Never Buy a Server Again! – Cloud Computing for Small Business

Wouldn’t it be nice to get out of the server hardware game?  You know, every 3 or 4 years you need to replace each one.  Every year or so your IT guy says “We need a new server for…”.  Not sure if you do but, he’s “your guy”.  Oh yeah, and backups, we need a new tape drive and server for that too.  And that SQL server’s getting old…

Not only that but server software costs continue to grow and grow and grow.  New operating systems, backup software, virus protection, on and on and on.  More and more money in large chunks that doesn’t move your forward in your business goals.  Wouldn’t it be nice to see IT as a utility where you pay for what you use when you use it?  Wouldn’t it be great to have experts running your IT solution and have them provide a high level of service as well?  Is that possible, anywhere???

YES IT IS!  Never buy a server again.  Never pay for server or MS Office licensing again.  Always be current.  Get great 24 x 7 support for all your staff.  Pay a monthly fee per user, month by month.  Grow, pay more, shrink, pay less.  With IVDesk, that’s exactly what we provide.

We run all your applications in a Cloud Computing environment.  We provide a virtual hosted Windows XP desktop with your applications, MS Office, Outlook with Exchange, and a fully outsourced network.  Private and Shared files and folders with no limit on data.  24 x 7 helpdesk serviced by our staff in the US that will never talk down to you.  Just there to help.  All for a monthly fee per user.  Quick, easy, and with dramatic redundancy.  Much more than you could ever justify buying if you bought your own equipment.

Get out the business of running your own IT shop and treat it as a utility that you use.  High service, custom fit for your needs allowing you to work from any Internet connection, anywhere.  Complete variable cost IT.  We’ve got dramatic success stories and continue to add new customer constantly.  It’s time to get back to working your business and out of the IT business.

Give us a call, take a look at www.IVDesk.com, and see our customer testimonial videos by searching YouTube for IVDesk.  Get started now!

Bill Sorenson
CEO
www.IVDesk.com

Top Reasons to NOT run Servers Locally – Move it to the Cloud

There are a number of different reasons to not have things run locally.  We’ve categorized them as:

Financial
1. Capital can be saved for specific things that the business needs in relation to the services or products it provides.  Instead of constantly upgrading computer systems, organizations can focus their limited capital on product enhancements, addressing customer issues, and growing the businesses.
2. Variable costs associated with IT infrastructure.  With IVDesk, organizations end up with an expense structure that mirrors their current needs.  In a downturn, the expenses go down instead of staying fixed and high.  In an upturn, expenses grow in relation to the expansion of the organization directly.  No high fixed expense related to IT.
3. No surprise large expenses.  With the IVDesk model, you no longer have to be hit with unexpected expenses around unforeseen issues.  No surprise upgrades to backup systems, no large conversion expenses moving from operating system upgrades, no large MS Office upgrade expenses, no large expense associated with virtualization software and virtualization expertise.

Service Levels
1. With IVDesk organizations get 24 x 7 support for all their users.  Internal IT departments usually can’t spend the money to provide this and users suffer in relation to waiting to get things worked on or corrected.
2. Remote connectivity for all users is provided with IVDesk where internal IT groups usually have to spend dramatic amounts of money to provide limited access.r the
3. With local IT infrastructure and limited resources, organizations struggle getting the expertise they need either during normal operations or when there’s emergencies.  With IVDesk, the expertise is always available and working.

Disaster Recovery
1. Local IT organizations have limited Disaster Recovery abilities without large initial and monthly expenses.  To create a “Real” DR solution, local IT infrastructure expenses are huge and complex.  With IVDesk that redundancy is built in and hosted in a Tier 3 data center.  We’ve built redundancy into each area possible as well as provide access from everywhere.  In an emergency situation, users can login securely from any Internet connection.
2. Costs of downtime to an organization are dramatic and with local IT infrastructure, it happens frequently.  Whether it’s email, specific servers, or applications, there’s constantly less confidence in systems and the IT management to keep the business running.

We continually see the industry move this way to reduce and manage risks and financial consequences associated with running your own IT infrastructure.  As IT organizations continue to focus on the business’ goals, resources are better spent outside of the IT infrastructure and local IT needs and placed on providing better application service, enhancements, and needs.

Give us a call or swing by our site at www.IVDesk.com to get started!

Thanks,

Bill Sorenson
CEO
www.IVDesk.com

Hosted Cloud Computing Solutions for Small Business VS Managed Services

Small companies have issues that larger organizations don’t have anymore.

1. A small number of servers with little or no redundancy.
2. Backups that are rarely monitored or managed.
3. Little access from remote locations.
4. Low level of expertise on-hand to help with issues.
5. Little or no Disaster Recovery capabilities.
6. Higher Risks associated with business interruptions.

Larger organizations have solutions for all the issues above but for smaller companies, these risks are an everyday issue.  So how do Managed Services Providers (MSP) try and handle them and how does that compare to a hosted cloud computing solution?

MSPs monitor and manage the existing servers and applications. They provide some level of helpdesk, usually to one individual at the customer’s site.  Should a problem occur, they are notified by their monitoring package and respond remotely.  Should an issue need a local hand on the equipment, they’ll dispatch a tech to fix.  Pricing is usually on a per server and per PC basis with some time and materials for break fix.

From the customer’s stand point this really is the lowest level of support anyone can have.  Equipment is usually not kept current due to the capital costs, support is remote to the equipment so when there are issues, the customer may be down for extended periods of time.  Customers do not get much for their money.  There may be a remote backup solution that is considered “Disaster Recovery” but the fact is that if the customer lost that server and needed to restore it, it would be a few days of time before they’d be up and running.  Not a good solution for a customer…

Let’s look at a cloud computing hosted solution like IVDesk.  All the applications, data, files and folders are hosted in a Tier 3 data center so only a redundant CISCO router is on site at the customers.  The virtual desktop looks and feels exactly like a Windows XP desktop.  Connections are secure and the environment has dramatic redundancy.  Users can work from any Internet connection anywhere.  Expertise is available on demand and everyone can call the helpdesk 24 hours a day.  Costs are per user per month and completely variable.  Add users, it goes up, remove users, it goes down.

So what’s the customer’s experience with this solution?  Dramatic up time and speed of systems since the application servers are all current, fast, data center quality.  All systems are backed up and redundant.  Highest level of security for customer’s data and applications.  Completely variable cost IT solution so no need to spend capital ever again.  All users can contact the helpdesk about anything from how to do a mail-merge in Word to getting connected from home.  Disaster Recovery is covered since users have the exact same experience from everywhere.  No local equipment.  Existing PCs last a dramatically longer time and there are low-cost replacement alternatives with refurbished PCs, Windows Terminals, and other devices.  Complete integration to mobile devices.  Everything’s included…

Now, comparing each side by side it becomes dramatically apparent that the existing MSP model will get replaced quickly with hosted cloud computing solutions.  We’ve been offering IVDesk for over 8 years and providing this hosted solution running all of a customer’s applications with dramatic success.  We win every day against MSPs and will continue to do so since a local server environment will never be able to be as redundant, cost effective, or flexible as our solution.

It’s a great time to call IVDesk.  See what other customers are saying about us on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TnH7k8OXkY

Bill Sorenson

CEO

IVDesk and Property Management Companies

IVDesk crosses almost all vertical markets as far as customers.  We’ve got legal, accounting, distribution, medical, real estate, etc. customers who’ve outsourced their complete IT needs to our cloud computing solution, IVDesk.  I’d like to just profile the benefits we’ve seen for our customers in the Property Management area.

We currently run a number of different applications in this business segment and have customers with properties across the country.  By utilizing a central service like IVDesk for all your needs, your staff can access exactly what they need from any Internet connection, any where.  No more having to get back to the office, faxing in copies of documents, writing out information to later enter, it’s all available at all times.  Also, we see that some Property Management software providers are offering hosted application options.  These may be an option for you but we see many companies continuing to use their existing installed software instead of increasing their costs.

With IVDesk, we install that purchased application and run it centrally for you.  Everyone can access it from anywhere just as if they were in the office.  And you get the full functionality of the existing product, not a watered down hosted version.  Also, Email, Word, Excel, and all your files and folders are available within IVDesk.  Everything’s there.

Lastly, every IVDesk users gets full access to the Helpdesk to assist with anything.  We’re there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help with complex or simple things.  Sending out a mail-merge and can’t remember how to do it, give us a call.  We’re there for everyone on your staff.

It’s time to take a look at changing they way you’re working and letting IVDesk provide the solution for you.  Contact us at www.IVDesk.com and we can help get started today.

Bill Sorenson
CEO
bsorenson@ivdesk.com

Cloud Computing for Larger Companies – The Hybrid Approach

It’s interesting to continue to read the main stream technical / business journals that have articles on Cloud Computing, SaaS, outsourced application services, etc., and see that the approach is becoming more common sense in relation to what a company can do.  We’ve seen this migrate from dramatic opinions one way or another back to the “best” approaches.  I wrote about a Hybrid approach for larger companies back in the Spring, and we’re now seeing this implemented around the world.

So what does this really mean to the IT department in larger companies?  It’s pretty straight forward if you think about each section of end customer need based on their requirements.  Departments need access to applications that don’t go down.  IT Service areas need to be able to maintain those systems.  Global companies need straight-forward, cost-effective, access to centralized systems.  And, everything needs to be up “almost” all the time…

The best way to solve these situations for companies relates to breaking down the different areas and systems by customer type and system type.

These are:
1. Enterprise wide high use systems (Email, SAP, Central Order Processing, etc.)
2. Large Departmental Applications (Accounting, Customer Service, CRM, …)
3. Enterprise wide File and Folder usage (Company wide information)
4. Departmental File and Folders (Typical departmental needs)
5. Web based systems (used by any customer group)
6. Individual Private File and Folder needs (the typical My Documents)

As we look at these requirements at the 50,000 foot level they appear straight-forward.  Historically, IT departments are created to have centralized systems to serve these needs.  Central application and database services, central file storage for all, central web applications, central email.  One centralized large group that manages everything.   But, as we all know, there are issues…

With a large centralized environment, concerns over the cost of disaster recover are huge.  Additionally, with a Global footprint for the company, internal customers are not served best by on time-zone IT implementations.  Poor service results.  From the IT side, the issues develop around limited maintenance availability, on-call hours for key staff feeling more like working 20 hours a day, and overall high risk to the corporation.  No great answer here.

If we move back to the thoughts of a Hybrid approach for this, what can we come up with that utilizes mainstream technology and satisfies user’s demand for uptime, speed, responsiveness?  The answer is and has been in front of everyone’s eyes all along.

Break the systems up based on Section and deliver them in the best and most cost effective manner, PERIOD!  Take the egos out of the IT department and develop a customer service mentality, PERIOD! Utilize scarce resources effectively to deliver the best for your internal and external system users, PERIOD!

1. Enterprise Wide Systems –  These are perfect for the Cloud.  Whether they utilize a web front end or are hosted and delivered in a thin client method (Citrix, Terminal Services), these belong in the cloud.  It can be a shared redundant cloud, a “Private” cloud, what ever makes the most cost effective solution, but get them in the Cloud.  What this does is moves the infrastructure out onto the best environment available for the applications.  Servers (Virtual and/or Physical) can be turned up quickly, load balanced, replicated, and redundant.  Applications can be delivered quickly and with great customer satisfaction based on the thin client model and still managed by staff from anywhere.  Perfect!

2. Large Departmental Applications – Again, put them in the Cloud.  Deal with them as if they were Enterprise Applications and your users will love you.  Always available from anywhere, always up, delivered in a thin client method so that they can run when as where needed.  Cost effective and rock solid.  Perfect!

3. Enterprise Wide File and Folders – Split and Replicate only those needed.  If we all view the amount of data that really is needed at an Enterprise level, it’s small.  Might be 50 – 100 Gig that everyone needs access to.  Could be via a document management solution or just replicated files based on whether the location runs local desktops or virtual desktops.

4. Department File and Folders – These also are based on the dispersion of users.  If they’re all local to a location, local file and folders replicated for backup and redundancy are perfect.  Disbursed locations, centralize those files and folders and provide virtual desktops to access them.

5. Web Based Systems – Always, always, hosted in the cloud.  Redundant data, application, and web services as needed but always hosted.  Let’s not think that “we” in the IT department should be building an empire around application infrastructure.  It’s not cost effective, it doesn’t serve the enterprise, and it doesn’t take into account what’s best for the users.

6. Individual Private Files and Folders – These should be where ever your desktop is.  If it’s a typical local desktop, then they should be mapped to a disk location at that physical location.  If it’s a virtual desktop, then these are in the Cloud.

How do we make the decision on who gets a local typical desktop and who gets a virtual PC or virtual desktop?  Good question.  We believe it’s completely based on physical size (number of computer users) at the location.  Less then 200, they’re getting a virtual desktop, 200 – 300, depends on local IT support, over 300, local desktop.

And here’s why this works so well.  With smaller offices of less than 300 people, having distributed servers, file and folder disk, mail services, etc. just doesn’t make sense.  It’s expensive, not redundant enough, and takes too much local IT resources to support.  Users have more down time and less confidence in their ability to have access to key systems.  By having these as all virtual, everyone has access to what they need with minimal IT local infrastructure and minimal IT support needs.  Additional PCs, Macs, thin clients can be made available to anyone who has an issue.  System doesn’t boot, grab another one and plug it in.  It really is self service for local IT.  With redundant connectivity, this solution is always up and available for the local users.

Over 300 people at a location moves to a little more gray area.  Although you can sure run everyone virtual, there tends to be a need for more local IT support related to on-site hardware, routing, edge devices, etc.  If there’s local staff, users could have the option of either way.  Make sure centralized management of Group Policies and implemented, but this group could have full desktops.  Again, management of local installed software takes time and money so weight that against the hosted version.

To wrap up, remember, there is a Hybrid approach where all applications/services are looked at and the best solution selected.  Best must include costs, accessibility, redundancy, and other customer needs.  Move the Enterprise and Departmental applications to the Cloud, move Files and Folders to the closest location for the user (Cloud for virtual PCs, local for local PCs), and realize that the Cloud and the services offered never make sense to duplicate at the corporate level.  Outside of the Fortune 100, there’s no reason to become your own Cloud.

Bill Sorenson
CEO
bsorenson@ivdesk.com
www.IVDesk.com