Coleman Technologies Blog

With so much computing now done in cloud environments, it is important to address how this approach can benefit security, but still need to be secured.

How Patches Benefit from the Cloud

It isn’t a secret that any kind of software, from applications to entire operating systems, can have holes in it. These security flaws and issues could easily leave a business vulnerable to attack if they aren’t resolved. This is why software developers will issue patches, which are just corrections to these mistakes, for users to install. By applying the patch, the user is protecting themselves from threats that would otherwise exploit that vulnerability - but just on the system where the patch is installed.

Now, consider how many computers some companies use, and all of the different software titles that would be found on each.

Can you imagine going to each one and applying an update, each time a patch was released? Furthermore, you have to consider that more and more devices are mobile nowadays. This means that there is no guarantee that every device is present when someone goes on their patch application marathon. Factors like these frequently lead to incomplete patch deployments, and as a result, holes in organizational security.

However, by utilizing the cloud as you manage your organization’s patches, the device no longer has to be present in order to receive the patch. Instead, the cloud can be used to push it out to all of your devices, so once they connect to the Internet, the patch will be implemented. This means you can keep your employees using the solutions you want them to use, assisting both your productive operations and your security.

How the Cloud Benefits from Patches

However, it is important to take note that all the cloud is, is a computer located somewhere else (often owned by someone else). As a result, it can also be vulnerable to flaws and issues of their own - which is why you need to be sure that your cloud provider is properly maintaining the cloud solution with its own patches. This is especially the case if you are using an internal cloud solution.

Coleman Technologies can help you keep up on your updates, whether they involve the cloud or not. Reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to learn more about our services.

Costs
A lot of business owners don’t realize that creating cloud platforms has been completely possible for a long time. It wasn’t until public cloud offerings like SaaS or IaaS were made available that the business world really turned an eye toward these virtualized computing constructs. The reason was, of course cost. As cost goes down, options get more viable. One problem that businesses that have jumped into public cloud computing with both feet have found is that they haven't properly accounted for the risk inherent in hosting their business’ data and infrastructure with someone else. These risks can significantly reduce (or in some cases decimate) the ROI of a cloud computing initiative.

One of the major risks, loss of data security, has driven many organizations toward a more private cloud strategy. Building a private cloud can be complicated as it involves calculating both fixed and recurring costs over a pertinent time frame. Since with a private cloud platform, an organization will be responsible for the hardware systems, management, and control, variables such as usage (forecasted/actual), system and data redundancy, and the general specifications of the machines used to run the virtualized infrastructure have to be taken into account.

So, while it’s true that public cloud costs are also difficult to determine, when settling in on a private cloud solution, you need to dot your i’s and cross your t’s at every turn to ensure that you are properly forecasting what the private cloud will cost your company in both migration and operation.

Integration
Chances are your business already uses several public cloud applications, and some of those applications function better, and more cost-effectively, if left there. You see, if you utilize public cloud resources to host non-critical infrastructure or applications, you will likely want to consider setting up a hybrid cloud system, where your private cloud and your public cloud resources are integrated.

This hybrid cloud platform will absolutely have its difficulties, but once it is up and running, your business’ computing will be accessible through one single access portal. If you so choose to reinforce this strategy with secure access control systems you can do that, but know that it requires a lot of effort to include security provisions and configurations to allow workloads to be run anywhere.

Time
One big problem many businesses have when deciding to move a portion of their IT out of the public cloud and into their own private cloud is just the time it will take to get this finished. These virtualized computing environments are more robust than ever and can facilitate a lot of organizational flexibility, but operational issues and hardware management of on-premise hardware is time consuming and costly.

Not only does your IT admin (and team) need time to configure and migrate all relevant data, they will be on the hook for all the maintenance and management of the virtual machines and the underlying hardware, making it problematic for small IT teams.

At Coleman Technologies, we know how important collaborative work environments are, we also know how crucial data security is. As a result, we are in a great position to help you. Our technicians can work with you to find the right balance between public and private cloud resources, while having the technical expertise to help manage and maintain any computing environment or infrastructure. If you would like more information about hosted solutions, whether they be on the web or in your server room, our technicians can help. Call us today at (604) 513-9428.

After all, by leveraging the cloud, a company can take advantage of up-to-date and reliable solutions and resources with no added maintenance needs, and the cloud’s flexibility is extremely well-known. Whether your employees are working in the office or from home, the cloud allows them to access and collaborate upon the same documents with the same resources.

Here, we’ll go over the steps you need to take to adopt these capabilities in a hurry, with the help of an MSP like Coleman Technologies.

Planning and Identifying Priorities

Unfortunately, the cloud implementation process typically isn’t known for its speed, as there are many considerations that must go into its planning. If certain processes aren’t followed, steps are missed, and the entire thing can be delayed. Therefore, it is best to have a resource by your side to assist you through the process.

This means that it only becomes more crucial that your implementation is well-thought-out and planned, starting with identifying and prioritizing what is to be moved. Take the time to consider this and make these calls with the help of your technology resource.

Our advice: start with your most important transitions (naturally) and that which will be simplest to migrate, and then focus on the remaining workloads afterwards. Working in phases like this make it more important to lean on a trusted resource for assistance, as it will make it more complicated to do.

There also needs to be a dedicated effort into training a staff to prepare them for the capabilities that cloud solutions deliver and the complications that may arise.

Coleman Technologies can help deliver all of this, and so much more. Talk to us about it by calling (604) 513-9428.

Small businesses seemingly always need to take a long look at the way they do things because they need to be as efficient as possible to carve out a market share. This often means using technology to make everything work. There are many different types of technologies that can help any SMB build more efficient operations, but the two we will outline in today’s blog, are two technologies that are probably doing the most to help SMBs improve. 

Artificial Intelligence 

AI is all the rage today, but unlike a lot of the IT that businesses try, AI is here to stay. There isn’t a technology that has more promise that is already on the market today, and sure, the effectiveness and costs of the technology are pretty variable, but there are some pretty stark benefits for businesses. Here are three ways AI is being used by businesses:

Customer Service Automation

There are several ways that a business can use AI to make their customer-facing processes more attractive and efficient. One of the most prevalent at the time of this writing is through the use of chatbot technologies. Chatbots are AI-powered systems that can handle routine customer inquiries, provide information, and even assist in the purchasing process. This technology not only enhances customer experience by providing instant responses but also frees up human resources for more complex and revenue-generating tasks.

Data Analysis and Insights

Being able to acquire information that allows for better insights and decision-making is one of the great benefits of the digital age. With AI, these platforms are getting better. AI can analyze historical data to identify patterns and trends, helping businesses make informed predictions about future outcomes. This can be applied to various aspects, such as sales forecasting, inventory management, and identifying market trends.

Process Automation

AI can give businesses the ability to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows. This includes automating data entry, invoicing, and other administrative processes, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks that require creativity and critical thinking. The more you can automate, the more unburdened your staff is.

Cloud Computing

You probably are already quite familiar with cloud computing. Most businesses utilize some type of cloud resource whether that is tied to its data backup, its email, or some other complementary computing resource. Many organizations don’t, however, truly understand the benefits they could be gaining from using the cloud for their organizational computing needs. Let’s look at three major benefits of cloud computing. 

Cost Efficiency

Cloud offerings feature the pay-as-you-go pricing model, allowing organizations to pay only for the resources they consume. This eliminates the need for large upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure. Cloud providers also operate on a massive scale, which enables them to distribute costs across a large customer base. This results in lower per-unit costs for services, making it more cost-effective for organizations compared to managing their data centers.

Scalability and Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of cloud computing is the on-demand resources it provides. By providing the ability to scale resources up or down based on demand the cloud can deliver the amount of flexibility and scalability they need. This flexibility allows businesses to respond quickly to changing requirements, ensuring they have the right amount of computing power and storage at any given time.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Finally, one of the most important uses of cloud computing is protecting the integrity of an organization’s IT infrastructure. Business continuity is a big part of ensuring that any would-be operational problem your business could run into, and has actions that remedy those problems enough to continue operations. 

The first way that cloud computing influences data redundancy is through the data backup systems. One of the best practices when rolling out a comprehensive backup system is to have a reliable offsite backup. Backing up your business’ data to the cloud is quite possibly the best way to do it. Another way the cloud helps is through its integrated disaster recovery options. In the event of a natural disaster or other disruption, organizations can quickly recover their data and applications, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity.

Technology is a big part of doing business in today’s digital world. Other technologies such as the Internet of Things and blockchain present new ways to accomplish organizational goals. If you would like some help determining how to deploy innovative technologies for your business, give us a call today at (604) 513-9428.

Uses for the Cloud

No matter what your business needs, there is likely a cloud solution for it. Hosted VoIP and email are great communication tools. Infrastructure and Platform as a Service solutions empower organizations to leverage more flexible computing power. Software as a Service and hosted storage are available for all of your organization’s needs.

In the end, you can get just as much done with cloud infrastructure as you can with onsite hardware.

The cloud allows for functionality and redundancy, no matter what the industry is or the kind of workforce it contains. These services can be utilized as needed and deployed quickly.

The Drawbacks

Cloud computing isn’t perfect. Businesses can create a private cloud system that can create large costs for their bottom line while also maintaining the control, management, and accessibility… but again, a lot of thought needs to be invested into this kind of solution. Environments that are hosted outside of a service provider can be difficult to control, since your organization doesn’t have control over the hardware it’s hosted on.

A major drawback of cloud computing can actually be the cost. Since the IT infrastructure used to run the solutions is managed by the service provider, the price is adjusted accordingly. If your business needs a certain number of cloud licenses, you could see the cost of your solution rise. Plus, if you don’t cancel accounts when employees leave, you could be paying more for services that aren’t being utilized.

Furthermore, imagine if your organization has teams assembled that need to use three or four cloud-based applications to complete a project. Think about all of the money that’s spent just providing access to the appropriate software solutions. If it’s not properly managed, your return on investment could be put in jeopardy.

Coleman Technologies can help you keep track of your cloud-based resources, whether you’re just hitting the cloud environment, or you have an established presence in the cloud. To learn more about how we can help you manage cloud applications, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Applications
Applications, or “apps,” are pieces of software that can be used for specific purposes in the workplace--but you probably already knew that. If used properly, they can streamline specific processes within your organization. Some apps don’t use connectivity, but there are countless others that utilize it to connect all kinds of workers from the professional spectrum together. These kinds of connected apps are generally found in the cloud, and their wide range of use is one of the defining things about them.

The Cloud
You can think of the cloud like a big data center that gives you access to all sorts of software, processing, and storage options through your Internet connection. Computing resources tend to be made available to users through an “as a service” model, in which users secure access to it by paying a monthly fee rather than purchasing a license outright. Apps deployed through the cloud are slightly more expensive as a result, but the flexibility offered by being able to cancel at any time or add new users makes it a valuable opportunity to save money in the long run. Basically, it creates a situation where you transfer your capital costs of purchasing licenses to an operational cost.

Public, Private, Hybrid
There are several different ways that a cloud solution can be constructed. For example, most of the Software as a Service (SaaS) apps are offered as a public cloud solution, which means that the application and any processing or storage associated with it is on shared hardware. It’s made available through the browser or dedicated app, and for this purpose, its costs are generally lower than more private solutions.

In comparison, a private cloud that’s hosted in-house on a network or server unit is much more secure and customizable, as you’re controlling all of the maintenance and management of the system. For this specific reason, however, we recommend private cloud systems only for businesses that have the assets to take care of them; this includes those who outsource IT maintenance or those who have an in-house IT department who can provide the necessary management and oversight of the system.

For the best of both worlds, a hybrid approach can work. After all, some data is more sensitive than other data is, so anytime-anywhere access to it might not be in your business’ best interests. By combining the cost-effective public cloud model with the security of the private cloud, you can maintain adequate accessibility and data security.

Cloud Services
Just like there are many different types of clouds, there are many different cloud services, all for both businesses and individual users. There are generally three major categories that these cloud services are split into:

• Software as a Service: Software delivery is the name of the game here, including communications (like telephone and email), productivity (Office 365), and even security.
• Platform as a Service: Development is the main reason to go this route. This lets users create applications, collaborate on projects, and test new software without purchasing or paying for hardware.
• Infrastructure as a Service: Virtualized environments that can be used for processing, storage, software, and so much more, are what a user gets from Infrastructure as a Service.

To learn more about how the cloud can help your business, reach out to Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.