The Cloud

The cloud, the cloud, the cloud. It remains a common refrain. Everyone’s heard of the cloud, especially since the recent snafu with Amazon. That incident may have made some people leery of the virtual environment, but they, too, eventually will have to move to the cloud.

Although moving to the cloud is a matter of “when” rather than “if,” the decision to move shouldn’t be made cavalierly. You can’t wake up one morning and say, “I’m moving my servers to the cloud today.” If you choose that route, it’s more than likely that you will lose data or that your servers will collapse. No, moving to the cloud requires a thoughtful introspection of your business’ present needs and future goals.

The first step to moving to the cloud is understanding the benefits of virtualization. Yes, virtualization is popular these days, but that can’t be the reason your business gets on board with the idea. Most businesses consider virtualization for the following reasons:

• It saves time.
• It saves money.
• It simplifies management.
• It helps businesses to recover from disaster.

The second step is to evaluate virtualization solutions. Many solutions are available, so limit your options. Visit with colleagues who have already made the transition to the cloud. Find out what they like and don’t like about the solution they chose. Also keep the following in mind:

• Look for solutions with longevity.
• Look for solutions that have been tested in production IT environments.
• Choose a solution that meets the needs of your company and offers the ability to grow as your company grows.

The third step is to analyze the costs of virtualization. While it’s true that virtualization is more than likely to save you money long-term, it may cost some money at the beginning. It’s important to weigh those costs and to consider the return on your investment. The potential returns are obvious:

• Virtualization results in fewer servers.
• Virtualization reduces infrastructure costs, such as cooling and generators.
• Virtualization lowers energy costs.
• Virtualization requires less space for your IT infrastructure.
• Virtualization decreases time spent administering servers.
• Virtualization increases response times to business needs.

Once you’ve gone through those three steps, you should have enough information about your business and virtualization to make an informed decision regarding your move to the cloud. Are you ready to say goodbye to clunky servers? Will you say hello to the cloud?

Cloud computing affords small business owners with computing resources for which they might not have the expertise or means to employ. Moving one's critical operations and sensitive information to a cloud computing service can be nerve-racking, which is many business owners sometimes refuse to consider the cloud option. For more daring business owners, free trials of many cloud computing services are available, allowing owners to preview how cloud services will meld with their current operations.

Several cloud computing services offer free trials, including Google Apps Premier Edition; Salesforce, a customer relations management (CRM) tool; and OfficeDrop, a digital filing company. To understand how these and other cloud-based services work, it is important to perform a "test run." It isn't enough to give the service a cursory look. To get the most benefit from a free trial, you must use the product for its intended purpose and analyze how the product will help you manage your day-to-day operations. When evaluating a cloud-based service, you should also follow these guidelines:

• Start small. Test run a non-critical system first. Try a cloud computing service that will have negligible effects upon your clients and operation.
• Go slow. Don't move your entire company to a new service all at the same time. Use a test group to see how one service will impact your company. Based on the results you receive, you can then begin to migrate more of your company over to the new service.
• Look for long trials. It takes time to evaluate how a service will interact with your business and to determine how you will use it. Look for free trials of at least 30 days, if not more. Google Apps Premier Edition currently offers a 30-day trial period; OfficeDrop's trial period is for 60 days. Also keep in mind that you may not need the service every day. For instance, your company may only need certain functions monthly, quarterly, or annually. Consider whether you can test for those needs during the trial period. The worst thing to do is to purchase a service then realize that you can't use the functions you need when you need them.
• Read the fine print. Some free trials allow you to examine the entire product; others will only grant access to certain features. You want to be able to experience how the product will integrate with your operation. To do that, you need to have full access to all features. Also use the trial to evaluate the service level contract and to review the provider's security policy.
• Be wary. Some free trials require a credit card number during the registration process. Be cautious when submitting your credit card number; again, read the fine print. Make note of any deadlines and respect them. If you forget to cancel your account before the trial period ends, you can ultimately pay for services you may or may not have wanted. 
• Evaluate customer service. Test wait times, responsiveness, and availability of customer service during your free trial. You and your employees will, at some point, need assistance. If a cloud computing service provider doesn't offer customer service or its customer service is hit-or-miss, you may want to research other service provider options.
• Involve stakeholders. Have your employees try the service. If the service is going to affect your clients in some way, have a test group of clients interact with the product. The only way to see if the service will work for your company is to test, test, test.
• Know what you want. You should have a basic understanding of your company's needs before evaluating a cloud computing service. After using the service, ask the following question: "Can I meet my objectives easier, faster, or better than I already do?" Also consider the "less-expensive" factor. If you maximize your free trial to the fullest, you should benefit from the results long after the trial period has ended.

Source: Inc. magazine

The cloud is in its height of popularity. It resounds in several commercials, usually in ones about creating a family portrait or withstanding a possible three-hour delay at the airport. Those are applications of cloud technology, but they're only skimming the surface of the cloud's potential. 

The cloud isn't simply a fancy virtual computing environment. It makes use of virtual computing, but it incorporates many other technologies in order to make a robust cloud environment. Unfortunately, many companies take advantage of the virtual-computing-environment perception. They use the word "cloud" as a marketing ploy, but their hardware and software haven't changed any. They've simply added the word "cloud" to ensure sales. 

Because of that reality, it's important to recognize when a company is selling a fake or real cloud-based service. The only way to do that is to know what's true and false about cloud products and to apply that knowledge to the products being sold. Five myths and the truth about them follow below:

Availability

• Myth: Some cloud solutions claim to be available 24/7 but have downtime maintenance periods.
• Truth: A cloud system shouldn't have to have downtime. With distributed grid computing technology, it's possible to have a solution with greater than ninety-nine percent uptime. 

Security

• Myth: The cloud is a virus waiting to happen.
• Truth: A cloud-based solution can be extremely secure if precautions are taken. Compliance with or surpassing of industry standards is a must. Security also must be built into the code, and a dedicated team of security experts needs to be available.

Scalability

• Myth: The cloud can't scale in size and capabilities quickly as an enterprise experiences growth.
• Truth: The cloud is extremely adaptable, if constructed properly. It's important to build a proven, multi-tenant outsourced solution that allows for seasonality or facilitates an inundation of unexpected calls.

Innovation

• Myth: Updating a cloud-based solution is complicated and requires a lot of work.
• Truth: A well-built cloud solution is easy to upgrade, tweak, or repair. Any work being done is made at one point in time and is deployed to all or to specific end points.

Self-Service

• Myth: Using the cloud is difficult and requires extensive training.
• Truth: Cloud services are meant to be user-friendly. All interactions with the services can happen in real-time via a web browser. No software or appliances have to be installed or configured since all of that happens within the cloud service itself.

With that knowledge, it becomes easier to distinguish between real and fake clouds. It's also easier to narrow the field of potential cloud products. Finally, it's easier to identify key questions that need to be asked and answered prior to purchasing a cloud-based product.

Source: LiveOps Inc.