Select a jump link below to learn about cloud services:
What Is Cloud Computing?
What Is Cloud7 from MyITpros?
All Clouds Are not the Same
The ROI of Cloud Computing
Who Uses the Cloud?
A Typical Deployment
What Is Cloud Computing?
Simply stated, cloud computing is an IT utility you use, not a complex system requiring your precious resources to maintain. Electricity is a good analogy.
As a small business you don’t have to generate the electricity your company requires for operation.
You pay an electric utility to deliver the amount of electricity you need, when you need it, where you need it. It’s simple.
Cloud computing is similar. Rather than buy and maintain computer servers, you rent the server capacity you need. You don’t even have to care where the server is located.
As opposed to installing and maintaining software applications on employee computers, databases and files that your employees need to do their job each day are streamed to them from data centers over the Internet through encrypted connections. Nothing but a web browser needs to be installed on their computers.
Employees won’t even know the difference except their computer desktop will be a lot less cluttered, and they can access their work anytime and from any device with a web browser and high-speed Internet connection.
Cloud technology has been in existence for over a decade in large enterprises.
As the technology has matured and prices have dropped cloud computing has become very attractive to small-medium sized businesses.
According to a 2010 global survey sponsored by Microsoft , 39% of SMB’s are planning on paying for cloud computing services within 3 years (by 2013). This represents a 34% growth rate.
What Is Cloud7 from MyITpros?
MyITpros has been managing information technology for companies in Central Texas since 1993. Today we serve over 100 companies just like yours. Our premiere cloud solution, Cloud7, is the direct result of nearly 20 years in the trenches solving IT problems and delivering reliable computing performance at affordable prices. Cloud7 includes the following features and capabilities.
The Webtop
Turn on your computing device, log in, and this is what you’ll see. It’s a clean, well-organized work space with everything you need to do your job (and nothing more) just a click away.
The Cloud7 webtop runs in a web browser, so users can work from any PC, Mac, iPad, tablet, or smartphone that supports a browser and a high-speed Internet connection.
The webtop includes movable sections that can be personalized for each employee. Sections exist for applications, email, files, tools, favorite web sites, company directory, and more. The webtop can be configured for individual employees or departments according to their requirements and privileges, etc.
Applications
The applications an employee needs to do their job are available on the webtop. The difference is the applications no longer reside on their computer, or on the server down hall, and there’s nothing to update every few months.
Using Microsoft Office applications now? That’s great. They are just a click away on your webtop. Using Microsoft Exchange or Gmail for your company email? No problem. Just click. Does Accounting need access to Dynamics, MAS90, or QuickBooks? They can count on the application being there.
More and more business applications are becoming available via the web on subscription basis. This category of application is called Software as a Service (SasS). Salesforce, Google Apps, and NetSuite are good examples of popular SaaS applications. Cloud7 integrates the SaaS applications you use into the webtop so they are immediately available right next to your other applications.
Road warriors who need access to applications when a high-speed Internet connection isn’t possible will want to have the necessary applications installed on their computers, but for most of your team who are doing work at the office or home, the only application that needs to be on their device is a web browser.
MyITpros will design a cloud implementation strategy that makes the most sense for your organization.
Many companies like to start with moving a few applications to the cloud first and then follow with more applications later. For example, a national survey by CDW revealed that 50% of respondents operated e-mail in the cloud, 39% operated file storage, and 37% operated the Office productivity suite in the cloud.
Up-time
MyITpros can promise 99.9% uptime for your Cloud7 infrastructure. While it’s true that the service is dependent on a high-speed internet connection, we frequently configure a client’s office to have redundant Internet connectivity. If you need to continue working even in the event of a power failure, we’ll implement an emergency power system for you. In our experience, the uptime record of Cloud7 is equal to or greater than that of on-premise IT infrastructure.
Security
Cloud7 includes enterprise-class security functionality that surpasses what many businesses have in place today. For our clients we configure three levels of system security: company-level, group level, and user level. These security capabilities meet or exceed the toughest of standards, such as HIPPA, PCI/DSS, GLB, SOX, SAS70 and SEC.
The data stream to and from the data centers is protected using industry-standard encryption.
Back-up and Data Storage
Data storage is practically infinite. We configure Cloud7 so you have as much data storage as you need, without having to pay for excess capacity, which is frequently the case with on-premise servers. Backups of your email and data files are automatically done per the schedule you specify, or a schedule we recommend.
Data Center Classifications
You might ask, “Where is my data?” We only select data centers that are SAS-70 compliant, which means you can trust the data center to meet the most rigorous controls standards, demanding accountability and transparency. SAS 70 is a “Statement of Auditing Standard” created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to help customers know that their data center provider has effective internal controls in place for managing the design, implementation and execution of customer information.
Once MyITpros understands your IT requirements, we select the ideal mix of cloud data centers on which to run your IT. We’re able to seamlessly integrate one or more cloud data centers and SaaS providers even if you already have a private cloud.
In practice your e-mail may run on a Cloud server in one data center, and your primary business application may run on a different server in a different data center, but all you experience is instant availability for any application and file right from your webtop.
Device Flexibility
With Cloud7 your company has total flexibility to choose the computing devices for each department or employee that are right for the job (and your budget). Any computing device can be used that includes a web browser and high-speed Internet connection.
In each case Cloud7 delivers a webtop to their device enabling them to access the files and applications they need.
You can expect to use your computers longer before they become outdated, too. Cloud7 breaks the expensive cycle of software and hardware upgrades. Better yet, you can forget those expensive server refreshes that absorb so much of your budget every 3-5 years.
Multiple Offices and Remote Employees
Have you been frustrated by the complexity and expense of connecting multiple offices and remote employees? Cloud7 solves the problem instantly and simply. Simultaneously, every employee everywhere will have access to the applications, collaboration tools, and files they need. It couldn’t be easier.
All Clouds Are Not the Same
If you’ve been doing your homework (and we hope you have) you know by now that there are many providers of cloud services. It is a very popular offering for managed service providers like MyITpros. But while on the surface the offerings may look similar, dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly see that Cloud7 is in a class all by itself.
You experience the difference in speed, reliability, and expertise.
Cloud7 delivers superb application performance. Many other cloud implementations suffer from a slight delay as the screen refreshes moving from window to window, or application to application. That is not the case with Cloud7. The performance is so good you’ll swear the applications and files are right on your machine.
The technology platform we have chosen to bring cloud computing to you is practically bullet proof. It has been tested and proven by hundreds of companies and many thousands of users, and enhanced dramatically through dozens of releases since 2004.
To this technology advantage must be added the 20 years of IT management expertise that MyITpros brings to your company. We are one of the oldest managed service providers in central Texas serving small-medium sized businesses. Through the years we’ve earned a reputation for integrity and responsiveness.
The ROI of Cloud Computing
Cloud7 savings can be significant when compared to an on-premise IT infrastructure, or even a traditional managed hosting solution. For 
example, 84% of companies who have adopted Cloud Computing have reduced annual application expenses. Those savings average 21% on the applications that were moved to the Cloud.
We can calculate the difference for you. We’re well versed in the direct and indirect costs associated with IT because we provide management services for all four IT models: on-premise, hosted, cloud or a hybrid solution. We’re uniquely suited to make the right recommendation and implementation for your business today and the future.
Who Uses the Cloud?
A 2011 survey of 1,200 IT professional in the U.S. discovered that 38% of businesses were implementing or maintaining a cloud computing solution. Another 33% were planning a cloud solution.
One out of five (21%) of small and medium-sized business (20-499 employees) had already implemented a cloud computing solution.
The industry segments with the highest penetration of cloud computing include: healthcare (30%), higher education (34%), K-12 education (27%), and state and local government (23%).
Here in central Texas we’re seeing similar adoption rates. Many of our clients have at least one application in the cloud. This experience is leading them to ask for a strategic plan to move additional IT resources to the cloud. We’re seeing strong interest not only from healthcare providers, such as clinics and doctor’s offices, but also from accounting firms, law offices, technology companies, and manufacturers.
A Typical Deployment Process
We are understandably excited about Cloud7, but it isn’t the only IT solution that we’ll evaluate for your business. If the cloud isn’t right for your business we’ll be the first to tell you. We haven’t won the trust of over 100 clients by giving bad advice. For 20 years we’ve followed a thorough and professional process for analyzing a client’s IT needs and recommending the best solution for them.
Here’s what you can count on from us. We’ll start with asking a lot of questions about your business to understand your growth trends, business trends, technology complaints and special requirements, etc.
Then we’ll conduct a site survey to identify all the IT technology in place currently.
Following the site survey we’ll start crunching numbers, including a lifecycle analysis of your current IT assets, and the risks and benefits of the four IT models: on-premise, hosted, cloud, or a hybrid solution.
We will then present you with a clear business proposal that doesn’t hide behind a lot of geek speak.
Once a decision is made we begin the deployment phase. Our goal is to deploy the new IT solution as quickly as humanly possible, with little to zero disruption to your day-to-day business. For most of our clients the process is nearly seamless. For instance, on a Friday they’re using their old IT system; when they come to work Monday the new system is in place.
If a partial or total cloud solution is selected, depending on complexity, full deployment will take between seven and 30 days from the time our service agreement is signed to the day when your company is running the new system.
