Worldnet Technology Solutions

Convergence Is Cloud Computing

Ask the Right Questions to Make the Right Cloud Choice

by

Tapping into the benefits of the cloud is a popular business move in today’s fast-paced environment. But getting the most out of a cloud deployment depends on asking the right questions from the start. Not all offerings are created equal, and not all types of files, applications, and data are suited for the cloud.

Failing to ask key questions can lead to implementation mistakes. Taking careful consideration of enterprise requirements and finding appropriate services to fit those needs is key to a successful cloud migration. Following are important questions to ask before making a purchase.

What existing capabilities and knowledge does the IT department currently have that will aid in a deployment?

As with most IT processes, the devil is in the details. Most companies understand that there are efficiencies to be gained by implementing cloud tools, but they also realize there is much they don’t know. This can lead to fear and reluctance to go forward with a cloud migration. Fears often center on compliance and security concerns.

Education is an effective counter to cloud fears. If the company has an in-house IT team, take stock of what knowledge and skills they bring to the table. Strategize about how the team will be used during and after migration. Plan ahead to provide training for in-house personnel or tap into third-party providers to fill in any knowledge gaps.

What services does the company need?

To avoid taking a potentially costly and time-consuming misstep, start off by understanding as much as possible about how the company will use the cloud. Consider how much data the company needs to store, what features are needed to enhance business processes, and what types of tasks the company needs the cloud service to support. Also take into account privacy and security requirements as well as any regulations or compliance issues that must be met.

What cloud service model makes the most sense for the company?

Cloud services come in three primary models — private, public, and hybrid — each with its own pros and cons. Private services are usually hosted in-house, which increases security but at a higher cost than shared services. Public cloud services, on the other hand, share resources and costs across multiple users, providing a cost-effective solution — but in a shared environment that some enterprises might deem too risky.

Hybrid models attempt to mesh the best of both worlds, providing the cost savings and shared advantages of the public cloud while maintaining private options for certain data and applications that require a high level of security and privacy.

Cloud services offer the potential for enormous efficiencies and business advantages, but choosing the wrong service could quickly nullify those benefits.

Asking a few key questions can yield answers the enterprise can use to shop for and ultimately buy the best cloud value for their investment. Contact Worldnet to learn more about implementing business cloud services.

Maximizing Corporate Efficiency With the Help of the IT Department

by

As technology continues to develop in the business world, more companies are turning to their IT departments for ways to make operations more efficient by using technology wisely. There are multiple aspects that IT departments can assist with to help a business run more smoothly.

Effective Management of Mobile Users

A majority of businesses in the U.S. today allow for bring your own device (BYOD), giving employees the ability to access corporate data and tools on their personal smartphones and tablets. However, BYOD can put companies at risk if security is inadvertently or intentionally compromised, which is why it’s important to effectively manage all mobile users in the company. Strict policies should be developed that prevent the compromise of sensitive data. Some software actually allows employers to alter security levels when employees are on the corporate network.

Make the Transition to Cloud Technology

Although some business owners have preconceived notions that cloud technology isn’t secure, cloud service providers have proven that they can keep data more secure than companies relying on in-house data storage. Add to this the lowered operating costs associated with storing data off-site, and it becomes clear that moving applications to the cloud is ideal to help maximize efficiency.

Implement Certification for IT Processes

One of the best ways to make sure an IT department is in compliance with company guidelines is to add certification that helps IT processes remain efficient, allowing the company to save time and reduce internal costs. Certification will allow business owners to see more clearly how well their IT departments are performing, and determine if there’s anything else that they can do to improve.

Consider Remote IT Teams

Another way to save money and improve efficiency in IT operations is to hire an IT company that can perform on-site functions from a remote location, specifically a central data center. Using this strategy can save both time and money for those remaining on-site. Cloud technology makes this easy to do, and as cloud technology continues to develop, it will only become easier.

With these ideas in mind, a business can benefit from increased overall efficiency and reduced costs and redirect focus and expenses to core aspects of the company. Working with IT teams can ultimately improve business drastically, which is something more and more businesses are beginning to realize.

Understanding SDN

by

Nearly everyone in the IT field has awareness of software-defined networking (SDN), but is likely unfamiliar with how it works or what it means to a company’s technology division. SDN appears to have staying power due to its many advantages, and it is important to have a good understanding of this powerful tool.

The Basics

Explained simply, SDN is a way of centrally controlling network devices programmatically while decoupling the control of devices from the actual forwarding systems. Early SDN has now evolved into software-defined data centers (SDDC), since cloud data centers now manage most network devices using this method.

It’s useful to have an awareness of network functions virtualization (NFV), a current movement of managing network nodes in a similar manner. This is used mainly with load balancers, wide area network (WAN) accelerators, firewalls, routers, and intrusion detection equipment.

SDN vs. NFV

SDN and NFV are conceptually similar technologies but focus on different aspects of a network. SDN is ultimately concerned with routing traffic and data flow through the system as efficiently and reliably as possible by separating the management of devices from those responsible for forwarding traffic (data).

In contrast, NFV’s focus is on the network functions themselves. SDN would redirect traffic if part of the network was down or sluggish, whereas NFV would be used if a firewall needed to be reconfigured or moved to handle more capacity.

SDN Advantages

Using a centralized method of managing network devices is beneficial for systems with many devices. Large, complex networks become much easier to handle without constant supervision or intervention.

In addition, vendor-managed devices can be swapped out in favor of unmanaged switches. These are often far less expensive to acquire and the company can perform the management internally instead of outsourcing the task. In fact, a requirement of an SDN-designated product is that it must be vendor-neutral, per the governing body Open Networking Foundation.

Driving Forces Supporting SDN Expansion

A number of trends have blossomed over the last few years to prompt the use of SDN in tech. The following are worth mentioning, but would be highly difficult for traditional network and hardware management techniques to effectively handle.

  • Data, application, and security management are moving to the cloud and data centers are used to manage this move.
  • Agility is a necessity, and traditionally controlled devices do not allow such quick recovery or redirection to take place.
  • Geographically distributed databases may live in public or private cloud, are spread across the world, and are accessed by a growing number of users.
  • Big data is everywhere and must be available from anywhere in the world without latency.
  • BYOD and the Internet of Things (IoT) are growing, and everything and everyone is connected.

Technology is all about evolution, and SDN is a tool that was designed as a result of this evolution. Networks must be scalable and supportable to any size. Businesses do not want to be tied to vendor-managed hardware, nor can they be patient with the delays or outages that are commonly seen as traditional systems fail to handle burgeoning traffic.

SDN is a necessary tool that exists to help with large systems and exploding data. Through the use of this powerful mechanism, networks become far more governable, reliable, and expandable to meet the needs of the business.

4 Challenges Moving to Cloud-Based Unified Communications

by

shutterstock_88034320Migrating a business’s communications system to the cloud isn’t as easy as simply switching over. There are four major challenges to making the switch:

 

  • Cost
  • Integration
  • Security
  • Training

When looking into making a move to cloud-based unified communications systems, businesses should first consider these challenges in order to make the switch–and the ongoing system–as clean and easy to use as possible.

Cost

Upfront costs are the big consideration when moving to a unified communications system in the cloud. While the switch will save most businesses money in the long run, they may first have to pay for upgraded bandwidth in order to maintain performance. Businesses should also be aware that added features may also drive up costs by taking up more bandwidth, so only adding needed features can help keep costs down.

Integration

It can be troublesome to integrate a cloud-based unified communications service with a legacy PBX system. Users will also have to take the time to learn and become familiar with the new cloud system, and some businesses may feel safer if they have both the cloud and the PBX. Businesses should also keep in mind that some data may be better hosted on site, such as personal data or some types of software.

Security

Because data moves through the Internet in a cloud-based system – instead of through dedicated lines or remaining within the building – there are security risks that businesses will need to take into consideration. The first step is to ensure that the vendor provides security and businesses should know what the vendor does to protect sensitive data. A business can also help improve their security by ensuring that data is encrypted, especially if they have a mobile workforce; employees who use public hotspots to connect may accidentally allow someone else access to their applications.

Training

Depending on how tech-savvy employees are, training may be a simple challenge to solve, or a complex one. Many employees, especially those who are older, have spent most of their working lives using physical desk phones and a PBX system. It may take nothing more than an information sheet to train employees on the new cloud-based unified communications system, or it may take more intensive training sessions for users who aren’t as proficient with computers. Having an expert available can help, as will remembering that most users will need to have the basic calling procedure taught to them as well as more advanced features.

Migrating to a unified communications system can be rewarding for a business, but the success of moving to the cloud will be improved by keeping in mind these four challenges. Planning for and dealing with the issues that arise from cost, integration, security and training will make for an easier switch for all users involved.

Cloud Computing: Fact or Fiction

by

shutterstock_128052089The benefits of cloud computing have caused the technology to grow exponentially during the past several years. Companies of all sizes have embraced the cloud as a solution that provides flexibility and increases efficiencies in corporate IT environments.

The cloud has become especially attractive to small- and medium-sized businesses by facilitating access to services and applications that put them on par with larger enterprises without having to make a hefty upfront investment in network equipment or ongoing maintenance commitments.

But the decision to shift to a cloud-based environment can be complicated, and decision-makers may find it difficult to sort the facts from the fiction about the cloud. Following are some common misconceptions about cloud solutions.

Cost

Cloud services are sometimes thought to be cost prohibitive. While deploying a private cloud solution can require upfront installation and equipment costs as well as ongoing maintenance expenses, public cloud services actually can allow small businesses to access services they may not have been able to afford otherwise.

Public cloud services aggregate expenses over a wide user base, thereby allowing companies with limited IT budgets to buy into cloud services at a more manageable price point. Using a cloud solution, companies only pay for what they need and can scale their cloud contract based on their changing needs and usage.

While there are ongoing periodic fees associated with a public cloud service, those expenses are typically fixed or at least predictable and easy to budget.

Security

Data security is a crucial consideration for companies moving to a third-party cloud environment. Fears about the security of data traveling outside the company’s network or being accessed by personal devices are valid and should be taken into consideration.

That said, cloud providers have a vested interest in providing top-level security via encryption and authentication, and they typically dedicate full-time resources to keeping up to date on and detecting ever-changing security threats. Still, the company has a responsibility to be vigilant about security within its in-house networks and processes.

Performance

Reliability is often touted as one of the major benefits of cloud solutions, and usually cloud services do offer a high level of reliability and uptime. However, there is always the possibility of unexpected or scheduled downtime. Cloud systems are susceptible to crashes and power outages just as traditional networks are.

When choosing a cloud solution, examine the provider’s ability to recover from such events and look for a solution that has built-in redundancies to help minimize the impact of downtime. Solutions that use a variety of vendors are less susceptible to unexpected downtime and system failures.

Maintenance

One of the primary benefits of the cloud is that it alleviates some of the ongoing maintenance commitments and expenses typically associated with in-house networks. Some cloud providers even offer free maintenance support.

It is important to remember, however, that moving to the cloud does not eliminate the company’s need for some continued IT support. End-user equipment and in-house network elements will still require maintenance not provided by the cloud provider.

Sorting It Out

The decision to move to the cloud can be complicated enough without having to sort through misconceptions about what the service offers and how much it costs. First understanding the company’s requirements and then studying how the available cloud options meet those needs will start the process on the right track.

Be diligent about separating the facts from the the fiction about cloud services so that the right service can ultimately be chosen and deployed.

Follow Us

We know the way.