Colocation Hosting for Improved Connectivity

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Connectivity is an important issue for many businesses (e.g in the UK), because the country is still in the process of undergoing a major overhaul to its telecoms infrastructure in order to enable the adoption of next-generation broadband services that will seriously bolster the economy. Super-fast connectivity is necessary to ensure that the nation is competitive on a global stage, but there are many critics who point out that the digital divide remains, with some areas receiving much better levels of service than others.

For a business that requires hosted services in order to operate effectively, connectivity will be a key concern. Without adequate bandwidth on tap to satisfy the needs of both staff members and customers, you could find that productivity levels are hampered and user experiences may be off-putting, resulting in lost sales.

One way to avoid these connectivity-related pitfalls is to switch to a colocation hosting service, which melds the managerial autonomy of in-house set-ups with the bandwidth-oriented benefits of a dedicated, remote solution. So, what are the main reasons why colocation hosting should be chosen by companies looking for improved connectivity?

Speed

By placing your server hardware in a colocation hosting provider's data center, you will be putting it in the best possible place to ensure that it has unfettered connectivity at its beck and call.

Data centers should be specifically designed and located to ensure that they can deliver adequate bandwidth to service all of their customers, which means that you will never feel like you are swimming through treacle in order to access hosted services. You should also expect that the internal networking infrastructure of a data center will perform to the best of its abilities at all times.

Moreover, it is important to remember that you will be harnessing part of a system that is far more capable than anything you might be able to install on site, unless of course you are part of a multinational corporation with burgeoning coffers ready to dedicate to IT spending.

Resilience

Even if your business is able to access an adequate level of connectivity on premises, hosting services locally will require that you are sensitive to the responsibilities which this entails. Downtime is costly and often catastrophic, particularly for smaller firms, so if an outage renders your servers inaccessible you will have to get things up and running as quickly as possible, or face the consequences.

Again, the advantage of colocation hosting in this scenario comes from the use of specialist data centers with durable and often redundant components, which make sure that the chances of connectivity being compromised are as low as possible. Colocation hosting also means that you will not have to deal with telecoms providers, since the data center operator will address any problems at their end.

Scalability

As with other advantages of colocation hosting, the ability to scale the available connectivity to suit the current needs of your business is worth noting. You can expand your bandwidth requirements as and when appropriate, which means things like temporary spikes in usage will not hit a bottleneck that cannot be removed.

Scalability of connectivity allows colocation hosting to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes without giving big companies an advantage or leaving smaller firms with unsustainable costs to bear.

The need for super-fast connectivity will only increase as more and more data and apps need to be hosted, so it makes sense to pick a colocation solution that will provide speed, resilience and scalability in the long term and give your firm the ability to grow at a rate that is not limited by technical annoyances.

RELATED: Dedicated Office Space in Colocation Centers

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*by andreascy*

How On-Demand Business Services Help

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Because of advances in broadband connectivity, businesses can now access data speeds which in turn have created an on-demand culture. Services that are available on tap can help to reduce costs and also improve the type of features that a business can access, which has helped to level the playing field and give smaller companies a leg up in the process.

Most on-demand services available today are powered by cloud computing. While companies may find that their on-premises hardware lacks the capacity to handle complicated tasks, or is simply too expensive to be maintained at a level that will support the software required for growth, with the cloud these concerns are outsourced.

Cloud providers can offer all sorts of on-demand services to businesses, ranging from data storage and infrastructural expansion to software and app operation, all of which is carried out off site to save individual companies from having to worry about the expense of hardware, installation and maintenance of servers.

Because the cloud can flex to fit the needs of individual businesses, companies will only be paying for what they need and use. In the past it would have been necessary for firms to either go without the services they required or to invest in a future-proof, in-house set-up, which might not be exploited to its full potential for many years, thus reducing the overall efficiency of a company.

Updating and maintaining hardware was another burden that businesses would need to bear, but with the cloud this is once again under the remit of the provider's responsibilities in most instances. As such, there are multiple ways in which on-demand services are able to save money for companies that choose to adopt them.

Connectivity and the cloud are also helping businesses to stay in touch and cut costs in other areas that might initially seem unrelated. Web conferencing services are a particularly suitable example, because VoIP and video calls being made over a broadband connection can bring businesses together with clients and colleagues even if they are geographically distant.

While web conferencing and data-based communication are intrinsically cheaper than traditional voice calls on a minute-to-minute basis, there are other areas in which savings can be made. For instance, being able to hold a meeting virtually will save everyone involved from having to travel to a predetermined destination.

Travel is expensive and problematic for the environment because of the carbon it releases into the atmosphere. Time spent travelling can also be a drain on an individual's productivity, but if this can be eliminated via on-demand web conferencing services, everyone is in a better position. Wasted time is wasted money.

Digital communication, as with software and storage services that operate in the cloud, can become an on-demand boon because the physical and budgetary constraints that used to make telecoms expansion an untenable option for some companies are removed. Additional extensions can be integrated without the need for a complex or half-baked in-house exchange system and you can also cut down on the number of lines that are linked to a company because IP technology makes better use of the bandwidth available to deliver improved telecoms performance without the added expense.

The ultimate goal of on-demand services is to help business users become part of a more efficient, cost-effective world in which most extraneous expenses and unforeseen costs are eliminated. The only thing that is required of businesses is their willingness to participate in and migrate to this new approach, because those that do will put themselves at a competitive advantage while their less flexible rivals will be left behind.

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*by andreascy*

The Mobile Devices of 2013

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Mobile devices have become indispensable to most businesses, allowing staff to work remotely while still accessing the same levels of functionality that they would expect on-premises. However, the fast-paced nature of the market means that there is always something around the corner, so here is a look at the type of mobile technology that is going to emerge and shape the industry in 2013.

Smartphones

Most of the mobile innovations first trickle into smartphones before permeating other areas of the market and at the moment it seems that bigger screens and faster processors are the main features that new phones will likely possess.

While Apple is going to be selling millions of its sixth generation iPhone in 2013, which will have a larger display than any of its predecessors, it is easy to conceive of this company as behaving conservatively when you put its devices alongside those from Samsung.

The two may be locked in a legal battle, but Samsung is still rolling out large numbers of high-end smartphones and selling them by the bucket-load.

The recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is following on from its hugely successful predecessor, pushing screen size even further with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display. This gives business users the option to choose a hybrid device that is larger than a smartphone but more portable than a tablet and it is this unique niche occupied by the Note range that has allowed it to be a big seller.

Tablets

There are rumours of a mini iPad being in development, while Amazon is taking on the larger end of the tablet market with its 8.9-inch Kindle Fire model. However, for business users the main development of interest in this area is the promise of Microsoft-branded tablets running Windows 8.

The first Microsoft Surface tablets arriving in the autumn will run a more basic version of the OS known as Windows RT, with the design allowing them to operate on ARM processors. In 2013, however, fully-fledged Windows 8 tablets with Intel chips will be made available, giving users full, unfettered access to a desktop experience, but on a far more portable device.

What makes the Surface in particular an interesting tablet for business users who want to harness remote working is that the cover doubles up as a full QWERTY keypad with physical buttons. This will mean the main obstacle to working on a tablet, namely the speed of text entry, can be removed and enterprise users will be able to remain far more productive while they are out and about.

Laptops

Smartphones and tablets may be taking more of the headlines because of their relative novelty, but in the world of business some of the most important mobile devices are laptops, because they truly help to drive productivity while out of the office.

There are still plenty of very functional business-oriented laptops being produced by firms such as Lenovo, although with all the competition from tablets at the moment a number of companies are attempting to create a more alluring range of portable computers known as Ultrabooks.

These have been gradually increasing in popularity over the past few months, although more mainstream success is likely in 2013 as awareness of their existence grows. Part of the reason that Ultrabooks might have an impact in enterprise is that the BYOD (bring your own device) culture perpetuated by the rise of smartphones and tablets will spill over into general computing, particularly if more consumers are choosing stylish laptops that still have all the power and capabilities which you would wish to find on such a device.

Daisy Group PLC allows people stay connected with their businesses, via mobiles tablets or just broadband connectivity we are able to offer UK businesses an abundance of ways to stay connected

*by andreascy*

Dedicated Office Space in Colocation Centers

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Many colocation centers offer their customers dedicated office space. This is critical for businesses that need temporary office space for day-to-day operations. 

Benefits to Dedicated Office Space

Not only do colocation facilities offer supreme security but they also provide access to a robust network. It is worthwhile for a company to find a colocation center that offers dedicated office space, private conference rooms and even amenities like showers. It should look for a facility that provides workspace dedicated solely to its business. This makes it easy to conduct daily operations without distractions or security concerns from anyone else. 

These office spaces are absolutely invaluable during times of disaster. If a company’s normal place of operation is unusable or destroyed, it can relocate to a secure data center. This keeps downtime to a minimum or even eliminates it all together. Also, if a company simply is growing beyond its capacity and needs temporary office space, it can look to data centers to fill that need. Businesses that do not have a physical office can also use data center office space. The dedicated space can give them a temporary home base or conference rooms to hold important meetings. 

Location can be Key

If a colocation service does offer dedicated office space, another factor to consider is location. It is best if the colocation facility is located out of disaster areas such as flood zones, coastal regions or tornado paths. A colocation facility is of no use if it is located in a dangerous area. It is important that a data center stay in operation even if a company’s home location is destroyed. Data centers must offer a secure, stable environment in case of emergency or natural disaster.

In addition, companies might want to choose a location that allows them to meet with visitors, employees or clients. Being close in proximity to airports or travel hubs and hotels and restaurants is beneficial. 

Security Systems and Features 

Keeping mission-critical applications secure is of the utmost importance. If a colocation service is offering dedicated office space, its security measures are critical. Various companies will be hosting their information in the same facility. So, understanding the security process is important for peace of mind. Ideally a colocation facility would host 24-hour security, seven days a week throughout the year. Cages and cabinets should be equipped with individual locking mechanisms and/or biometric scanners. Moreover, having sophisticated alarm and surveillance systems in place is also crucial. Secure loading docks and manned points of entry are ideal. Well-lit and secure parking lots for customers, visitors and employees are also a needed feature.

Dedicated office space is often a perk of colocation centers. However, there are those that find these services a requirement of any colocation package. Just because a company may not need an off-site office at the moment doesn’t mean the need won’t arise in the future. Companies shouldn’t leave themselves open to the detriments of a disaster. They should locate a colocation partner that will help them cover all of their needs.

RELATED: Colocation Hosting for Improved Connectivity 

Colocation would be a great choice for many businesses in different industries. We encourage you to think about customizable solutions that are tailored to meet your needs. 

*by andreascy*