Best online backup service to encrypt your data

Technology has simplified a lot of things for us. Be it creating new documents or editing existing ones, life is difficult to think of without the usage of computers. Everyday businesses handle a lot of files and important data, sometimes the data needs to be converted into a code to make it apt for usage. It’s not possible to scramble the information all by you, cloud backup service is the only solution for such a situation.

All you need to do is to invest some money on a yearly basis to avail such a service.Parameters such as availability of specific editions, full-fledged information security, synchronization facility etc. need to be considered while choosing the right backup service for your organization. Based on these aspects we’ve compiled the names of best 5 Cloud backup services which can help you encrypt your data. READ MORE

Why is Linux based virtual server hosting solution better?

Making a decision to move to the Cloud, is a major step towards growth, for your enterprise. Cloud Computing offers quick and secure solutions for every kind of business. With customised pay-as-you-go plans, you can have tailor made packages for your business.

When it comes to hosting solutions, a debate rages on whether Linux based virtual server hosting is superior to Windows based virtual server hosting. Especially when it comes to areas like cost effectiveness, flexibility, better performance, stability, security, reliability and overall functionality. The truth is that Linux based virtual server hosting solutions are better off, due to the following factors:-

1.    Affordability:- Since Linux is an open source software, it does not require licensing fees to download, distribute and use. This serves advantageous, as you reduce your licensing expenditures considerably, bringing down overall costs and pushing up profits.

2.    Superior Performance:- Since it consumes less resources and is capable of supporting higher loads, Linux is preferred. Moreover, its ability to handle multiple processes at the same time, makes it popular. The Linux VPS also does not lose its speed over time, unlike a Windows VPS. READ MORE

When do I need to devise a cloud recovery plan for my company?

Brands of every size and nature require one thing that is extremely important for them to run the business smoothly, on a daily basis. Besides, considering the pace at which business is done in these times, even 24 hours of inactivity could mean a lot.

What businesses cannot do without is, data. While this is fairly understood and accepted by most, what is clearly not understood or taken care of is the fact that Data can be wiped off within the blink of a eye, if a disaster comes knocking. And a disaster as we know is often an uninvited guest.

So, devising a cloud recovery plan for your data and protecting your data from one, should happen today. Yes, with immediate effect. For the simple reason that a catastrophe can strike anytime and it can strike anything. And that anything could be your business.

To choose from the best cloud disaster recovery providers, what you need to do is pay attention to the offerings and the differentiating factor. For example, it’s always advisable to go for a disaster recovery plan that offers 4 copies. Not just that but a plan that is customizable for your business and needs. So, besides getting your data secured in four different centers where 2 copies are kept in the primary datacenter, one in another datacenter and the last one in a seismic zone, you also get what suits your business the best.

While the primary benefit one must look into when it comes to a disaster recovery plan is safety and security, the price comes a close second. Choose a cloud provider and plan that works just perfect for your business and pocket - simply because investing too less or too much will not help as the repercussions can be felt sooner or later.

 What’s more, having the right provider who ensures that your data is back in no time during a disaster is equally important. Here’s where a DR specialist who can plan, test and in case of a disaster execute the recovery process quickly and professionally makes a difference. A big one at that!

Leaving aside safety and price, what you, as a company, must also look into when you’re scouting for a cloud recovery provider are a few other factors which include quick recovery of mission critical applications, customized DR Plans, pay only when you use option, remote management of all Backups and multi-tenant management, to name a few.

Start today if you still haven't considered a cloud recovery plan for your business. Remember, now is the best time.

Datacenter challenges that company’s face right now.

Datacenters are essential for the functioning of almost all companies today. Preserving and making the best use of your data will yield favorable results. Failing which, loss of money and time is guaranteed. While datacenter today are far more advanced than their predecessors, there are still some challenges and issues that companies today face while dealing with them. In this article, we will see how to solve these issues and make the best use of your data.

What started as a simple room to keep supercomputers in earlier times, has now grown into a full-blown, state-of-the-art facility that is among the most technologically advanced infrastructures in the world. Offering comprehensive solutions to the biggest companies in the world for all their IT problems. Click Here

Trending strategies in IT and datacenter infrastructure.

The future is here and now. As internet and technology giants Google, Facebook, and Microsoft test the possibilities of AI integration in our day to day lives, we know for sure that we’re moving towards the peak of convenience and scientific progress. 2017 is here already, and we wonder what’s the next big thing, or next set of trends that we could expect to see in the IT and datacenter sector this year.

Automation

Datacenter infrastructure is home to most enterprises today. Their business practically runs only as efficiently as the infrastructure in which their data is being hosted. While the number of human-errors that lead to irrevocable disasters is less, it is still important for datacenter to focus on creating an automated workflow. The man-hours spent on managing systems, workflows, integrations and other necessities can then be diverted to spend on strategic initiatives. CLICK HERE

Data Centre Predictions For 2017

With new and advanced introductions of technology every year, the cloud and data industry change as well. Hence, it is very important for companies to stay up-to-date to get best results from this industry. Keeping this in mind, here are a few predictions experts have made about the data centre and could for the year 2017:

Capacity over Performance

A recent report published by Coughlin Associates and Objective Analysis, shows flat requirements for IOPS/GB over the last year for the first time since the study started in 2012 (Permabit, 2016). The ubiquitous availability of inexpensive flash storage that can address the majority of performance requirements enables the focus to shift from speed to capacity while radically improving storage density.  In 2017, the key metric for IT purchases will shift from IOPS, to $/GB and data reduction will be widely used to drive down costs across primary and secondary storage both on premises and in clouds.

Public and Private Cloud Coexist

In 2010 “Hybrid Cloud” emerged as a marketing term, which advertised the existing infrastructure ability evolving to support more cloud applications along with new workloads that were shifting to the public cloud. With the growth of cloud sophistication in the following years awareness of cost and efficiency of the public cloud changed the discussion. The success of public cloud providers quickly put pressure on private data centers to move from the traditional methods. According to 451 Research Market Monitor, despite the success of the public cloud, private and hosted clouds still have a 75% hold on the cloud infrastructure (Veeam, 2017). Since more companies have now started to adopt the “cloud first” policy for their applications, it’s imperative that the public and private clouds coexist. For this to be a successful endeavor, however, private data centers will need to buy or build their own true cloud infrastructure that employ virtualization, commodity hardware, open-source software, and data reduction technologies much like those utilized by the public cloud providers.

The Open Software Defined Data Center

10 years ago, if an organisation were to implement a Software Defined Data Center (SDDC), it would require them to develop it from scratch. This could only be performed by organisations that had huge software engineering organizations like Amazon. While a traditional IT organisation focused more on supporting the data enter servers, switches and storage equipment as they had in the previous decade. Today, with the availability of mature, open source software and other vendors offering services that support such software, this is changing. Data Center managers reap huge economic benefits from vendor neutrality, hardware independence, and increased utilization, while still personalizing for their own unique business requirements.  

In today’s day and age, technology offers endless possibilities for organisations to provide remarkable services based on information. The idea of data being available whenever and wherever, is now a requirement. Long gone are the days, when downtime was considered normal for a business. In 2017, data centers will serve as a critical player for both storing information and providing services to customers, employees and partners. 

Growth Trends and Opportunities for Colocation Providers

Colocation hosting is a service that allows small and large enterprises to install their servers (or hire a server on rent) at a datacenter service provider’s location. It helps in increasing business potential by reducing operational expenditure and also maximizes the ability to focus on the core business.

Growing awareness towards reduction of carbon footprints is a key factor driving the global colocation market. Additionally, cost effective solution for enterprises as compared to storing their server at their own premises that saves the room space requirement and cost of cooling and heating along with the need for IT expertise is fuelling the growth of colocation market. Majority of colocation service providers in the industry are adopting expansion strategies to address the increasing demand for colocation of datacenter from each of the industry verticals. For instance, in May 2015 Interxion has entered into a partnership with Microsoft to provide Azure ExpressRoute solutions at its datacenter for deployment of Microsoft cloud.

Here are a few points and factors that give an insight to colocation providers regarding the growth trends and opportunities for managed colocation hosting: READ MORE

Importance of Monitoring and Maintaining your IT Environment

Importance of Monitoring and Maintaining your IT Environment

Any complex system needs maintenance and monitoring for it to be sustainable in the long run and the same is the case with the IT environment of your enterprise. One of the challenges that an IT manager or owner of an enterprise will face is data loss. It is in this scenario that the importance of good cloud disaster recovery providers comes into play.

Maintenance is important to ensure your IT environment operates soundly, and could include system updates, logs, software updates among others. Monitoring moves beyond mere testing of applications; it is about checking patterns, charting out previous events and checking trends so that you can anticipate problems before they affect business operations.  READ MORE

Building a Private Cloud for Backup Storage

Companies that are grappling with huge amounts of data, and are looking to secure them efficiently need to look at private cloud data storage as a great option. So, what exactly is a private cloud, you may ask. Private cloud is a cloud computing model wherein a secure cloud environment is created for specified clients.

Private cloud has many benefits

Private cloud has many benefits including scalability and automated resources management. In the a scenario where businesses are uncomfortable about handing their data over to third-party vendors, private cloud becomes a great option. Many vendors have started creating private cloud for data storage, and the benefits are many. When you choose a service provider of cloud backup and storage, make sure that the data storage solutions are: READ MORE

Key Features the Define an Enterprise-Grade Cloud Service

There has been a tremendous increase in the cloud computing industry in the past decade. With every company either using a private or public cloud, functioning effectively with cloud services is a daunting task. That being said, what is now the most trending question is, ‘Should I use public cloud services or own a private cloud?’

A survey conducted by Right Scale saw 18% of respondents using only public cloud, while a mere 9% relied completely on a private cloud (Right Scale, 2016). The benefits that come with using a public cloud, like high security, cost-effectiveness, etc. definitely increases the chances of businesses using public cloud instead of private. However, to get maximum benefits, the provider you choose matters the most. Most providers today use terms like security, high availability, transparency, etc. however, how many of those providers actually abide to these promises? While there are many features that define a good enterprise cloud hosting provider, here are three that stand out from the lot: 

READ MORE

Common Myths About Cloud Hosting Busted

The question of ‘if’ a company should move to cloud hosting services has been replaced by ‘when’ they will. Cloud hosting has rapidly gained a lot of popularity over time. The promise of reliability and security, along with low costs has given the cloud industry a major leverage. In fact, a report published by Gartner says that, in 2016 alone, the cloud industry saw an increase of 16.5% in revenue, which totals to nearly $204 billion (Gartner, 2016).

That being said, even though cloud has become very popular, there are still many myths and misconceptions that tend to steer a lot of companies in the wrong direction. When companies consider moving their data to the cloud, the most common question asked is, ‘is the cloud secure?’. While reasonable, as security is always a priority for every company, most of these doubts and concerns stem from unreasonable misconceptions. Hence, to demystify these concerns, here are the most common myths about cloud hosting debunked:

Myth 1: You don't know what it is

‘Don’t know, won’t use’ is probably the motto for most company owners. Especially when they are small-scale as the risks are high. Hence, many companies refrain from using cloud services as they claim to not know what it is. However, this is far from the fact. If you own a business, you are probably already using the cloud! Cloud technology is simple remote access computing, with all the required hardware and software stored in one location. So, if you are using Google or online banking, you are already using the cloud!

Myth 2: Security is compromised

Probably one of the biggest concerns for any company, it is popularly believed that cloud servers are easier to hack. But, what most the owners don't know is that, no matter where the location, two simpler types of servers have the same level of potential vulnerability risk. So, cloud hosting security doesn't depend on the location, but the tools and methods used to protect it. Hence, if you choose to manage and maintain a private cloud, not only will it be more expensive, but you will also require more resources to maintain its security. On the other hand, most external cloud hosting providers have security expertise and are capable of preventing most security breaches.

Myth 3: They contribute to global warming

It is true that high level of assembled datacenters and the widespread of cloud computing has resulted in more power consumption and an increase in carbon dioxide production that causes global warming. However, modern datacenters are far more energy efficient that their predecessors. Not only do they use advanced and natural air cooling systems, but also employ step-down voltage lines closer to the servers. Hence, modern datacenters limit the use of electricity, thus effectively reducing the cause of global warming.

Most cloud computing myths are a result of miscommunication and lack of knowledge. Moreover, many companies believe in the ‘one-size-cloud-fits-all’ norm. However, there are actually many different types of customised packages that cloud datacenters provide, based on your requirement and cloud hosting security needs. So, businesses should gain a clear understanding on the functioning of cloud and choose a service provider that helps give them best results!

Why Businesses Should Consider Colocation Hosting

Colocation hosting has transformed the way businesses handle their in-house IT systems and set-ups. Colocation servers and hosting services are a huge boon for a business that are looking to locate their servers in a third-party space.

Essentially, a colocation service provider offers space in a location also called data centre. Businesses or companies can put up their servers in that space, but are provided bandwidth, power and IP address, apart from high security.

Some of the other benefits of colocation hosting are as follows:

•   Colocation servers are reliable and offer 24x7 support for IT infrastructure.

•   Colocation server hosting means businesses can cut down operating costs and channelise resources from IT systems/server installations to other aspects of the business. Maintenance of servers is expensive and you would actually need to bring in staff and professionals to ensure smooth functioning. On the other hand, when you switch to a provider of colocation servers and services, you cut down costs that come with maintenance and hiring. Also, you can share power costs with others in a colocation data centre. Your budget can come down drastically. One more benefit is that you save costs on bandwidth and gain higher speed.

•   Colocation service providers ensure that efficiency is optimal and data centres have the best experts and professionals to help you. There is round-the-clock monitoring and, therefore, there are no glitches or shut-downs.

•   If you are keen on environmental friendliness, you will be doing the earth a service by opting for data centers the maintain the highest of green standards. Efficient cooling systems and power networks are all in place in line with your eco consciousness.

•   When you host your own servers, it could take a long time to actually get it up and running. However, when you choose a dedicated service provider, your colocation servers will be operational in no time. This can certainly give you that decisive edge over your competitors.

•   Because security is high on the list of priorities for businesses, especially those handling huge volumes of sensitive data, companies prefer to hand over colocation hosting to the experts. This ensures peace of mind, and a company does not have to invest in data protection infrastructure or staff.

•   You have the choice of picking a vendor or hardware that you want and not just what is on offer. The service provider will install the operating system of your choice immediately.

•   Scalability is yet another important aspect when a business considers colocation hosting. What if your business grows and you may need more servers? The demands of a growing business are huge, and you may not have the capacity to scale up servers and space. You would need more space for servers, and also new staff for maintenance of the same. In such a scenario, colocation servers come in handy. All you need to do is sign up for extra space. Sometimes, you may be cutting down operations and may not need too much server space. In that case, you can effortlessly scale down. Colocation services are flexible and can be customised to match the needs of each business. 

How colocation can benefit your organisation

With new advancements in technology, the benefits of opting for colocation data center services is no secret. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Synergy Research Group, the worldwide cloud computing market grew 21% to $110 billion in 2015. This includes cloud infrastructure services, software services and hardware (Synergy Research Group, 2016).

But, why are colocation data centers gaining leverage over running an in-house data center? The answer is simple. If a company chooses to run their own data center, not only will it be very expensive, but it also doesn't allow the company’s IT team to focus on what is really important. Thus, data colocation services allow businesses to make maximum use of their resources, taking their business on the road to success. Here are a few pointers that state the importance of a colocation data center for your organisation:

Minimize Costs

Setting up an in-house data center can be an extremely daunting task. Moreover, think about the cost required to set up and in-house data center, maintenance, staffing, security, disaster recovery, power backup. And, these just cover the tip of the iceberg. On the other hand, data center services in India give you all the necessary amenities, infrastructure and equipment's needed,  as well as, takes care of power, cooling, connectivity and other factors that are required for the smooth running of a data center.

Security

Information loss for any company can be critical. It can actually be the breaking point for an organisation. In such a situation, power outages, natural disasters, and other factors could prove lethal for your company. Moreover, a cloud intrusion could compromise your business data to external sources. This is a risk, not worth taking. A data center, however, will have power generators, backup batteries, fire alarms, coded access, data backup and many other features to ensure complete safety of your data and information.

Connected, Always

For smooth functioning of any business, you need to have a secure, diverse and reliable network connectivity, which an in-house data center might fail to provide. Data centers are usually connected to multiple network providers, which ensures that you are always connected.

Data center providers in India have the capability to have businesses up and running within a few hours. Moreover, they also provide flexibility, that lets your business grow without any hassles. So, choose the best data center provider today, and focus on being productive instead of busy!