Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing Services

What does this really mean for your business?

You can now access advanced business services at a fraction of the cost and management overhead of doing it yourself, and pay on a fixed and predictable cost basis, as you would with a utility. No surprises, no cost spikes and everything done for you. This approach massively reduces both the operational and financial risks involved when implementing new technologies. Services are delivered to you with powerful Service Level Agreements that would be too costly to attempt to match in-house.

We believe Internet-based Computing is your opportunity to:

• Reduce your costs
• Quickly access new technologies
• Improve your service levels
• Free up your company capital
• Keep control of your IT and focus on growth.

The Cloud

The term ‘cloud’ is typically used when referring to the delivery of services from outside the corporate firewall or beyond the walls of a person’s home ie ‘off premises’. In its simplest form, the cloud refers to services that are delivered from a datacentre in one location to a server or personal computer (PC) in another location via the Internet, or ‘public cloud’. (More recently, the term ‘private cloud’ has been introduced to describe environments that emulate cloud computing on private network, or ‘on premises’.) Increasingly, software solutions are being delivered off premises, as a service ‘via the cloud’ from a provider’s datacentre to multiple commercial and public-sector customers.

Gartner expects enterprise software-as-a-service revenue (SaaS) to more than double by 2012.

“The popularity of the on-demand deployment model has increased significantly within the last four years. Initial concerns over security, response time, and service availability have diminished for many organisations as SaaS business and computing models have matured and adoption has become pervasive.”

Source Sharon Mertz, Research Director at Gartner.

Software as a Service

The benefits for Software as a Service (Saas) continue to grow. Businesses of all sizes, in all industries, are migrating in ever-increasing numbers to embrace SaaS. The economic, security, reliability, and delivery advantages of SaaS give organisations a competitive advantage. By 2011, a full 25% of new business software will be delivered as a service (Gartner, Inc). For solution providers, this is not just about adapting to a new paradigm and maintaining existing margins. Rather, this shift represents an opportunity for IT professionals to refresh their practice. Savvy solution providers will take advantage of cloud-based technology advances to deepen customer relationships and grow revenue by focusing on services that truly deliver business value.

What are the benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS)?

User benefits include:

• Data accessible from anywhere, on any computer platform
• Giga Bytes of email inbox storage per user with powerful search capability
• Simple and fast collaboration and messaging tools
• Data is never lost, even if your laptop dies or is stolen
• Sharing mechanism within Docs, Sites and Video enables a new level of collaboration

IT user benefits include:

• No hardware or software to install or maintain
• Very low fixed cost per user
• Intuitive applications that many users are already familiar with – little training necessary
• Ability to move users incrementally
• Savings of licence fees, hardware and data centre costs
• Open platform for integration.

Business benefits include:

• Decreased costs
• Increased employee productivity, enabling faster decision making.
• More flexibility to deploy changes and innovations fast, and get on with business
• Focus resources on strategic initiatives instead of operational activities
• Attractive IT environment for the younger generation of employees.

The new world service model

Many of us use Cloud Computing services already for home use rather than buying additional hardware and software. Whether it is centralised online storage for photos and documents, email or even a virtual desktop service, we have got used to the convenience of being able to either pay-as-you-go or even get these services for free. The increases in broadband availability and speeds have meant that we have got used to the idea of accessing a central technology platform rather than just accessing information locally. But how will that work for your business? When considering Cloud Computing services you need to work with a completely different type of provider, one that will give you:

• A clear technology roadmap
• The assurance that your data is totally secure
• Access to expert advice and guidance in the UK
• Experience and references from satisfied customers
• Round the clock management and support in the UK
• A business grade service with a strong service level agreement
• Access to the best and latest technology from the leading global vendors

What business issues does it solve?

Allows you to control and cut cost Simplifies IT administration Allows you to focus on core activities Allows for the consolidation of suppliers and bills Gives you financial  freedom Improves network resilience and freedom Helps improve processes

Improves your service levels Helps you support flexible working Helps improve communications Aids collaboration between employees, suppliers & partners Gives you a competitive advantage Helps increase efficiency Helps improve agility

Caramba are pleased to announce that we are a Microsoft Online services Partner and in the process of becoming a Google Apps Authorized reseller.

For further information, please call 0845 601 2237 or email info@caramba.co.uk