Infoworld – “There’s no future in on-premises IT — it’s time to move to the cloud”

Great “realization” article by an anti-cloud writer…

http://www.infoworld.com/print/238610

J. Peter Bruzzese says in the above article:

“I’ve been lying to myself: I thought IT would survive the next shift in technology as all infrastructure moves to the cloud. But I no longer believe IT will survive that cloud shift — certainly not IT as we know it.”

Back to me:
It’s interesting to  note that while large companies, mid-sized companies, and now small companies have realized that this is the direction they need to move, IT pundants have many times tried to stop the change.  Moving small companies to the benefits of better security, uptime, cost savings, and overall a completely better solution is key to continuing to help profitability and performance.

While the old IT service companies continue to try and have you buy equipment and force the old model, the reality is that the new model is alive, kicking, and dramatically changing how small companies do this thing called “IT”.

Take a look at IVDesk and get all the benefits that you should or use one of our IT Managed Services Partners to get up and running with IVDesk.  It’s a dramatic success for you as the end customer!

Thanks
Bill

IVDesk is Looking to Partner with IT Services Providers

If your customers are asking to move to the Cloud, you have two choices:
1)      Attempt to develop a cloud system yourself
2)      Partner with an experienced provider and grow you customer base.

Partner with IVDesk.  IVDesk has spent the millions of dollars and years necessary to build and refine an architecture that provides both efficiency of scale and standardized operations.  We designed this system with extensive redundancy so down time is a thing of the past.  Today, IVDesk has over 800 unique applications running with 100’s of customers.

But, IVDesk is really just a highly efficient back room operation, we need Partners to bring customers and provide ongoing customer relationship management.

Both You and Your Customers win

• Your Customers Win   IVDesk’s highly efficient and redundant system cuts customer downtime dramatically saving them over 25% of their total IT related costs.
• IVDesk Partners Win    As an IVDesk partner, you will: i)  increase the stickiness of your customers, ii) nearly double your cash flow per customer, and  II you can stop the “Putting out Fires” run around and instead focus on taking customers away from your competitors

Sound too good to be true?  Give us a call and make us prove them!

Keith Eddy VP Channel Programs
612-284-6890
keddy@ivdesk.com

The Year of the Cloud for Accounting Firms

Tax season, the wonderful revenue generating months that also cause some of the most intense IT issues for Accounting firms everywhere.  Daily updates for the first month then moving to two or three times a week depending on the applications.  “We just want to work” is heard from every tax floor across the country.

So, how can Private Cloud computing help that?  Updates have to be done for each application and every user right?  What if all the applications were updated at night for everyone?  All users come in every morning and it’s always up to date.  No more non billing time, stuck PCs, hung applications, and constant calls to the over worked internal IT staff.  Really, sounds like a dream…  And if the solution was cost effective and provided the really big need of Disaster Recovery as well.  No that’s something that should be looked at.

The answers are that the solution is out there as a Private Cloud solution with Hosted Desktops.  Some people call this a Virtual Office but no matter what it’s called, we’re seeing Accounting firms move this way in droves.  The benefits are so dramatic that it’s difficult to justify not looking at it.

We’re seeing accounting firms that haven’t moved to a hosted Private Cloud solution will be taking a hard look as the last month of tax season finishes.  Time to get on board and try and justify NOT moving to a hosted solution.  How can you continue to spend more money, have more down time, less productivity, and lower security than a mainstream solution that most of the Fortune 1000 is moving to?  The answer is that you can’t!

Time for a look.  We’d like to be able to help walk through that process and see if we’re a fit for you.  So, take your 2 weeks off in mid-April and come back ready to make some changes.

Thanks for your time
Bill

Part 4 – What to look for in a Virtual Desktop Provider

If your small- or medium-sized business (SMB) is considering the move to a virtual desktop solution in the coming year, the real question is, “How do I pick a good provider?” To help with your decision, here are some questions to ask potential providers:

Is providing virtual desktops the company’s main business or is it just dabbling in it while focused on selling something else? How good is the physical and electronic security in their data center?

Does secure architecture extend to assure that your virtual desktop is delivered securely? Do they provide two factor authentications as an option? What types of intrusion detection do they have in place? Do they include cyber insurance in the offering?

Do they have a fast, reliable service? Slow response and system downtime is a major IT-related cost to your business that is often hidden. If their service isn’t designed with extensive redundancy built in, you will pay the price in employee downtime.

Do they have extensive experience in accounting and finance applications? Can and will they support and deliver all of your applications, each user’s customized desktop, and all your data, including the 80 percent of data that is in files such as spreadsheets, documents, etc.?

What are their uptime guarantees? Anything less than 99 percent is unacceptable. Make sure you take a close look at their service level agreement to see how much it costs them (not just your business) if they don’t perform. What sort of help desk support do they provide? Is this support unlimited or capped at a certain level?

Does the provider offer one predictable cost per month, with the provider taking on the financial risk if the service doesn’t perform, or are they going to nickel-and-dime you for everything?

Businesses are moving rapidly to this cloud-powered approach for managing their business operations. For most SMBs, it represents a massive step forward in terms of mobility, productivity and security. Use the questions above to determine a quality provider for your company and you will find that, just like using electricity, you can just plug into your virtual desktop and it will work every time.

Part 3 – Lower Total Cost of Ownership

The total cost of a company’s IT includes servers, staffing, power and user downtime. With a high-reliability virtual desktop service provider, firms just pay a predictable monthly fee based on their number of computer users, which can be considerably cheaper than the aforementioned costs. And everyone works on the same system, whether they are in multiple offices, have people in the field or are working from home. It’s always current and it’s always protected.

Looking at the complete picture, rather than just costs of hardware, really tells the story.  We’ve seen productivity in law firms, accounting firms, manufacturing, and others go up dramatically.  When a customer bills more hours in the same work week because everything works from everywhere, it’s a huge win!

Thanks, Bill

Part 2 – Connectivity is King

With a virtual desktop, you can gain access from anywhere to all of your business information and software through any Internet-connectible device (computer, tablet or smart phone). Just log in using your unique password and everything you work with will look, feel and act the same, whether you are in the office, in a restaurant, or sitting in your pajamas at home. This service simply requires you to have a device because the data and software all run on secure equipment in a data center. If your PC dies, you can simply move on to another PC or device and continue working. Your data and documents will still be there.

This fast-growing way of handling business data in this manner is often called a “private cloud.” The term cloud confuses people, but it simply means that you are accessing data or software using the Internet through a secure site, like you do with online banking or shopping on Amazon. The significant productivity, reliability and security advantages and lower total IT-related costs of this private cloud-powered virtual desktop service is one of the most quickly adapted IT transitions that a company can make. In fact, a recent report from Gartner, a technology research firm, said that nearly half of SMBs already use virtual desktops.

It’s time to take a look and see if you’re ready for this move.  Most smaller companies are and the impact is dramatic.

Thanks, Bill

Part 1 – Benefits of the cloud-powered virtual desktop

Implementing a virtual desktop solution can save time, money and stress. Consider these scenarios:

When the last big snowstorm hit Minnesota, many virtual desktop clients and staff chose to forego the teeth-grinding drive into the office. Instead, they just logged in from home and got on with their workday.

When many downtown Minneapolis businesses lost power last summer due to severe storms, most had to close for the day. Employees at businesses with virtual desktop capabilities simply drove somewhere that had power and Internet access, logged back in and began working. They were able to serve their clients and proceed with business as usual.

Last tax season, many CPAs pulled their hair out in frustration over the time it took to install the endless software updates on staff computers. Virtual desktop clients got their updates done behind the scenes. When the updates were done, the switch was instantaneous with no lost data or time.

Perhaps you at your company, like many others, have found yourself in a panic after losing data, or losing a laptop, or deleting a critical file. Because a virtual desktop service automatically backs everything up, those files are restored while you’re on the phone with the help desk. Your data, desktop and applications all stay in the data center; you just access the data using your device.

A virtual desktop eliminates the need to email yourself copies of documents that you plan to work on at home. You no longer need to store files and documents on flash drives, which can be lost or stolen. Your current, up-to-date documents and data are always available simply by logging in to your desktop on any Internet-connected device.

Time to move to your own Private Cloud with built in Virtual Desktops!

Thanks,
Bill

Access business files, software anytime, anywhere

There’s no doubt that we are all becoming increasingly mobile. Take your phone, for example. Remember when your phone and phone number were tied to your house? Now, you can be reached anywhere at any time through your personal cell phone.

The same applies to information. You used to have to go to a physical location or rely on a physical thing to get the information you wanted. If you wanted directions, you located a map. If you wanted a recipe, you bought a cookbook. Today, of course, you can access almost any information you want instantly through the power of the Internet. The information comes to you.

So, some may wonder, if your phone follows you everywhere, and information is available to you instantly, why doesn’t the same principle apply to your business information? The answer is, it can. By moving your IT equipment out of your office and transitioning your data and software to a professionally-managed hosted virtual desktop service, you can securely access and work on office documents, software applications and data whenever you want, from wherever you are, on any Internet-connected device.

The next few articles highlight the upside to being able to access your business files anytime, anywhere through a virtual desktop, and provides questions to ask if you’re considering this route.

Thanks, Bill

An IVDesk Customer’s Hurricane Sandy Story

Burt Hutchinson left Delaware on his way to Minneapolis just as Hurricane Sandy barreled towards the coast and location of his financial services business.  He was on his way to a customer meeting and besides concerns for his home, family, and friends, the one thing Burt didn’t have a worry about, was his business computers or systems.  They were hosted by IVDesk.

During his customer visit he was asked if his business could survive the disaster and what was his Disaster Recovery plan.  Burt pointed towards Downtown Minneapolis and said “My DR plan is right there, with everything hosted by IVDesk, Sandy won’t have any impact on any of our team or our customers”.  Burt had moved his business to IVDesk’s outsourced hosted IT service and can literally work from any Internet connection anywhere.  In fact, when he and his staff talked about what to do, their focus was “Move West” if they lose power until they get to an Internet Cafe’ so they can reconnect and keep working.

In situations like natural disasters, business disasters, or the need to work from anywhere, IVDesk provides all that protection for a monthly fee per user, giving businesses the ability to run all their current software and systems in the “Cloud”.  We have so many stories like Burt’s and continue to constantly hear how changing to IVDesk not only saved them 20 – 40% in their IT costs but allowed them the flexibility to run their business without the headaches or constant worries of running their own IT.

Thanks Burt for stopping by the office and meeting the gang while you were stuck in Minneapolis during Hurricane Sandy!  It was great for all of them to hear your story directly from you. 

Bill Sorenson
CEO – IVDesk

 

IVDesk Announces Plans to Become Publicly Traded – Growing Demand Prompts Accelerated Growth Plan

MINNEAPOLIS, MN October 15, 2012

In response to increased demand for its IT solutions, IVDesk today announced plans to become a publicly traded company through its holding company, IVDesk Holdings Inc. The public registration statement is planned for early 2013.

“IVDesk started as a small business with an innovative solution focused on providing small and medium businesses access to IT equipment and services once reserved for Fortune 500 companies,” IVDesk CEO Bill Sorenson said. “We are launching this public process to allow us to accelerate our growth to meet increasing demand for our solution and allow others to benefit from our success. After perfecting our hosted services offering in the marketplace, we believe we offer a mature and trusted solution.”

The company holds its business assets in the Delaware holding company. IVDesk recently closed on the initial round of financing that will be used to expand the company’s sales, marketing and customer support resources.

IVDesk Holdings, Inc., the parent company, will continue to maintain its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. IVDesk retains all of the executives and employees that have successfully built and matured the business. IVDesk’s investors include fund managers and business leaders supportive of the company’s growth plans.

“Our existing customers will see no change in our day-to-day operations or support,” IVDesk President and COO Jim Polakowski said. “These actions provide a major positive impact on our ability to grow while maintaining our commitment to uncommon customer service and support.”

About IVDesk
IVDesk provides small-to-mid-sized businesses with a secure, reliable and surprise-free way to run IT. The company provides a complete outsourced IT solution for customers. This includes hosting all of a customer’s desktop and application services, providing 24/7 helpdesk support, and providing complete backup and disaster recovery solutions. This increases customer data security, improves employee uptime, increases mobile accessibility and eliminates IT hassles and surprises, while reducing IT costs by up to 50 percent over in-house IT solutions. IVDesk was a pioneer in hosted IT outsourcing, and continues to lead the industry as more and more organizations move to a pay-for-use model for their IT services.

Andrea Jarvis
Media Relations
612-213-2787