GMO Cloud

A Transitional Approach To a Successful Cloud Migration

Most experts agree that cloud computing represents the future of IT. However, some factors, such as disproportionate media coverage of recent problems with cloud computing companies, inadequate legislation (particularly in Europe) and a general distrust of new technologies makes many businesses skeptical about cloud migration. Fortunately, there is no need to migrate the entirety of your business at once.

The cloud is, by nature, flexible, meaning a transitional approach to successful migration is usually the best option. This can be an effective sales pitch for cloud vendors looking to attract skeptical clients, and make businesses more used to a whole new way of thinking about computing and storage.

Processing and storage viewed as utilities

The key to changing how we view computing is to start thinking of computing as a service. Just as electricity, water, and sewage are both reliable and essential to most businesses, computing needs, such as storage and processing, are also essential and potentially just as reliable. Just as it is hardly cost-effective for a power plant to run your company’s electric equipment, it is neither cost-effective to build a data center for your storage needs.

Five gradual steps for moving completely to the cloud

Fortunately, thanks to the flexibility that the cloud gives its costumers, a gradual migration is usually the best solution. While there is usually no need for it from a technical point of view, from a human resources standpoint it will help avoid human error. The following five steps can help make the transition to the cloud a smooth one:

1. Move the company’s archived data to the cloud: Most companies have huge amounts of data that are not accessed frequently but still necessary. Managers can be assured that any problem (likely or otherwise) would not affect the company’s day-to-day operations. In any case, skeptical businesses can back up this data before moving it to the cloud. After experiencing the cloud’s reliability first hand, most companies can readily free up some space and save money by taking the next step.

1. Move the company’s backups to the cloud: This will include the backups of the archive data from the previous step. This will also be seen as a low-risk step by management due to the nature of backup data. After a while of using agile cloud-based backups, most computer users will not want to go back to the relative sluggishness and inconvenience of on-site backups.

1. Moving the company’s disaster recovery solution to the cloud: Cloud-based disaster recovery services are reliable and, best of all, have a very low chance of being hit by the same disaster hitting your local servers, unlike on-site disaster recovery. Your data can be accessed from any location, meaning recovery from a disaster is faster and with fewer long-term effects. Mean Time To Restore (MTTR) is the most important statistic in disaster recovery. With cloud-based disaster recovery, you can change your MTTR from days to mere hours.

1. Having stored a large portion of a company’s data on the cloud, it is recommended to operate with a hybrid cloud solution for a while: A hybrid cloud usually works well for small and medium businesses, helping them transition from traditional computing infrastructures to a full cloud-based system. Businesses can remain on a hybrid cloud for as long as they feel comfortable, or use a hybrid solution permanently if they have specific problems.

1. It is finally time to move production to the cloud: Moving data and processing to the cloud should seem like a logical step due to the convenience of integrating day-to-day operations. This is perfect for start-ups as the alternative of purchasing IT infrastructure and personnel is very costly. An equivalent amount of processing and storage on the cloud costs only a fraction of the former. It is recommended that you subscribe to the more reliable service providers. Like GMO Cloud – a company that offers additional services to help the customer save on costs. Visit the Add-Ons page to find out what other services can be outsourced to GMO Cloud.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.

The Impact of Cloud Computing on Distance (Online) Learning

Distance learning has become quite popular lately, and many institutions are bombarded concerns as the number of online students increases. The most important challenge is the need to provide unhindered, flexible and quick access to the bulk of teaching instructions, lesson materials and learning platforms for students to give them the unique opportunity to attain greater educational achievements.

Distance education requires large amounts of data, with multi-faceted IT storage areas and easy access to interactive videos, online academic chats and teleconferences, digital feedback system and digital library services. Incidentally, these on-demand educational technologies have caused several institutions to either expand in-house IT structures or outsource services to third-party IT firms. This is because new servers, networks and storage facilities are needed to meet the upsurges in data produced by distance-learning students.  However, this practice is uneconomical once affected institutions suddenly increase their annual budget for IT requirements.

Cloud computing has been recognized as a key solution to bloated IT budgets for online learning programs. Apart from helping reduce their overhead IT expenditure, cloud computing also provides some highly competitive features of reliability, scalability and speed. Institutions normally spend considerably to set up and maintain new educational technologies, but such expenses will be unnecessary when they move in-house IT structure to the cloud. Some options available to distance-learning students include:

• Software as a Service (SaaS)—students are allowed to use software/applications but have no power to control hardware, operating and networking systems;

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)—in this case, users can use a hosting environment for their applications, but cannot control hardware, operating system etc;

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)—users can control hardware, operating system and the networking system while using the storage facility, networking system and other principal computing resources provided by the cloud computing firm.

Online education administrators should consider adding cloud computing to optimize performance. Since cloud technology allows inter-operability, online learning administrators need not worry about whether current hardware, networking system, servers and applications will work perfectly with the newly-introduced cloud computing. Moreover, cloud technology enhances fast delivery of educational content, quick reception of feedback and students’ comments and the storage of huge amounts of data generated in the course of learning.

Though users are still concerned about security, privacy and long-time efficiency of cloud computing, institutions that have already moved IT structures to the cloud are enjoying benefits, worrying less about maintaining in-house IT systems, happy about the extent of flexibility and  scalability provided by cloud computing. If they lose students in distance-learning programs, they can consequently reduce required storage and networking requirements, which is impossible in an in-house IT facility.

Cloud computing not only gives flexibility and faster rates of access to educational materials, but helps institutions both cut expenses and enhance academic performance.Learn more about the flexibility and scalability of cloud hosting, visit the Features page of GMO Cloud and see how the power of the cloud enables vast improvement potential for distance learning.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Jerry Olasakinju, a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree holder, is a passionate researcher and writer whose interest in everything computing is unparalleled. He blogs about his literary works at http://jerryolasakinju.blogspot.jp/

Impacts of Cloud Computing in Japan’s Social Media

Cloud computing in Japan has been around longer than you might think, living inside homes since the advent of the internet. For years, cloud computing has been serving the communication needs of the locals with the country’s capacity for revolutionary advancements in technology. One of the clearest manifestations of Japan’s superpower cloud computing is the social media market.

Initially, Japan’s social media scene revolved around home-grown networking sites that incorporated gaming into services, aside from the usual sending of messages, chatting and sharing of photos and videos. These social networking sites use cloud computing to store user information on a remote server, accessible anywhere and anytime by the user. The flexibility offered by cloud computing is also apparent in mobile phones. Japanese people are more active in social media through their phones than personal computers. By having a cloud service provider, social networking companies can allow users to remain up-to-date with personal pages instead of being tied to desktops.

These local social networking sites have zoomed past other popular media in the West such as Facebook and Twitter. For a time, it seemed that these Western sites would not be able to gain a strong share in Japan. However, over time, Facebook and Twitter have garnered the needed followers for a strong boost in their business, especially due to the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. These foreign social media sites were the saving glory of victims and families in the affected regions.

With telecommunication infrastructures being hit by this tragedy, these social sites were key to pinpointing the status of the people, conducting rescue and relief operations, and coordinating disaster contingency plans. Only with cloud computing can all these communication gateways became possible. Social media through optimal cloud computing can surpass the abilities of regular social networking sites.

The majority of blogs in the world are apparently written in Japanese. The locals have learned to utilize blogging networks not only for sharing their personal stories but also to start forums, communities and gaming networks. The additional services available to blog sites underline the extent to which social media has helped companies maximize the potential of cloud computing.

If planning to start your own company or promote existing business in Japan, begin by studying how cloud computing and social media work. By using available social media sites, you can effectively advertise your products or services to your target market. Since a lot of Japanese remain active online, you will be more visible and approachable to your potential customers this way. You can also monitor the reactions or recommendations of online customers with social sites so that you can further improve your product. Current trends are also easily learned through online forums.

Cloud computing can thus allow you to build interactive websites and social media networks in order to reach those elusive Japanese audiences. The impact of cloud computing for business is massive with social media being at the forefront of it. And more than any other country in the world, Japan has been seen to lead the pack in cloud computing infrastructures and policies, which is why any business here needs to take advantage of it.

There is indeed some good coming out of the proliferation of data on social networking sites. One of the underlying reasons of this widespread is the efficacy of its servers often hosted through cloud technology. To give you a better understanding of how this works, visit one of GMO Cloud’s popular configurations as it shows how the load balancer is used on a high availability system.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Rodolfo Lentejas, Jr. is a fulltime freelance writer based in Toronto. He is the founder of the PostSckrippt, a growing online writing business dedicated to producing top quality, original and fresh content. To know more about him, please visit www.postsckrippt.ca. Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Tracking Business Expenses in Cloud

One morning, you arrive at the office and receive your phone and electricity bills. You tend to pay it online and soon get to know that your credit limit has expired. What will you do? Since you are strapped for cash, you unwillingly go to your friends and borrow some money. Well, borrowing is not bad, but you feel some guilt about it.

On a similar note Polonius, chief counselor to King Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet said: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Do you know why you have gone out and borrowed some money? It is because you could not track your expenses well. You don’t know how you spend your money and where it has all gone?  So, you need to track your spending pattern to know where you can save money.

In the setting up your business you might have outlaid on computers, data storage equipments, networking infrastructure, software packages with valid licenses and so on. Today, enterprises are looking into ways to cut down on spiraling costs across the board. Every penny counts in a small business set-up.

The old days of receipts and expense files are history:

So, you can keep track of all your expenses by installing software solutions on your PC, or pick any cloud solution for it. However, if you are running a business that makes you travel frequently and rarely sit still, it is advisable to select cloud applications. Naturally, the mobile business owner requires a mobile solution that helps you track expenses without piles of receipts. In today’s business environment, creating and processing expense reports manually has become a thing of the past. Today’s tech–savvy consumers do not do business with companies that look outdated.

Here are a few reasons why should you use cloud solutions to track your business expenses:

• Helps you to work more: Even if you are on the beach with your family, you can see what and where your office staff have made purchases. A cloud-based expense tracking solution enables business owners to stay connected no matter where they are.

• Eliminates human error: Manual invoicing and accounts entry may lead to human error and delay any reimbursement process. Sometimes, invoicing also needs the support of a third-party expense management company. Cloud-based expense management solutions can reduce data errors, paper-handling expenses, and payment errors.

• Customize an expense management solution for your business: You don’t need to pay for business applications that aren’t required. The cloud-based solution offers various manuals that include purchase reports, payable invoices, expanse spread-sheets and more. The cloud-based solutions also enable you to scan and save receipts, saving on storage cost and negating need for hard-copy records.

• Money manager: The small-business merchants can also take advantage of a cloud-based money manager that can present expense reports including detailed information about where your money is going. Such reports can be created by customers, projects departments.

• Expense reconciliation is easier and fast: The ‘life cycle’ of expense reconciliation and purchase orders becomes shorter with a cloud-based expense solution as it verifies the revenues and/or expenses fast. It saves time because you don’t need to call auditors to audit paper-based reports.

• Cloud-based expense solutions provide flexibility: When millions of smartphones are used in global workforce, cloud-based solutions may help on-the-go merchants to sell their products and services from fairs, trade shows, and markets. On the other hand, if you are done with your expense report, you can directly send it for approval without coming back to the office.

Significant advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over the last half century highlight why so many business ventures are now centered on the cloud and its scalability.

Coupled with an expense solution should be a reliable cloud hosting provider. GMO Cloud provides a secure and highly scalable hosting service that can easily accommodate any type of expense solution. Visit the Features page of this site to find out more.

Many companies are offering cloud-based expense management solutions. Be careful while selecting one, as this will have sensitive data. Don’t hesitate to ask hard-hitting questions about security settings, employees who will have access to your information and more.  Always use different complex passwords for your PC, laptop, or smartphone, and keep your device locked or password-protected when not in use.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Mandira Srivastava is a fulltime freelance writer who specializes in technology, health and fitness, politics, and financial writing. Equipped with a degree of mass communication and having worked for both private and corporate clients, she has experienced meeting a wide range of writing requirements and styles.

An Overview of Outsourcing and Other Third-party Issues With Your Cloud Contract

One of the greatest challenges that cloud technology brings with it is the need for developers, IT professionals, and companies to be more open in their interactions. Cloud computing, by nature, requires the interaction of various entities and, as this technology grows, interactions between various companies are becoming the rule rather than the exception.

Because of this, it is important to understand which parties, if any, are involved in your cloud computing services apart from your company and the vendor. Third parties can enter a cloud computing service in an outsourcing agreement. The cloud computing industry is also very fast paced and you may find that your vendor has been acquired by a larger company or merged with another cloud services business. Third parties can ensure that you are getting the best possible range of services from a variety of sources. However, since the introduction of other parties to a cloud service also adds risk, it is important to address third parties in your contract.

Outsourcing issues in your cloud services contract

When you enter a contract with a cloud computing vendor, it is important to get information on whether the vendor is outsourcing some of its services to another cloud computing company. For example, a well-known SaaS vendor runs many of its services at a third-party’s data center using that third-party’s IaaS services. These kinds of interactions can make cloud computing contracts difficult to navigate. In the best interest of the consumer, it is important to mitigate risk by ensuring that your contract contains the following provisions for your cloud computing vendor:

1. - The contract should identify and name any third parties involved in the services they provide.
2. - The third party vendor should be obligated to follow the same security standards and procedures as the cloud computing vendor.
3. - A plan for business continuity should be established in case of service failure by the third-party vendor.
4. - The contract should hold the vendor responsible for complying with all terms of the contract, regardless of the actions of third parties.

Outsourcing is not a bad thing. In fact, the whole concept of cloud computing is essentially a form of outsourcing itself. In fact, as the industry gets more complex we can probably expect to see a higher degree of specialization. Unlike today, cloud computing vendors will need to become much more specific with their services, which will necessarily mean that any cloud computing contract will include various parties.

What happens in case of an acquisition or merger?

The cloud computing industry is one of the fastest paced tech industries today. We are still on the ground floor of a technology that is growing in leaps and bounds. This means that, at least today, you can expect the business landscape to change dramatically at a very rapid pace. Just looking at the last year, you will find numerous examples of large companies (such as Skype, Success Factors, and Yammer) being bought by the industry giants, and mergers are quite more frequent than in other industries. While this helps the technology advance and the market grow, it can be a bit difficult to navigate when it comes to your cloud services contract.

A new owner may not be willing to continue with the same products or to accept the terms you had in the contract with the previous owner. To mitigate these risks, it is important to include language in your current contract that allows you to plan for a merger, bankruptcy, or acquisition of your present cloud computing vendor. A good way to do this is to establish that all parties and their successors (regardless of the process resulting in their succession) will be bound by the terms of the contract. To transfer those obligations and rights to a third party, they should first need the prior consent of the other party of the contract. This means that your current cloud services vendor will still be held responsible, even if the company passes into new ownership.

The Bottom Line

Many of these issues can be navigated safely with the help of a professional. Today, Cloud brokers are rising organizations in the Cloud computing industry. They basically connect cloud clients with cloud vendors. By managing multiple parties for you and finding the correct vendors for your company’s needs, a cloud broker can reduce costs and help you navigate what is becoming an industry full of complexity.

In a nutshell, you will need someone you can trust that will point you in the right direction. GMO Cloud’s standards is to find out the customer’s needs first and then gives it recommendations on which optimal set of resources to subscribe to. Visit GMO Cloud’s Contact Page and get free consultation on which cloud best suits you.

Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation

Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Guest Author:

Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.