Is "the cloud" right for you?

So it seems the current buzzword all around the Internet is "The Cloud".

Everyone seems to be talking about cloud computing or taking their servers or services "to the cloud". So what the heck is "the cloud"? In the truest sense of the word, "the cloud" is simply a metaphor for the Internet. In fact, this very article you are reading is stored "in the cloud". I didn't have to make a local copy of this article, since I edited it directly on our web server using what's called a Content Manager. If you have a Gmail or a Yahoo or a Windows Live account, your email is "in the cloud". But when most people talk about cloud computing today, they are, in fact, referring to the ability of a company to locate its servers for its core applications at what's called a co-location facility, or "colo" for short. Many companies are moving their servers to colocation facilities, or renting "space" on someone else's servers, allowing that company to access that server from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

What are the Pros and Cons?

The first, and most obvious advantage is cost. It is less expensive to rent server space at a colocation facility than it is to buy your servers and put them at your business. Since most small businesses don't have the budget to have an IT staff, it is generally more cost-effective to have the folks at the colocation facility look after their server hardware.

Secondly, having your critical infrastructure (your application servers) in the cloud prevents a local disaster (fire, flood, tornado etc) from completely disabling your ability to conduct business. If a disaster occurs, all you have to do is get a laptop, get to a WiFi access point, and you are back in business.

The disadvantages.

The biggest problem with putting all your eggs in the "cloud basket" is that if your internet connection ever goes offline at your place of business, it can seriously impact your ability to function. It might even cause a total shutdown of your business. Another possible disadvantage is application compatibility. Many business applications are simply not compatible with being operated from a remote location. They require the server to be located at the same site as the PCs which are connecting to it.

Will cloud computing work for your business?

Your business' unique circumstances will determine whether cloud computing is a good idea for you.

Here at Arkansas Network Experts, we have developed a unique blend of cloud and local computing that will help overcome the application compatibility issue. We can give you the advantages of having your servers local, while taking advantage of cloud technology to "mirror" your server(s) at our remote facilities. We can also help mitigate the negative effects of loss of internet connectivity by using multiple "load-balanced" connections. Using two different type of broadband internet (say, Cable and DSL), we can drastically reduce the chance that an internet outage will affect your ability to function.

Call us today to discuss whether cloud computing, or our unique blend of local and "mirrored" computing can work for your business.