclaimer: I fully understand that network geeks everywhere are groaning as they read this over-simplified definition…but it will do just fine for our purposes here.]

Larger corporations have been utilizing the cloud for years (we just didn’t call it “the cloud” until recently).  For example, a corporation in Washington, D.C., with satellite offices in Philadelphia and Richmond, could house all of its data storage and deploy programs and applications on their servers located in the D.C. office.  The Philadelphia and Richmond offices can simply access these servers via the internet, thereby sharply reducing the need for this corporation to invest in additional hardware (servers), redundant software, or labor (IT staff) at its remote locations. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?  Today, this example would be referred to as a “private cloud”. [Once again, see my disclaimer above.]

The “public cloud”, on the other hand, is probably of much greater interest to SMBs who have had rather limited access to cloud technology in the past due to the high cost of internet bandwidth. The public cloud involves service providers making IT-based resources available to the general public via the internet (very similar to the business model in which your company buys power from the power company, as opposed to purchasing and maintaining its own generators). Over the last five to ten years, thanks to technologies such as video streaming and music sharing, most of us now refuse to live without high-speed internet in our homes, much less our businesses, so SMBs have adopted more substantial bandwidth and cloud computing is financially very hard to overlook.

So now that we’re all on the same page regarding what cloud computing is, and why it’s more viable now than it was in the past, let’s talk about the really sexy stuff, like some examples of how it can benefit your business.

One of our most popular cloud offerings at New Frontiers is Hosted Exchange. Microsoft Exchange Server is the world’s most popular email server and provides incredible collaboration and productivity features. However, many SMBs have been reluctant to adopt this technology due to the exorbitant up-front software and licensing fees, as well as the additional hardware resources (onsite server) and expertise (IT staff) to run this resource-intense application. As you’ve probably guessed, the cloud eliminates these concerns. By utilizing an Exchange Server “in the cloud” (in this case, in our New Frontiers Data Center) a business can provide its workforce all of the features of Exchange, and these features can be accessed from any device with an internet connection…including mobile phones and tablets. This obviously makes employees more mobile, accessible, productive and connected. Even businesses with an onsite server currently running Microsoft Exchange are embracing the cloud for this service. In this case, cloud computing saves businesses money by freeing up in-house IT staff to focus on more “geek-like” tasks involving network security, hardware virtualization and other undertakings best left to those with an aptitude for that kind of silliness.

Another way in which the cloud is boosting employee collaboration and productivity, is through a Hosted File Server (and much like the smartphone, this is a technology that SMBs will soon be wondering how they lived without). By moving file servers out of the server closet and into the cloud (thereby eliminating time spent worrying about air conditioning a closet), small businesses are realizing the benefits of being able to view and edit files and documents stored on their server, safely and securely, from anywhere and at any time. Even better yet, by taking advantage of a Microsoft SharePoint account (you guessed it…hosted in the cloud!), network users can “check a document out” from the server, make changes, and “check the document back in”, even while keeping a record of changes made (version control).

These few examples truly are just the tip of the iceberg. With all of the possibilities offered by cloud computing, it appears that SMBs will no longer be constantly chasing more powerful infrastructure (i.e., servers) to keep up with the newest applications that will give their businesses that competitive advantage they’ve been searching for.  And if you’ve been thinking the latest, greatest technology is slightly out of reach due to budgetary concerns and a slow economy…we should probably chat.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you,

Brian
bmerson@centricbiz.com

…there's got to be another way. – The Who (“Who Are You?,” 1978)

I have a few observations about the person that first coined the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” First of all, this person obviously wasn’t an English major, however, neither am I, so that is quickly forgiven (by me, at least…probably not by an English professor). More importantly, I’m also betting this phrase wasn’t first typed using a PC or Mac, nor distributed via email, or shared via any other network-based technology.  If it had been, the phrase most likely would have read, “If it ain’t broke, prepare for it to break…and at the worst possible time.”

Now it’s not that I’m a pessimist, it’s just that I’m amazed by the way technology has taken over our lives (especially in the business world) and how quickly our day falls apart when these technologies fail us. Even those employees who claim to be “old school” or “technophobes” simply can’t function once their email isn’t working or they can’t access the server.

This reliance on technology by businesses today has even changed the way technology geeks (and wannabe geeks) behave. As little as five years ago, IT support companies simply sold their customers a “block” of time (usually 5 or ten hours to a block) and waited for the client to call when something went wrong. In today’s technology-reliant offices, this “break/fix” business model just simply doesn’t cut it.  Minutes must seem like hours to the business owner watching staff sitting idle because they can’t access email or applications and files on the server.

As you might have guessed, I have a solution for this dilemma: Managed Services. And I can sum up the differences between managed services and the “break/fix” support model of yesterday with two words: “proactive” and “preemptive”. As a New Frontiers Managed Services client, you can expect our team of engineers to treat your network as if it were our own. We're constantly evaluating your network to assure it remains reliable and secure. Our software is monitoring your network 24x7x365, searching for issues and alerting our engineers before these issues become work-stopping problems. This same software also allows our technicians to offer immediate remote help desk support to end users on your network, as well as scheduling after-hours application of patch releases and security updates. And on the rare instance that a service technician needs to come on-site to deal with an issue…well, that’s covered, too.

So if the fear of finding out exactly what an hour of downtime will cost your business isn’t enough to make you seriously consider managed services, I hope you’ll consider this: How much would it benefit your business to know exactly what your IT expenses will be each month? At New Frontiers, we simply manage your network for a flat monthly fee, and in many cases the total cost of this service can be less than you are currently paying for the break/fix support you’ve come to accept as the norm. And doesn't it just make sense to budget for a team of engineers and technicians with a wide array of specialized skills to manage your network for less than the cost of a single IT employee or contractor?

I’m pretty adamant in my belief that this is the best way to assure your network remains healthy and secure, but if you’re not yet a believer, I hope you’ll contact me and let me know what I’ve missed.

I'm hoping to hear from you soon.

Brian
bmerson@centricbiz.com

...What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been - Grateful Dead ("Truckin'",1970)

So I’ve now got a full year under my belt in business technology sales, and oddly enough, I’m feeling the need to talk (O.K., write) about it. Those of you who know me, probably remember that I spent 11 years in the office equipment industry, which is where I built some great client relationships.  In the early summer of 2010, I made the move to New Frontiers Solutions, a local CLEC (Competing Local Exchange Carrier…or “telephone and internet service provider” to those of us who despise acronyms) with an IT division specializing in managed services (more on this in an upcoming blog…I promise!). I realize now, that back then, I had no idea what I was getting into.

As a sales rep for a local copier company, I was certain that my knowledge of the equipment and technologies I sold, along with my firm belief that customer service is always first and foremost, was enough to put me at the very top of my field, and no one was better at this job than I was. (O.K., I realize that was borderline cocky…but it’s my blog, no sense in being falsely modest!)

My new career, however, is very different. Now, each and every morning as I walk through the front doors at New Frontiers, I fully realize that I’m the dumbest guy in the building. The network engineers and technicians that I work with are at the very top of their field, and it’s a great feeling to know that my efforts are backed by such a competent staff.  However, from a sales perspective, at least two dilemmas arise from this: First of all, sometimes it seems there are simply not enough hours in the day to completely familiarize myself with all of the voice, data, communications and network technologies that our engineers are capable of providing to our clients. Secondly, many of the clients I work with, and possibly the ones that could benefit most from these technologies, know even less about these technologies than I do…and that’s the main reason for the effort behind this blog. (I know, I know…it took me long enough to get here!)

My hope is, that by blogging every few weeks about one of the technology solutions that I offer, maybe some of my clients will be able to take advantage of the hours I spend each week doing research and bombarding my grey matter with information about these technology-related products and services. And who knows, maybe my ramblings will generate some feedback and discussion with my clients (and prospective clients) regarding the topics about which I’ve blogged.  And maybe…just maybe…the information found here will cause one of my clients to pick up the phone and call me on my direct line at 240-675-9725 to discuss how these technologies could benefit their business or organization. (C’mon, don’t look so shocked…I warned you in the first sentence that I was in sales!)

Here’s hoping that my blogging serves some purpose for you.

Brian
bmerson@centricbiz.com