Below are the Notes from the GM in which we discuss the continuing move to Cloud Computing, especially for smaller businesses (less than 500 seats all the way down to single proprietor home-based businesses).Here's a link to the newsletter: On-Site Connections
Notes from the GM
The Year of the Cloud
Take your pick - 2010 was or 2011 will be the year of the Cloud. Last year the Cloud went from being a euphemism people made fun of to the future of technology.
Here at On-Site Technical Solutions we’re working in a hybrid world. Some of our customers still have local servers, but all of them are using some form of Cloud computing. The first foray into the Cloud tends to be with mail because it’s the simplest and provides the most bang for the buck.
Google Apps is our choice for a mail solution because of the functionality that comes with the email functionality. For $50 per seat per year companies not only get email and 25 GB of storage but office desktop tools (spreadsheets, word processing, presentation), file sharing and web access. Microsoft is launching its Cloud competitor this year, but it may be too little too late.
Office 2010 will probably be the last Microsoft Office upgrade we recommend. Google continues to enhance its products and Microsoft will be offering its free web version that will be fine for most employees. Only power Office users needing the bells and whistles or specific functionality will need to spend the money on Microsoft Office.
What makes moving to the Cloud inevitable is the enhanced functionality at a lower cost for technology. We, and our customers, wouldn’t be using Cloud services if they weren’t both functional and cost effective.
The Cloud is also accelerating the trend of technology becoming a commodity. Here at On-Site Technical Solutions we’re already spending much less time in our traditional network maintenance and setup role and much more as consultants and Cloud Integrator. We’re the experts in Cloud technology that can ensure that companies are using technology that is the best fit with vendors that will be around for the useful life of their products. We now have tools that enable us to monitor networks 24x7 that were not available only a couple of years ago. We have fewer technicians spending less time providing better coverage and preventative maintenance because of these tools.
With hundreds of thousands of apps available it becomes more important to use the right ones from the best vendors. Choosing the wrong app or vendor can lead to security breaches and, ultimately, failure in supporting your business. The last thing the SMB needs is an emergency conversion because their Cloud vendor went out of business or quit supporting an app.
If you have questions about Cloud Computing or any business technology, feel free to give me a call or text at 949-212-2168. We’re happy to discuss how the new technology can help your business.
Michael Boys
On-Site Technical Solutions GM
Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. We can also help you with your mobile computing. You should follow us on Twitter @MHBoys and become a fan on Facebook. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.
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