by Blake Britton, Axxys Technologies

Cloud computing is the hottest topic being discussed by major players, Microsoft and Google, as the next big shift in how businesses will operate on a daily basis. While there are many definitions for "the cloud" and how it will be utilized by businesses; one thing is clear, access to applications through the Internet is becoming more prevalent.

Like anything else in business that is technology related make sure you consider all the aspects of what will be required to run an application via the Internet (the Cloud). Here are a few technical items you MUST consider:

• Multiple Internet connections/Failover: While this is not easily accomplished it is important to know that if your primary Internet connection goes down for an extended period of time a backup connection is needed. There are a variety of options for secondary access, from dedicated DSL connections to cellular data connect cards/dongles, but it will cost you. The question is how much? Axxys provides this solution in various tested and proven methods with the WatchGuard security appliance which supports multiple Internet connections and failover. (www.watchguard.com - Fireware XTM Pro)
• Web Policy/Content Management: Running applications on your own network will run at speeds up to 1GB/s, running applications over the Internet in most cases are considerably less, sometimes as low as 1.5MB/s (T1). This means businesses must be stricter about content that is accessed over the Internet, because bandwidth becomes a critical resource that translates to end user efficiency. Axxys recommends you look into an appliance that will allow you to filter and "shape" Web traffic. Traffic shaping simply means you can program the appliance to ensure that either a percentage, or a specific amount, of bandwidth is always allocated to your primary applications. This will provide your users the ability to browse the Web, while also providing the bandwidth necessary to deliver your primary applications. Axxys recommends an appliance from our partner at Cymphonix to accomplish this task (www.cymphonix.com - Network Composer EX Series).
• Firewall/Internet Security Appliance: By now everyone should have an Internet security appliance or firewall, but you need to make sure that it is capable of handling advanced/deep inspection tasks from within the appliance. The main feature your security appliance must have is protection, or alerting, against denial of service attacks. This type of attack can bring an Internet connection to a crawl and make browsing/using the Internet almost impossible. It is important that your firewall provides you with advanced capabilities to protect your perimeter as well as tightly securing any data that is being transferred from your network to your application hosting provider. (www.watchguard.com - Fireware XTM)

As you continue to look for ways to maximize your IT investment, be sure that you are looking at all the options and reviewing your current infrastructure.  Axxys has clients that have been running various applications via the Web and we have the experience with the right appliances to ensure that your investment in the cloud is maximized. When you are ready to take your business to the cloud, think of Axxys.

Call us now for a free assessment!

Power Your Business for Today's Dynamic Marketplace
The article re-printed courtesy of IBM ForwardView eMagazine 

In today's competitive markets, business operates 24x7x365. And that's why midsized companies are moving toward an infrastructure that is optimized, responsive, energy-efficient and automated to meet the demands of our always-on global marketplace. In the next three issues of ForwardView, we'll examine how a dynamic infrastructure delivers these capabilities. This first article in the series looks at how to manage the explosion of data with an information infrastructure that meets current needs, while also laying the foundation for meeting future data access demands.

It's no secret that data is expanding. According to some researchers, the volume of data is growing by nearly 60 percent annually. From communications to finance and operations, better use of information can strengthen insights and help companies make fast, accurate decisions. Add too much data and the weight of information can strain storage systems and servers - causing decisions to be made with incomplete or inaccurate information. But with a more dynamic infrastructure, information overload is controlled, so IT and business processes can come together to drive significantly more business value, without straining an organization's resources.

Cost-effective, reliable access is everything
As the world becomes smarter and more interconnected, companies need agility to respond to new opportunities and market demands. This takes fast, cost-effective, reliable information access. But for many midsized businesses, the cost of managing information steadily increases as new data demands arise. For example, the stopgap measure of adding more servers and storage devices cannot address long-term data management requirements. Eventually, each of these boxes will be filled to the brim where just a little more data will again overwhelm resources.

When access is jeopardized, the rest of the business can suffer. IT service levels are likely to be missed, information security is diminished and audits cannot be performed. In worst-case scenarios, mismanagement of information impacts brand equity as consumers today move faster than ever to terminate relationships with businesses that report data losses and security breaches.

It doesn't have to be that way. Information infrastructure is one of the primary components of a dynamic infrastructure, and can help clients focus on four core capabilities: information compliance, availability, retention and security. With these four pillars in place, companies can reduce costs while also increasing the capabilities of existing IT investments.

"The reason clients choose an information infrastructure approach is specifically to help simplify storage management - which helps reduce costs - but also to make sure we have enough of an infrastructure in place to keep the risk level down, keep the information availability up, and make sure that we're providing the right level of data protection," says Mike Barton, a marketing manager for IBM Systems Storage. "In almost every case, information infrastructure is an incremental add-on to what companies already own, so easy integration is critical."

Unlocking information assets boosts competitiveness
Information should be treated as a valuable asset. With continuous, reliable and secure access to these assets, midsized companies can act on new market opportunities quickly and effectively. The more information a company uses to make decisions, the greater the potential upside.

"We're helping clients build smarter systems using the wealth of information assets available. These new systems have more intelligence because they can process more information in new ways, and can help create a smarter planet," says Barton. "Information is what makes these systems smarter. Information must be readily available, and that's where information infrastructure comes in."

With a holistic approach to an information infrastructure, companies can deploy tools such as business intelligence (BI) to get more insight and improve decision making. Today's BI tools, for example, can collect data from more sources and analyze it an order of magnitude faster than before. And as systems become more interconnected, the need to gather information from multiple sources will grow, Barton says.

"Think of emergency generators, equipment on a production line, a fleet of vehicles with GPS tracking-all kinds of business assets have been getting smarter over time," Barton observes. "As these systems get smarter, they're able to report their status, receive messages from a central source, and react."

Storage strategies get the ball rolling
Storage plays a central role in information infrastructure. After all, these volumes of data need to live somewhere. There are a number of ways to make storage simpler and less time-consuming to manage. Instead of continuing to add more servers and storage to keep up with data growth, companies can boost storage utilization up to 30 percent by leveraging virtualization. Plus, virtualization makes the information infrastructure more reliable and saves energy, space and administrative time.

"We're helping clients build smarter systems . . . and can help create a smarter planet." Virtualization and other core information infrastructure technologies are typically most effective when a storage strategy is in place. Establishing a storage strategy goes a long way in ensuring that information is cost-effectively available today, while also laying the foundation for future needs.

"Companies of every size need an information strategy," explains Barton. "Small companies face most of the competitive pressures and legal requirements as big companies."

A storage strategy can help set in motion archiving activities, which can be vital to compliance. Few companies can now operate without holding onto records that may be needed in case of an audit or lawsuit. If a business cannot retain and audit information effectively, it may face fines or even make itself more vulnerable to legal action. But information compliance is more than adhering to regulations; it also encompasses the way an organization ensures that information is managed consistently, according to policy, until deleted. Storage solutions that can help include policy-based archiving and deduplication technology, which speeds up day-to-day operations, as well as data restoration processes.

Security solutions nail down information access
A storage strategy that ensures information access and retention must be coupled with security policies. Like any asset, information is vulnerable to theft and tampering - and when these assets are lost, intellectual property, reputation and customers can vanish as well. "Information is a valuable asset. We know because thieves are working very hard to steal it from companies," Barton notes.

Information protection solutions can include a variety of hardware, software and services. Media encryption, for example, has minimal cost or performance impact, yet it significantly reduces risk and provides a legal safe harbor in many instances. Dedicated security appliances provide intrusion prevention and theft management. By securing information assets more effectively, compliance, availability and retention become simpler, too.

In today's information-driven world, where everything is becoming more intelligent and interconnected, information becomes one of our most valuable assets. By managing and structuring this asset prudently, midsized businesses can drastically reduce information risk and ultimately enable new competitive capabilities essential for continued success in the global marketplace.

What a VAR Can Do for Your Business
by Peter Alexander
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Technology can go a long way in helping your business stay competitive, meet customer expectations and improve operational efficiencies. But most small businesses simply don't have the resources to evaluate technologies and aren't sure where to find the right technology partner. That's where a value-added reseller can help.

A VAR enhances an existing product, such as hardware, with additional features, such as software, and then sells it as an integrated package often tailored for specific industries. VARs add further value to the products they sell through consultation and design, training, implementation, and ongoing service and support.

The right VAR can serve as a small business's IT advisor and help it deploy the same technologies that larger companies use, such as CRM software and IP communications. You can then use those tools to enhance customer experience--a key step in growing customer loyalty and the bottom line.

A VAR can also offer the following benefits:

• One-stop shopping. A single VAR can provide an integrated solution involving technologies from one or more vendors, as well as a single point of contact for both deployment and problem resolution.

•Broad expertise. A VAR can provide you with expertise in a variety of technologies.

•The big picture about small business. Many VARs cater to small businesses and are small businesses themselves. They're positioned to understand your challenges and to deliver a solution that'll fit your business now and in the future.

•Customized solutions. Many VARs•specialize in particular industries and have experience with industry-specific solutions. In addition, they often have relationships with niche players and can utilize them as needed.

Finding the Right VAR
So how do you find a VAR that's the best fit for your business?

•Shop locally. Do an internet search to find out which VARs in your area specialize in the particular technology you're interested in, such as CRM or IP communications. Another option is to visit a network or other hardware vendor's website, which often offer tools you can use to find qualified, certified VARs.

•Ask around. Ask colleagues, customers or others whose opinions you trust to recommend a VAR, keeping in mind that your specific requirements are probably different than theirs.

•Look within your industry. Try to find VARs that specialize in your industry by looking through industry publications and exhibitor lists at the top trade shows.

Schedule appointments to meet with representatives from the VARs you're considering. Interview them

• Ask plenty of questions upfront.

•as if you were interviewing job candidates. Ask them about their recent successes, particularly with customers in your industry or field. Find out about their specialization, as well as any professional certifications and industry-specific experience. Ask which niche players they partner with for applications that may be standard for your industry. You'll also want to know how long the technology deployment may take and what training, if any, will be required. In addition, they should be able to give you sample project plans and at least three customer references.

•Pay attention to the VAR's motives. The right VAR will give you the sense that it's•partnering with you to make the best technology decision for your company, rather than just trying to sell you hardware and software. They should take the time to understand your mission and future goals and should be able to tell you how the proposed solution will improve your relationship with your customers.

•Find out who you'll be dealing with. Most likely, the VAR will dedicate one or more staff members, such as a project manager, to the technology deployment. Ask to speak to them before making a commitment. The goal is to ensure you'll be working with someone who understands your business's needs and objectives.

•Decide on the level of support you need. Will your business need the VAR to supply a comprehensive service plan that covers nearly all IT concerns for an annual fee? Or do you want per-incident support that you pay for only when needed? Keep in mind a turnkey support contract might provide a better return on investment over time, as IT emergencies on a per-incident pricing plan can quickly become expensive. Make sure the VAR provides the level of support your business needs, such as 24-hour assistance. You should receive a service-level agreement that details specifically what your VAR will--and won't--provide.

•Talk money. Have the VAR thoroughly explain the costs your business will incur in as much detail as possible. Also, ask them to help you determine what the return on investment is likely to be.

•Ask about financing. Any new technology deployment can be costly for a small business. Your VAR may offer financing options or resources to make it more affordable.

As with any technology initiative, it's important to review your business goals and objectives before proceeding. Examine whether the technology you're considering is the best platform for the current and future size of your business. Be clear on which business problems you hope to solve, what results you want to see and when you want to see them. This information will help you better explain your business needs to a potential VAR. In turn, they will be in a better position to supply the technology and support services needed to help your small business grow.