What is “Cloud Computing”?

You see it everywhere and hear about “it” at every IT conference. Cloud computing is all the rage in IT trade publications, but what is cloud computing and how do you apply this to your business to save money?

The term "cloud" when combined with computing is a description of the internet. Cloud computing is offering a series of services over the internet. As a customer and consumer of IT services, no one needs to impress upon you the value of saving time and resources by receiving timely and accurate service when you need it most.

When your network goes down, the printer jams, or a new employee needs assistance with the latest security download your company is loosing valuable productivity time and revenue. Free your employees up and outsource these services to an IT provider who can offer you superior service and 24/7/365 availability for less than you would have to pay a part time employee.

There are several accepted forms for cloud (hosted internet) offerings available to customers from their IT providers today:

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and,
• Hardware-as- a-Service (HaaS)

How you purchase the services is up to you. You can be charged any number of ways: on the minutes used, based on the hours used, based on the number of users in a group; well you get the idea. You can also change these services as it suits your business and as it suits your growing needs. The great thing about virtual offerings is they are scalable.

With scalable offerings come a variety of the options available to your customers. You can choose from a practical a la carte menu of items that your IT provider offers. What works for you financially today may not be the most complete offering, but can grow with you as your business grows. This allows you to optimize your investments without paying for services you do not use.

At Sagari, Ltd we provide our customers with seamless integration when it comes to hardware, software, VOIP or technical support services.

Ready to learn more or receive detailed information on how Sagari and Cloud Computing can help your company? Contact steve.john@sagari.co.uk today to assist you with your network and IT needs.

Is Your Company “On The Air”?”

With the advent of the internet and growing web applications, every company should be aware of where their customers are looking for information. It is not enough to just offer a basic web page or be listed with a directory service.

Today, companies are looking to reach their audience through new web offerings. The following relates to Fortune 500 companies:

• Presence on Twitter : 54%
• Corporate Blog : 32%
• Facebook Fan Page : 29%

Many years ago, Faberge Organic Shampoos launched a commercial with the tag line “I told my friends and they told two friends, and so on and so on…” The idea being the product was so fantastic that it was being sold by word of mouth.

Today, many people may not remember Faberge shampoo but they do remember the tag line. If you are still wondering how important social networking is to your business you need only to understand that the internet is how friends tell friends and so on and so on.

Social networking brings in the fifth P of marketing. You already know product, price, placement and promotion but none of that matters without people. Many businesses continue to operate under the assumption that a simple web site, a basic product offering and great fliers can bring profits and revenue to their bank accounts.

Unfortunately this is not so. Even an amazing promotion of “free products” cannot drive customers to you in today’s market if you do not have the right blend of offerings for people.

Consider adding these people friendly applications to your business:

• A company blog. Blogs allow you to communicate in an informal environment. It also allows you to set your company as the expert in your field.

• YouTube videos. Everyone wants to put a face with the product or services. YouTube gives you an inexpensive outlet to share your humorous or serious side An easy link from your site to the video will drive additional people friendly interactions.

• A Facebook fan page: Over 200 million users are on Facebook. Your customers are already there and many users want to share what businesses they are fans of and include their comments and pictures. Worried about what your customers may post? You are in complete control and can delete information as easily as it is added. Although if you had negative postings it is time for you to take a look at why.

Nothing will ever replace the old fashioned hand shake, a lunch, or even that phone call to just check in. Keeping your customers – the people – in the front of your business strategy planning will always return high profits and revenue than a strategy built around products customers don’t want.

Many Thanks

Steven John
www.sagari.co.uk

The Profit in Security

How secure is your company’s data? The internet is a powerful tool, but also opens your company’s data to anyone who can get access to your network.

Over 55 percent of online users report that they have been infected with spyware. Annually, businesses loose £6.6B to malware. Further, it is estimated by leading internet security experts that webpages are infected every 4.5 seconds. As a business owner you could dedicate a team of your employees to securing your network.

A team of employees is very expensive. This is where you need an expert in security and data management, allowing you the freedom to run your business and focus on profit while your IT provider is monitoring, guarding and securing your networks and business critical information.

The following facts are overwhelming to the small and medium business owner:

• Over 97 percent of email received today is SPAM
• The cost of recovering a lost data file (just one) is £80.7
• The average business spends over 20 percent of their total business on IT security

In a 2009 survey undertaken by a leading networking company, it was reported over 65 percent of companies spent “little to no time” managing their security systems (anti-virus, anti-spam, content filtering, VPN, intrusion detection and web usage and bandwidth policies) and of those in the survey, nearly 15 percent spent less than 30 minutes per week managing their IT security. Yet, over 60 percent of all companies in 2008 were victims of phishing, virus attacks or critical data breaches.

Consider the following security options available today:

• Backup and recovery
• System monitoring and patch maintenance
• SPAM reduction
• User security (limited access to non-business sites)

There are many more options available and you do not need to invest in training, certification or new employees to secure and protect your data. By teaming with Sagari, Ltd you can have a trusted security specialist overnight. Using the latest technology and hosted applications Sagari, LTD let us focus on the security of your network while you focus on bottom line profits. Learn more today at IT Security Solutions or contact us today.

Many Thanks

Steven John
www.sagari.co.uk