PC Solutions - Business IT Support for Kent and Sussex

Is cloud computing right for your business? Part 3

2011-11-24T10:28:00.001Z

In part 1 and 2 we started to briefly unpack the followingdefinition of what cloud computing actually is:

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

In this blog we will be looking at the 3^rd part of thedefinition

Softwareand information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like theelectricity grid

The internet has changed the way we “do” business. Each year we becomemore and more dependant on it and when there is a problem with it, such as anoutage, we become frustrated. But more than the frustration is the fact wecannot work as efficiently and we start to lose money. So it makes sense toconsider very carefully the implications of using cloud computing in yourbusiness. The phrase we apply when planning solutions for client is not to “putall your eggs in one basket”

The internet has revolutionised business. One area where it hascontributed greatly is that it employees can work all over the world and stayin close contact with their company. Through the use of VPN’s, corporatenetworks can link together. VOIP services have enabled companies to save moneyon the cost of making phone calls and of course email has revolutionised theway that we send each other mail.

So cloud computing has been around for a long time. The differencenow is that there is a real drive to get people to use it. Companies areproducing software that works in the cloud. Traditional software requires a CDto be installed either on a workstation or a server. Updates to that softwareare either sent out via the post of downloaded from the internet. Theperformance of that piece of software is usually dependant on the speed or yourcomputer. Cloud development is very attractive to software designers. Aseveryone connects to one place, all the users have the latest software. Thereare no discs to send out, no issues with customers using older versions and bugfixes can be addressed and dealt with for everyone as once. The cost savingsfor this model are huge.

But there is also a benefit for the end user. Due to the fact thatyou don’t have to install any software there is no fiddling around trying toget things to work on different machines. You don’t need to worry about networkingbecause the software is web based. Everyone will be using the most up to dateversion. End users can work on any machine anywhere in the world and stillaccess all their data. The cost saving implications for the employer canpotentially be great. Sometimes employees don’t actually need to be in the samepremises. If you couple VOIP services with cloud based software services, thereis no reason why you cannot easily setup satellite offices or even let employeeswork from home. You will all have access to the same data everywhere. And witha VOIP system all your users will have a company phone number regardless oftheir location in the world.

If you would like to discuss using the cloud for your company, then please email or call us.

Is cloud computing right for your business? Part 2

2011-11-09T15:51:00.001Z

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby sharedresources, software, and information are provided to computers and otherdevices on demand, like the electricity grid. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

In part 2 of our mini-series we are discussing the phrase“resources are shared”. One of the mainbenefits of cloud computing is the ease at which data can be shared amongstusers and devices. Technology is now such an integral part of society andproducts are being developed and released on a near constant basis. Differentoperating systems run on the different platforms. The main systems are:

PC – Microsoft Windows

Mac – OSX

iPhone/iPad – iOS

Android/Windows 7 mobile for smartphones

We want all our data to be in sync and available on demandacross a range of devices. The cloud gives us the opportunity and a number ofways to achieve this. We will look at 2 products that we recommend to clients.

Email/Calendars

Email and calendar sharing is a core task in businesscomputing. A traditional network will typically have a server running MicrosoftExchange. This handles all the email and hosts the various calendars. One ofthe advantages of using a model like this is that your data is under yourcontrol. The server will store all the email. For some companies this is a veryimportant requirement. Some companies don’t like the idea of having their emailand calendars stored/hosted remotely. One of the disadvantages of a traditionalsolution like Microsoft Exchange is the initial setup cost and on-goingmaintenance. Typically a small server will cost anywhere from £1500 - £5000. Thenthere is the cost of installation and usually a support contract of some sortto maintain the system. Over the course of a year this could work out to bequite expensive.

One solution we offer our clients is to migrate email andcalendar sharing over to Google Apps. Google Apps is a great platform using thecloud to facilitate the sharing of your data. One of the main benefits is thatit works across multiple devices. You can easily add Google to the iPhone and iPad,Android is a Google product so no issues there. On the PC you can continue touse Outlook if you wish to or you can switch to the web and use the Google Appsinterface. Currently here at PC Solutions we use Google Apps. Another greatadvantage of using Google Apps is the fact that you don’t have to pay to have aserver installed. If you need to share files in your office then a NAS drivecan be installed and coupled with other cloud based programs you can achieveserver like operations on a much smaller budget.

File Sharing

In a traditional server based network, files and folders areshared via mapped drives on the server. Each user logs on to the domain and anywork they do gets saved back to the server. This way you can ensure that yourdata is in one central location and this helps with backup. There a number ofsolutions we suggest to clients. If they are not using a server then we tend toinstall a NAS (network attached storage) device. This way everyone can accessthe files on the network. We can also set this up so that the files are availableremotely, usually via VPN. Another alternative using the cloud is a system calledLiveDrive. There is no need to purchase any hardware and you can have a mappeddrive on each computer. Much like a product called DropBox users can drag anddrop files into the mapped drive and make them available to other users. Usuallyproducts like this have remote backup bolted on so you can take advantage ofthis extra service.

This is a very simple overview of two ways on whichresources are shared via the cloud. Every business is different and we alwaysadvise that you sit down with your IT company and thoroughly discuss youroptions. The good thing about IT today is there is a solution that suits justabout everyone these days. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’tunderstand. At the end of the day this is your data and your business that weare talking about.

Getting Leads from LinkedIn

2011-11-01T11:49:00.001Z

Getting Leads from

By Katie King, Managing Director of Zoodikers Consulting, and trainerat London’s Social Media Academy

LinkedIn has longbeen the online networking forum for professionals internationally; but hasyour business really benefitted from it?

A recent whitepaper produced by Hubspotreveals that 57% of companies using LinkedIn have acquired a customer throughthis channel. There are, therefore, 43% of businesses using LinkedIn that arefailing to use the channel to generate leads.

As the Managing Director of a PR and social media agency,you would expect me to tell you that LinkedIn is very effective when usedproperly. Hubspot’s whitepaper reinforces this message. A lack of time can no longer be an excuse fora lack of results from LinkedIn –you can conserve time by remaining focused onlead generation.

The Hubspotmodel below classifies those aspects of LinkedIn (and social media moregenerally) which should be attractive, and those which are distracting.

Itclassifies those things which are good for business as the ‘attractions’, andthose which are bad for business as ‘distractions’.

The aspect that most people are interested in, or should beinterested in, is how this time investment can result in lead generation fortheir business. Hubspot quite clearly states that you need to be using LinkedInin one of two ways; either for indirect marketing or direct marketing.

If you are creating compelling content that isof interest to your connections, and taking ownership of the space, then youare raising awareness and the overall profile of your business. This type ofindirect marketing alone has the potential to generate leads.

As you are reading this, I expectthat you are thinking about the ways in which you are engaging with yourprospects and contacts on LinkedIn. Have you joined relevant groups to givevaluable inputs to discussions? Are you connecting with old businessassociates? Have you fully exploited the opportunities that LinkedIn appspresent?

Do you regularly offer a contributionto LinkedIn Answers? Have you ever utilised LinkedIn Polls to gain marketinsight? Do you remember to ask current/former clients to provide arecommendation?

At Zoodikers, we workwith clients across many sectors; all ultimately focused on how this can impacttheir bottom line. Each client is interested in the way in which all socialmedia platforms, not only LinkedIn, can be used to generate leads.

We have always been of the opinionthat a mix of traditional marketing tools with a social media overlay is themost effective way of generating leads. A good example of this is the way inwhich we work with our professional services clients, for example toexecute joint social media campaigns with partners both offline via businessseminars and online via a joint LinkedIn Group.

It’s time to stop thinking of LinkedIn as merely aprofessional network. The influence and scope of its effective use can have areal impact on sales, and should feature in any informed marketing plan.

Hopefully this blog will highlightthe importance of using LinkedIn in a strategic manner. Hubspot stipulates a very precise number of groups that youshould join, comments you should make and associates that you should connectwith. I am not that prescriptive, but do believe that LinkedIn can generatereal leads for your business.

Have a look at the Hubspot research; let me know your thoughts. If you’dlike to chat about any of this, please feel free to contact me through the Zoodikers’ website.

Is cloud computing right for your business? Part 1

2011-10-25T15:18:00.003+01:00

Cloud computing is certainly the "in" word in the world of IT. But what exactly is it? and how can it affect your business? In this mini-series we hope to make it clearer for you to decide whether or not cloud computing is a technology your company should be adopting. We will look at the pros and cons to give you a balanced view. This blog will be written over 3 parts. Part 1 will cover "The Internet", Part 2 will cover "Resources are shared" and Part 3 will cover "Software and Devices".

Firstly let's define what cloud computing actually is. There are numerous definitions on the web. We will pick just one and unpack it's meaning in more detail. Here is Wikipedias take on the subject:

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

Based on this definition we can extract the key elements that define cloud computing.

1) It is Internet based
2) Resources are shared
3) Software is provided on demand to computers and devices

Let's now take each of those sub points and unpack further. As we delve deeper into each heading, be thinking about how this could apply to your business.

1) It is Internet based

The first question I believe any business considering cloud computing should ask is this, "where is my data being stored?". The term Internet based is quite vague. The Internet by design does not have a single base but millions of bases in the form of servers and various devices. Therefore it is critical that a UK business should know where there data is being stored. Will it be housed in a UK data centre? If not which country is it stored in? This line of questioning then opens up a second question

a) How secure is the location?

It may well be that the data is being stored in the UK or your country of origin. But if the data is not in a suitable data centre then your information may well be better looked after elsewhere. A good data centre will have multiple security and redundancy features. They should have multiple sites so if disaster struck one site all your data is safe elsewhere. Within the data centre itself there will be entry control, security fencing and access control. Fire systems are critical. Internal backup systems and procedures will be standard practice in a high quality data centre.

Once you are happy that your data is being stored in a secure location(s), we would suggest you consider the impact on your business by moving your processes to the cloud. We will look at the various applications that can be used in part 3. Before we get to that stage it is important to consider your own current IT hardware infrastructure. The main problem with Internet based computing is the reliability of the Internet connection. The questions you need to consider are:

1) Is my Internet connection fast enough?
2) Is my Internet connection reliable?
3) What would happen if my Internet failed during our working day?

If you have an office with multiple users, there is a very real possibility that your Internet will be down or degraded for periods of time over the course of an average year. Would your company lose a lot of money during this downtime? Would you have a backup plan to keep the company operating during extended outages?

The benefits of cloud computing are being heralded a lot louder than the negatives. However there are ways that IT companies can help businesses. A simple solution that we implement for clients are routers with 3G mobile access. Quite simply if the landline Internet goes down the router will fail over onto the 3G dongle and continue to supply a connection. Simple yet potentially cost saving and allows the users to continue with their day to day tasks.

We would also suggest you consider who your Internet provider is. Are they suitable for business broadband? Not all broadband is the same. Business broadband is more flexible and also some packages come with up-time guarantees. It would be worth looking at your current deal to make sure you are on the best value and most suitable product.

If you wish to test the speed of your Internet here are two tools:

http://speedtester.bt.com/
http://speedtest.net/

Hopefully this first post will have given you some food for thought. Cloud computing offers many benefits for businesses. However we hope we have highlighted a few issues that you should be aware of before migrating to the cloud.

PC Solutions Team