by clikcloud | Oct 22, 2014 | SMB Technology
Many small to medium sized businesses are migrating to the Cloud – backups, better security, regulations, security, and the Cloud ensures that your company is always up to date without having to continually invest more time and money. So, how can your business make the leap? Here are 3 steps to get you started with your migration to the Cloud: Start With Hosted Email An easy first step is to move your company email to a hosted email solution. Cloud email solutions may include a number of additional services for spam protection, antivirus protection, email archive and more. When you move your email, first consider how many mailboxes are in use? Can you consolidate or eliminate email inboxes? This is a good time to consider how you can reduce costs and improve security and performance. When moving email to the Cloud, consider starting with just the last six months worth of emails, then move older data over time. Move Data and Files to Cloud Storage Moving your files is a logical next step to getting your business to the Cloud. Consider what data you need to migrate to the Cloud. Now is the perfect time to clean up customer data and archive historical information, such as office documents, financial history and email archives. Planning out your migration carefully will save you time and cloud storage costs in the long run. Move Servers that Support Legacy Applications Consider how you will move servers that support line of business and other legacy applications. Unfortunately, not all legacy applications can live in the Cloud. But, many legacy applications can leverage at least...
by clikcloud | Aug 25, 2014 | SMB Technology
Broadband Internet is all about speed and reliability. In a nutshell, “broadband” refers to a very fast and persistent connection to the Internet. For business – Cloud computing, web conferencing and hosted voice solutions – having a broadband connection is essential. Here are 3 things you need to know about how broadband Internet that can improve your business: Broadband Internet is Fast In business, time is money. Broadband indicates a high-speed Internet transmission, using 256 Kbps and above. Compared to dial-up, broadband is permanently connected to the Internet and boasts speeds up to 160 times faster. Faster connection time means your cloud backups go quicker, VoIP connections are clearer, Software as a Service (SaaS) applications are snappier. If you are considering running Cloud applications in your business Broadband Internet is a must have. Broadband Internet is More Affordable Than You Think There is a variety of Broadband Internet solutions to meet most budgets. Broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies such as: DSL, Cable Modem, Fiber, Ethernet over Copper, MPLS for wide area networking and more. The bottom line is these solutions offer high speed data and voice transmission for the same or less than older Internet connectivity options. Your company may get better service levels with cost savings by selecting the solution that best meets your needs. With Broadband, Network Security is Important With Broadband Internet, your company is permanently connected to the Internet, exposing your systems to potential risk of hacking and data breach. So, installing a firewall and keeping it up to date is essential for Broadband Internet deployments. If you recently upgraded to a Broadband solution...
by clikcloud | Feb 20, 2014 | SMB Technology
Your Computer Network is the information pipeline of your business. But what if your network goes down? If your computer network is not operating properly, you may lose access to critical applications and their data. If you are using mobile applications, software as a service, or other types of Cloud Computing, your computer network needs to be highly reliable and readily available. While reading this article, you will learn about information technology trends that impact your Computer Network. Cloud Computing and Your Network With Cloud Computing, your employees require consistent and reliable bandwidth over the internet to connect with the most popular cloud applications. As Cloud Computing is becoming more important in business, it is becoming increasingly necessary to protect your network. Cloud Computing is an undeniable trend. Most industry analysts forecast strong growth for The Cloud. From a September 2013 forecast from International Data Corp., worldwide spending on public IT cloud services is predicted to reach $107 billion by 2017, an increase from $47.4 billion in 2013. This trend in cloud computing is driving mega deals, such as the acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Comcast, as cable is a popular option for business class internet. Is your Computer Network ready for Mobile? A WiFi network is a practical way to connect laptops, convertibles, tablet PCs, and smartphones to your business. However, mobile devices can tax your computer network performance and security. To ensure smooth and consistent network connectivity, your computer network needs to accommodate the additional bandwidth requirements of those mobile devices. Additionally, mobile devices may be a source of virus, Malware, or phishing schemes on your...
by clikcloud | Feb 13, 2014 | SMB Technology
It seems a majority of companies are adopting Cloud Computing as a significant portion of their IT infrastructure. According the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) 4th Annual Trends in Cloud Computing, sixty percent of companies surveyed, reported they rely on Cloud Computing for at least thirty percent of their IT infrastructure. Transitioning to Cloud Computing? Here’s How to Avoid the Turbulence. There are number of implementation challenges to cloud computing deployment. As a result, it is important that your cloud computing deployments are carefully planned and part of a holistic information technology roadmap. According to CompTIA, integration with existing technologies, changes required to IT policy and the learning curve of the cloud model top the list. Less than half of those surveyed cited, cost overruns, justifying the return on investment and transitioning from legacy systems as issues. In fact, the majority of business reported performance and availability levels were as expected from their cloud provider. What can a Business do to Avoid the Pitfalls When Transitioning to the Cloud? Cloud Integration There are a number of issues that can impact the success of your cloud computing deployment. Software as a Service applications (SaaS) rely on Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for integration. It is important to ensure your SaaS suppliers use common APIs so they can easily integrate with one another Understanding your requirements is key to identifying when integration can become an issue. IT Policies and Cloud Computing Keeping your IT policies and procedures up to date is also an important component of a successful Cloud Computing Deployment. Cloud Computing solutions can be rapidly deployed so it is easy...
by clikcloud | Nov 25, 2013 | SMB Technology
This time of year most organizations are looking at 2014. Analyzing IT trends allows you to budget for the upcoming year, as well as, keep up with the competition. Reviewing 2014 IT Trends can help ensure your core systems stay up to date and help you grow your business. There are a number of important trends that many companies will take advantage of to reduce risks, gain more customers and reduce costs. Here is What to Watch for 2014 IT Trends: IT Security IT Security will continue as one of the top areas of concern for most business owners when they think about technology in 2014. IT Security tops the short list of 2014 IT Trends and is driven by cyber security threat, concerns over privacy data issues and security risks related to mobile computing (e.g. Mobile Device theft/loss, virus and malware infection). Cloud Computing Most companies have adopted some form of cloud based technologies within their business. File sharing/cloud sharing services, remote backup and disaster recovery all fuel the need for robust networking and highly available Internet connectivity. With the retirement of Windows XP anticipated in April of 2014, many companies will turn to the cloud for modernized office productivity solutions, including virtual desktops and hosted email. Mobile Applications & Touch Technologies The latest release of Windows 8.1 relies heavily on a Touch user interface. Many technology consumers are familiar with touch technologies on their smartphones and tablet computers. Demand for these devices is expected to be strong. Many manufacturers are launching an array of touch enabled laptops, convertible computers and tablet computers that are touch enabled. This...
