Month: January 2012

Delivering data and software services over the Cloud does have inherent security risks, which are important to understand….. however the irony is your data is most likely far safer in the cloud than in your own office!

There are different types of clouds which carry different risks. For instance, public clouds mean that your data and applications are stored on a server(s) somewhere out in the cloud, but no one could tell you where this data is, or how to retrieve it in the event of a hardware crash.

Cloud companies providing this service need to be audited fully, and one should fully understand how their disaster recovery procedures work, as well as their backup processes should the unfortunate hardware failure ever occur.  A visit to their offices to meet support staff and to gain a thorough understanding into their disaster recovery and backup process would help. You must be confident that your business critical data is being managed to the very highest levels.

Private Clouds are far safer, mainly because it is all managed in a secure Datacentre where someone can physically put their hand on your data, but it is vital you check everything for your own due-diligence. Well managed Private Clouds and Datacentres come with accreditations which you can look into.

The application, the hardware and the operating system will be owned by the cloud provider. However, the data is what your intellectual property is based on, and it has to be clearly acknowledged in the contract that you can take that data away at any time. Your cloud subscription gives you access to the functionality of the application. If that access is removed, can you still access the data so that you can take it away with you? Ensure that the contract allows for access to the back-end data, either directly or via the provider offering an export capability, even after the contract has finished.

At Netcetera we offer a range of solutions which allow you to expand your capabilities without increasing your overhead.

Previous posts:

• Step 1 – Are your applications ready to run in the Cloud?
• Step 2 – How important is Technical Support for Cloud success?

Questions? Let us help!

To speak to one of our Sales Consultants about what our services can do for you, or for any other queries, please fill out our Enquiry Form or call 0800 061 2801

Many cloud-based services are known for their ease of use, but there will come a time when you will need some technical support. When you use cloud-based services, you’ll be entrusting a lot of your business data to its servers, so it’s only right for you to have a service representative to consult in the event you need one.

When selecting your cloud-based service, make sure that you will be able to receive adequate technical support from the provider. Cloud computing is different – it separates your data from your IT infrastructure, so your data is replicated ‘in the cloud’, which could be anywhere in a multitude of ‘virtual’ servers. These differences give rise to a new set of security and privacy issues that will have an effect on your risk management practices and consideration of your support you will receive is important when taking this decision.

Netcetera are committed to helping individuals and businesses get the most out of our hosting service. We know your time is better spent on developing your site, not troubleshooting it.

To support our customers’ sites, our technicians work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to maintain the top-of-the-line servers that host our clients’ critical sites and services, and the network infrastructure that supplies their backend connectivity. We also incorporate a wide range of reliable customer support tools to engage our customers throughout the lifecycle, including Live Chat, email, FAQ’s, Social Networking sites and blogs.

To provide support when it’s needed by our clients, our Microsoft Certified support staff work around the clock. We offer the following support as standard:

• 24/7 Ticket, EMail, Telephone and Livechat
• Support SLA-based standard support response
• Full Client Area Control Panel Support
• Fully Managed Virtualisation Platform
• Fully Managed Network Infrastructure
• Fully Managed Hardware
• Wholly owned Netcetera Data Centre
• Personal Account Manager
• Personal Billing Contact

Questions? Let us help!
To speak to one of our Sales Consultants about what our services can do for you, or for any other queries, please fill out our Enquiry Form or call 0800 061 2801

Cloud computing is a new way of doing business and, as with anything new, you need to be clear about what you are letting yourself in for. For some, the business benefits of the cloud are many, but for others it may be simply that it allows small businesses to stop worrying about its IT which is something that distracts from its core function of running the business.

Cloud computing is different from conventional outsourcing in that it is not stand alone computing.  Cloud computing separates your data from your IT infrastructure, so your data is replicated ‘in the cloud’, which could be anywhere in a multitude of ‘virtual’ servers. These differences are what give rise to a new set of issues that could have an effect on your risk management practices.

A good place if considering the Cloud, is to start with establishing if your applications ready to run in the Cloud.  Are the applications which you use already web-based? Will they benefit from a Cloud-based structure? Can it scale your present application up in the Cloud? Migrating your old ‘legacy applications’ to a cloud-based infrastructure may not bring the correct benefits to you. An assessment to determine an application’s readiness for the Cloud needs to be carried out. This means evaluating, via a potential supplier, the readiness of all your key applications. This will provide clear recommendations on your options.

Netcetera offers, via the Managed Windows Cloud Server, all the ease and simplicity of Shared Hosting, but with the scalability and resilience of the Cloud.  For only £40.98/pm including the Essential Management Pack, FREE Site Migration, FREE Setup and a 7 Day Money Back Guarantee, this provides you with an agile infrastructure which allows you to focus on your core business.

See the difference that the Cloud can make to your business.

Questions? Let us help!
To speak to one of our Sales Consultants about what our services can do for you, or for any other queries, please fill out our Enquiry Form or call 0800 061 2801

If you feeling submerged by all the information which has been written about cloud computing, you are not alone. Not only is cloud computing a new concept, but also the information about it is often confusing and is weighed down with new words and ideas like virtualization, multi-tenancy, scalability etc.

Since cloud computing is a new way of doing business you have to be clear about what your requirements are. For some, the business benefits of cloud are many – for others it will be the simple fact that cloud allows a small business to stop worrying about its IT which is something that distracts from its core function of running the business.

Security and reliability of cloud services are often raised as concerns. By understanding the basics of cloud computing and knowing how to assess important factors such as security and the identification of systems that are suitable for migration, it becomes much easier to design and implement a cloud strategy.

To help with this process we will be publishing 10 easy steps over the following weeks, which will help you to understand the essential facts about the cloud and will outline the important points to consider when making your decision and to facilitate successful cloud migration.

As a taster, we will be covering the following topics:

• Step 1 – Are your applications ready to run in the Cloud?
• Step 2 – How important is Technical Support for Cloud success?
• Step 3 – Do you have Ownership and Access to your data in the Cloud?
• Step 4 – Understanding what fluctuating data volumes means to you.
• Step 5 – Is any part of the Cloud infrastructure outsourced or subcontracted?
• Step 6 – Helping you to understand your Compliance queries in the Cloud.
• Step 7 – Why is Cost analysis of the Cloud so important?
• Step 8 – Have you prepared a Migration Strategy?
• Step 9 – The importance of Considering Downtime and How to Deal with it.
• Step 10 – The importance of Data Migration.

Questions? Let us help!
To speak to one of our Sales Consultants about what our services can do for you, or for any other queries, please fill out our Enquiry Form or call 0800 061 2801