It’s a given that you need the Internet to run your business right? I dare say few businesses, if any, would consider operating without the Internet. Indeed, few would survive long without connecting to their customers, peers, colleagues and suppliers without an Internet presence. Yet, today, most businesses rarely talk in terms of ‘the internet’ but rather, we speak in terms of what the Internet delivers. “I went online and ordered the New iPad”, “I logged in and checked my email”, “I connected to work so I could check in on our sales figures”. Occasionally we might discuss the Internet with a technical slant “the Internet is slow today”, “We’re getting a new broadband internet connection next week” and so forth but rarely do we delve into the intricacies of global telecommunications unless something is wrong or a financial decision is being made.

The cloud on the other hand, continues to be talked about like the early days of the Internet, it’s been referred to as something that one can take or leave, something to be discussed as a possibility or a “maybe” or a flat out “no”. The cloud terminology is so new that it’s viewed in many circles as something to be possibly avoided altogether. Yet, [...]

Over the past week I’ve spent time with various peer groups in Sydney including HTG, a specialist group of leading IT and Managed Services providers globally of which I Know IT is a member, as well as Connectwise, the leading platform for these same types of organisations.

One of the key discussions that has shadowed this and previous meetings is the sudden influence of Apple over the organisations we service.
Up until recently, many company’s had a predominant IT platform and were either staunchly PC with perhaps a handful of Macs not connected to many of the mainstream resources such as servers and backup systems, reserved for those who refused to work with anything else – versus Mac, where people would actually leave the company if so much as a PC were to be found in the organisation for fear of Microsoft penetrating their minds. [...]

In my last article we discovered the definition of cloud in: Cloud. A Definition. (What on Earth is Cloud Part 1/7) – if you haven’t started at the beginning of the series that’s ok although you may like to flick back if you’re just learning about cloud and what it means to your business.

Today’s article is about What Cloud Is Not.  Why do we need to think about what cloud isn’t?  Because with such a new concept there is a great deal of confusion in the market.  For example, you might have had your data “hosted” in a data center before and there are some companies out there still promoting this model as cloud.

Hosted is Not Cloud
This hosting model might have involved putting a server, or servers into a data center for whatever reason (usually for power, backup and security purposes).  Today, many IT providers and IT support specialists are still providing the hosted model and calling it “Cloud” or “Cloud Hosted” whereas the correct terminology is in fact Co-Located or Hosted.

In essence, this definition is wrong.  While there are some remarkable benefits of picking up your IT infrastructure and dropping it into a data center in your nearest capital city, it doesn’t provide the same advantages of a distributed cloud model where your data can reside on multiple servers in multiple locations all at once.  Whats more, the software you use in a hosted environment [...]

When Benjamin Franklin first threw his kite into a lightning storm in 1752 one can only imagine the excitement and.. ahem.. buzz.. that one might have felt during his incredible journey to understand electricity.  It’s unimaginable that computers would have yet crossed his mind although with a mind so brilliant perhaps he did have an insight into the future of how such energies may change the world.  Nonetheless, for many years after that first wild storm, electricity was very much limited to those who specialised and understood its very nature.  Other than to power a few lighthouse lamps toward the mid-1800′s it wasn’t until some decades later that electricity began being used to power the global industrial revolution – aka, machines in factories.    Even then, teams of electrical specialists worked inhouse on large generators to make sure that the factory was powered when it needed to be and that productivity was at a maximum high.  I’d guess this was a pretty tough job.  I think a few people in the IT industry can relate.

It wasn’t really until the 1930′s that homes and businesses began to see electricity as part of the norm.  Power lines began to be rolled out, electrical power stations were set up and of course over time it wasn’t necessary to have those specialist teams of people in the factory any more because the product of electricity had become largely commodotised.

Now, in 2011 we’re seeing the commodotisation of computers [...]

You can’t escape it. In the IT world cloud is well and truly integrated into our language now, and if you’re not in IT then at the very least you’ve heard the name dropped at least a few times already. Cloud Computing is here to stay and most businesses don’t know whether they should be educating themselves, wait to see if it’s a passing fad or if it has serious advantages (or disadvantages) to how they do business in the future.

In this 7 part series I aim to answer those questions and a few more. Over the coming days I hope you’ll have enough information to start some cloud talk at your next backyard BBQ but more importantly you’ll be able to make informed decisions about how the Cloud will affect you and your business in the future.

Here are the topics (I’ll hyperlink each one as soon as they are ready for you to read):

Cloud Computing. A Definition.
What Cloud Isn’t
Is My Data Safe in the Cloud?
Is Cloud Cheaper or More Expensive for Business?
What is a Public Cloud, and What is a Private Cloud?
Should I Shift To the Cloud?
Is IT Support Necessary In the Cloud?

Ready to get started? First, if you want to be notified when the next article in the series comes out then subscribe to our RSS feed.. Ok let’s go..

Cloud. A Definition. (What on Earth is Cloud Part 1/7)

Dear James,

I’m going overseas and I’d like to know the best way to get online with my mobile phone, iphone, blackberry, ipad, laptop or other mobile device.

Hi,

There are a number of important things to consider before going overseas with any of the above devices.  Many don’t realise that substantial international data roaming costs occur for most telco’s both in Australia where I am and overseas as well.

The way you connect and communicate can also often depend on the length of time you plan on travelling – it’s one thing to pay a premium for the Internet or for phone calls during a short trip – you might even expect and be ok with this short term bill increase, but if you’re planning on travelling for several days or weeks you may wish to think of some alternatives. [...]

The recent floods in Queensland and Victoria demonstrates to us just how insignificant we are in comparison to mother nature.  On behalf of myself and the I Know IT team we extend our most sincere condolences to those who have been affected by the floods and, particularly those families who have lost loved ones in this dreadful disaster.  Nothing is more precious than human life.

The floods undoubtedly have reminded many of us that protecting our families is so important and that it’s people first.  For those who are safe and are now returning to their business premises will be hoping that their disaster recovery strategies have worked [...]

Our beloved “coathanger” – the Sydney Harbour Bridge was and still is one of the most significant investments ever made in Australia’s infrastructure.  The long awaited and much debated bridge finally opened in 1932 linking the CBD to the North Shore connecting Sydneysiders together.

Since then, the bridge has attracted tourists from all over the world, is used by corporations to generate new business in Australia and continues to bring opportunities to our shores (think: Oprah’s big O which I’ll cover further down in this article).

[...]

 Your website may be useless.. In a previous article you might recall me referencing a big change in the way Google works with their introduction of Google Places. Places means that Google is changing the way people search, rather than finding someone simply because they have certain keywords on their page, they’re now focusing on how geographically close you are to that web page. In a nutshell, I’ve heard it described as “Google making it really easy for you to advertise with them” because essentially, people may find it difficult to find your business unless you’re in the paid advertising area of Google.

Annoyingly clever.

If you’re in business and you rely on new sales leads, you need to pay attention to Google – that’s a fact. They own 95% of the search market and if you’re not listed [...]

You’ve heard of CEO’s (Chief Executive Officer), CFO’s (Chief Financial Officers) and CIO’s (that’s my role – Chief Information Officer) but you wouldn’t be alone if you haven’t heard of the CSO (Chief Service Officer), in fact fewer than 5% of organisations globally have one on staff, but it’s a growing trend that is likely to be adopted quickly. [...]