Cloud computing is more than a passing trend. Cloud computing is way for small to medium businesses (SMBs) to tap enterprise class applications and infrastructure that once only large companies could afford. Cloud Computing allows SMBs to share the overhead for data center security, bandwidth, monitoring and management. Small to medium businesses share cloud based Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) without having to invest in capital intensive projects. If you are considering a move to the cloud, here is a pre flight checklist to consider.

Public Cloud vs. Private Cloud

With cloud computing you are moving your data and computer processing to a location other than your own. The cloud location may be shared (i.e. public cloud) or dedicated environment (private cloud). The trade off for private cloud versus public cloud is that the private cloud will be more expensive due to cost for additional security. In most cases the public cloud is more secure than your own office or business. What’s more, by sharing these resources with other companies you also may save money in the long run.

While sensitive data, such as, financial records, may be more secure in the cloud, you may have regulatory requirements that prevent you from sharing common resources such as CPUs, racks or cages to store your data in a public cloud If you have compliance issues that require extra physical security, consider a private cloud solution.

Cloud Migration Consideration

To move to a cloud based application including SaaS, take the time to consider what data you need to migrate to the cloud. This may be a good time to clean up those customer lists. You may also consider archiving some of your information, like financial history and email archives rather than migrate it to the cloud. Either way, you need to consider the formatting and structure from your premise based software to the cloud based solution. Plan out the migration of your data. It will save you time and make your new cloud application work smoother in the long run.

Documenting IT Policies and Procedures

PCI and other regulations may require documentation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance for your company. When adopting solutions such as cloud based customer relationship management (CRM), remote backup or hosted email, take the time to revise policies and procedures to ensure your ability to demonstrate compliance.

Moving to the cloud is a great way to fix IT spending while transferring costs from a capital expense to an operating expense. If planned correctly, your migration to the cloud can be smooth and your cloud based applications will not only work better, but you will have improved security. Contact your trusted IT advisor to get more information on moving to the cloud.

Intel Ivy Bridge
Intel Corporation leads the market share in computer chips and processors. Today Intel started shipping its’ third generation processors called Ivy Bridge.  Ivy Bridge promises faster graphics and longer battery life for new computers.  This new processor is expected to be widely available in desktops and laptops this Summer.

Microsoft Windows 8
Microsoft will be releasing Windows 8.  The release date has yet to be confirmed but many believe it will be available in the Fall of 2012.   While the emphasis of the release is on tablet computers, there will be other benefits, including enhanced security and better remote access.  Consider that many new laptops and desktop computers purchased today may be upgradable to Microsoft Windows 8, they may not take full advantage of some of the new features of the new O/S.

What’s New from Apple
Apple is expected to release a new operating system called Mountain Lion O/S later this Summer.  Also expect a new lineup of the Macbook Pro and possible upgrades to the  Mac Air.  Insiders suggest the new lineup of laptops will be thinner, lighter and have longer battery life.

Looking for a Deal?
With all this new technology coming to market, you may be able to deal on older models and close out stock.  Many computer manufacturers and retailers will discount existing computers to make room for the latest technology.

While you are waiting for all this new technology to hit the market, here is what to do to make that slow and sluggish PC work like new.

Disk Defragmentation
When you defragment your hard drive you are optimizing the file system to improve performance.  By organizing the files to read and write faster, you will greatly improve your application response times.  It is a good idea to defragment your hard drive periodically to keep everything running at an optimal performance.

Clean out that Junk
PCs will collect files that not only waste space, but can slow down your computer.  These files include  Windows and third-party applications temporary files, Internet browsers cache, junk files left by online chat programs and other temporary files. If you are not sure which folders to erase, contact your systems administrator, to ensure that no important data will be lost.

If you are unsure or don’t have the time to give your computers a tune up, contact your IT Administrator or IT Managed Service Provider, to breathe a little life into your existing desktops and laptops.  At the same time, ask your IT Professional for an assessment to see if you are ready to upgrade to the next operating system, when they become available later this year.

Here are several steps you can take to avoid compromising your network security:

WiFi Access
WiFi technology makes it easy for you to network your computers. Your WiFi signal may broadcast beyond the physical security of your office allowing uninvited visitors to access your network and compromise your network security and compliance policies. Make sure your WiFi network connections are password protected and securely encrypted. Also, consider turning off your WiFi during non business hours. By the way, wireless technology (the telegraph) saved the lives of hundreds of passengers on the Titanic.

Thumb Drives and USB Drives
Sharing data through thumb drives or USB drives may allow unintended computer viruses and malicious software, also known as malware, transfer from other non secure computers and enter the perimeter of your secure network. For this reason, some network administrators set strict IT policies that prevent thumb drives from being used on any office computer. There are plenty of secure services available for files sharing between computers (e.g. remote backup and remote control software). Ask your IT support professional about your policy for using USB drives and thumb drives and the impact they may have on your network security.

Security Patches
Operating System and Application Security patches are designed to keep your network secure. Your network security is as vulnerable as its’ weakest link. As one hole in the hull can take down the largest ship afloat, one computer that is out of compliance may create a hole in your network security.

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware
Similar to Security Patches, keeping your Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware definitions up to date will help keep your network secure and in compliance. Some virus programs may use your network to hop from one computer to another. Once an infected machine connects behind your firewall other computers may be exposed. By keeping Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware definitions up to date you can avoid loss of data and loss of employee productivity.

You may think your network is as invincible, just like many thought the Titanic was unsinkable. Contact your IT professional and ask them to perform a Network Audit to make sure there aren’t any icebergs looming in your network security policy.

By scanning and discovering all connected devices, your IT team can quickly perform a hardware and software audit. This helps ensure compliance with network policy, software licensing compliance, and compliance with industry regulatory requirements, such as, HIPPA. What’s more, having asset data cataloged, including hardware and software profiles, helps remote support technicians troubleshoot when things go wrong.

What can you do with network audit data?

• Check your firewall’s security settings to make sure you are protected from the latest hacker attacks, worms, and viruses.
• Scan and remove spyware that is secretly stealing your company’s bandwidth, jeopardizing the speed of your computer system, and embezzling confidential information about you, your employees, and your business.
• Check your network’s backup system to ensure it is working properly and accurately backing up all of the critical files and information you never want to lose.
• Verify that you have the most up-to-date security patches installed properly; miss one critical update and you’re a “sitting duck.”
• Identify unstable PCs that may operate slowly.
• Search for all items meeting a criteria in summary and detail. For example, to determine how many machines use windows 7 with 4 megs of RAM to see if they are eligible for an O/S migration.
• Determine which devices may be out of software license compliance.
• Summarize warranty information for which devices are covered and which devices are not.
• Create an asset register to support financial audits of fixed assets.
• Create compliance reports including logs of O/S updates, anti-virus definition updates and backup.

With the many benefits of auditing your network, why wait? A network audit and asset inventory should be part of your proactive and routine managed service program. Contact your service provider today to insure that your network is secure.

Here are a few ideas to keep to practice green and sustainable computing:

Turn them off when you don’t use them. For desktops and laptops consider turning them off when you are done for the day. Leaving them on at night can increase power consumption. Besides, your PC could use a reboot now and then anyway. However, be sure you speak with your backup and network administrator about IT policies for systems maintenance. Your systems may have a daily backup scheduled after hours. In addition, software and operating system updates may occur after hours as well. Some “managed” desktops, laptops and servers are smart enough to power up for routine systems maintenance. Check your IT policies first to make sure it is OK to turn them off at night.

Buy Energy Star computer equipment. Energy Start is a low carbon IT campaign to help reduce energy consumed by computer equipment. When you buy new computers make sure they are Energy Star Compliant. If you have older equipment you may factor in power savings as part of your return on investment (ROI) for your new systems. Consider this, an Energy Star computer can save up to $50 annual in power. Not only to you save some “green” by buying Energy Star Computers, but, by minimizing your carbon footprint you are going green too.

Re-use and Recycle. Make sure to dispose of old computer equipment responsibly. Many component parts of a computer can by recycled or refurbished. Also, computers have plenty of raw materials that can be put back to use if your computer is properly disposed. However, be careful how you recycle your desktops, laptops and servers. Like a credit card, computers are full of confidential information and need to be disposed of properly. Hard drives should be wiped, or better yet, physically destroyed to ensure your data is no longer on the disk image. There are eWaste services that do this for you. Some communities organize eWaste days and coordinate the collection, disposal, re-use and recycling of obsolete computer equipment.

Every little bit helps and saves you money. Have a happy St. Patrick’s day and think “Green” about your computing.

Let’s start off with what is Cloud Computing? The easiest way to explain the “Cloud” is think of it as using computer assets (software, servers, etc.) that are located somewhere off-site from your company’s location. Cloud computing is typically purchased on a subscription basis (i.e. a monthly service fee) avoiding some of the up front costs. Also, the Cloud may be a shared resource (i.e. Public Cloud) or dedicated resource (i.e. Private Cloud).

The first thing your need to decide is: what do you want to gain by moving to the Cloud? Are you trying to avoiding making capital expenditures? Do you want to pay-as-you go for your IT infrastructure as an operating expense instead of a capital expense? Are you concerned about being able to recover from a backup in the event a disaster, such as, a fire, earthquake or hurricane that could destroys all your computers and data on site? If any of this appeals to you, then Cloud Computing might either augment or replace critical IT assets within your company today. However, these benefits do not come without risk.

If you decide to replace your line of business application (e.g. Accounting Software) with a Cloud alternative commonly known as Software as a Service (SaaS) you won’t have to pay for the software and operating systems licenses upfront. You won’t pay for the hardware or installation either. Keep in mind, while you are paying for this as an operating expense you typically won’t own the IT asset either. This means you will continue to pay for a subscription to use the service. Additionally, be sure you can configure the application to meet your business needs. Many SaaS applications are configurable but not customizable. Also, SaaS applications may be more challenging to integrate with your other line of business applications (e.g. customer management system). Also, make sure you can easily migrate your data to the new SaaS application.

If you worry that your backup may not allow you to recover in an emergency, you may consider looking at a Cloud based Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery solution. The Cloud allows you to take advantage of the same IT infrastructure as a large enterprise has, at a cost that is affordable to your business. You need to consider the risks of privacy when you share computing resources with other businesses. A “Public Cloud” solution may be affordable, however, your industry regulations may not allow that. You may require a “Private Cloud” solution, which has added security and added costs.

Whichever solution you choose, make sure you understand the Service Level Agreement (SLA) from your Cloud provider. You need to understand what happens if you have downtime or suffer a data loss. Be clear about who is responsible and what options you have.

Cloud Computing, done right, can provide savings and business benefits for the small business owner. If you are uncertain about how to take advantage of the Cloud, contact your trusted IT Service Provider for advice.

Decide to upgrade your network.  PCs, servers routers and other IT assets typically have a useful life of three to five years.  As technology advances at a rapid pace, your hardware and software assets become obsolete.  Your systems may become slow, sluggish and unreliable.  Obsolete hardware and software can contribute to loss of employee productivity or worse.  You may be a victim of malicious software attacks or malware because your old network is out of O/S patch compliance.  Like changing the battery in your smoke detector, consider upgrading that network at least every four years.

Evaluate your line of business applications.  Has your business grown or changed? Does that accounting system continue to meet your needs?  Many businesses will outgrow their line of business applications within 5 years.  Use Leap Day to consider if your account software meets your current set of business rules.  If your policies and procedures have changed since the time you first implemented your account software, perhaps the system is holding you back.  Now is a good time to make sure your technology is in line with your business strategy.

Update your technology roadmap. Now that you have an extra 24 hours, consider your future business and growth strategies.  Think through how those strategies may need to be supported by your information technology infrastructure.  Is your business moving online to an eCommerce business model?  Are you planning to expand locations and need a wide area network (WAN)?  Are industry regulations creating requirements for you to store more documents and data?  Will your current data storage keep up with those demands?

It only happens once every four years, so make the most of February 29th.  Happy Leap Day!

What can you do to take the worry out of your IT? One solution is to adopt an integrated IT strategy. Instead of managing a variety of tools for data protection, remote backup, anti-virus and anti-malware yourself, have your IT Service Provider manage your infrastructure for you. Do you really have time to ensure all your systems are up to date with operating systems (O/S) patches to protect you from the latest security threats? Remember, your network is only as secure as your most vulnerable device. If you miss a patch on one device, your entire network may be out of compliance and compromised.

There are plenty of benefits from adopting an integrated approach to managing your IT assets. For starters, having a single source IT Service Provider means you have one organization to call when you have a problem. If you have service level agreement (SLA) in place, you will get a rapid resolution when you run into problems. What’s more, by using the latest remote monitoring and management technologies, your IT Service Provider will identify and resolve problems before you even realize you have them.

By proactively managing and monitoring your IT Systems, you will run into fewer problems. Even better, you can fix the cost of IT Service delivery by implementing a Managed IT Services model. Not only will you have fewer problems, but the cost of your IT Services will be predictable month after month.

By adopting an integrated IT strategy and implementing a managed service model you will have faster response time, fewer problems and predictable costs of IT Service delivery. All this means less downtime, higher availability and improved productivity for your employees. By taking the hassle out of IT, you have more time to focus on running your business. Isn’t that enough to worry about each day?

Keep Business and Personal Separate. Don’t use your business email and password combination for personal use. Last month Zappos (owned by amazon) let their users know that their systems had been hacked and that customers’ email and password combinations may have been compromised. If Amazon can loose your password, think about how many other sites can as well. It is bad enough to compromise your personal data, but imagine exposing your internal systems at work. Keep business and pleasure protected so you don’t risk your business data in case your password and email combination fall into the wrong hands.

Change Your Password Regularly. Just like changing the batteries in your smoke detector, changing your password keeps you ahead of the game. While some say it is a hassle to change your password, it may protect you from someone who obtained your credentials without authorization. Employees who have left your company will also be challenged if they try to hack your systems.

Set a strong password. I know strong passwords may be hard to remember, but they are also hard for someone to hack. Use combinations of capital and lower case letters. Include numbers if possible and also other special characters if your system allows for this. Consider using numbers to replace letters in familiar words or include special keys instead of vowels (for example @ for a or ! for L). This may help you with that hard to r3m3mb3r password. After all, you don’t write them down, do you?

Protect against malware. There are malicous software programs (“malware” for short) that can get downloaded and installed on your devices. Unlike a virus that intends to reduce systems performance or corrupt and destroy data, malware may go undetected with the intent of capturing critical information such as credit card numbers and email /password combinations.

Some malware programs are designed to “phish” for your password. While logging in, malware may transmit your password without your knowledge. Make sure you block against the latest malware in addition to keeping your anti-virus definitions and operating systems patches up to date.

This is by no way a comprehensive list or guarantee to avoid getting hacked or having your password compromised. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to password protection.

Here are some tips to ensure you get back up and running quickly:

Start off by having all your ducks in a row. When things go wrong, make sure you know who to call. Don’t wait until things are broken to find an IT Service Provider or Computer Repair Company. Establish a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with a reputable IT Service Provider in advance. By having an agreed upon response time and rate schedule, you can ensure a rapid response to your problem that works by your schedule. In many cases you can pay by the hour or by the ticket. You may even be able to include unforeseen computer repairs as part of a fixed fee IT Managed Service Agreement. By having a service level agreement in place, you will save time and money when things go wrong.

Also consider having both local and off-site backups of your data. When we thing about backup we typically think about a disaster, theft or other systems failure. Any way you look at it, backup is all about recovery. A local backup can help you find lost files or recover corrupted data quickly, but sometimes your local backup may not be enough. In addition to your local backup consider having off-site data storage available as well. Remote backup may not restore as quickly due to bandwidth limitation. However, in case of a fire, earthquake, hurricane or other disaster, your remote backup will come in handy. Also, IT Managed Service Provider ITMSP may be able to restore or rebuild your files or device from a remote backup without having to go on-site. This can not only get you up and running quicker, but it also may save money by avoiding an on-site visit.

Keeping your systems in compliance is a good way to avoid problems before they happen. As they say, a once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Establish solid IT policies and always proactively maintain your systems. Ensure that your machines always are up to date with the latest security patches, defragment your hard drives periodically and clear your temporary directories to keep systems running at optimal performance.

Make sure you are in control of your IT environment by having a trusted IT Service Advisor recommend what is right for your business