New Computing Models, and What They Mean to the Small and Mid-Sized Business Consumer

1

New Computing Models, and What They Mean to

the Small and Mid-Sized Business Consumer

Business Computing’s Major Paradigm Shifts

1960s and 1970s

−

Mainframe / Centralized Computing



1980s and 1990s

−

Client - Server Computing

−

Local and Wide Area Networking



2000s and Today

−

“As a Service” Computing

−

Web based business technologies (Web 2.0, etc.)



2010s and Beyond

IT as Utility

Cloud Computing – Key Concepts



Cloud Architecture

 Lightweight Entry / Exit

 Elastic / flexible

 Multi Tenancy

 Reliability and Business Continuity



User Experience

 Mobility

 Device Independence



Economics

 CapEx converted to OpEx

 Consumption based / metered  Reduced IT overhead costs 

Applications

Cloud Computing – Deployment Types

Public Cloud

Private Cloud

_{Hybrid Cloud}

Public Cloud – Service Models



Software as a Service (SaaS)

− Most common / well known model

− Ex. Salesforce.com



Platform as a Service (PaaS)

− Solution stack in the Cloud

− Ex. SpringSource



Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

− Combination of Hardware and Cloud Services

Cloud Computing – Common Issues

Cloud Architecture

Compliance

Privacy

Security

Sustainability

Siting

_{User Experience}

Availability

Performance

Applications

Open Standards – no

established common

standards

Open Source

Software

Authentication, no

single sign on

Hosted Services:

When All You Are Missing is a Data Center



_{When should hosting your own infrastructure}

be your objective?

− Company headquarters not suitable for IT uptime requirements

− Private Cloud deployment for SMB

− Business drivers exclude Cloud Services



_{What to look for in a Hosting Provider:}

− Reputation (ask for referrals)

− Redundant Systems (power, Internet, cooling)

Questions To Consider:

Cloud Services or Offerings



_{What kind of Cloud is right for my business?}

− From a P&L perspective, does your business have a

higher tolerance for Capital or Operational expenditures?

− Have you considered current business workflows, identifying ones that are critical to ongoing business operations?

− Have you analyzed the IT cost per user per month for those critical workflows?



_{What kind of Cloud is right for my business?}

− Are your business and IT operations governed by regulations specific to the industry in which you do business?

− Do matters related to data privacy and security impact or influence your customers or your ability to bring on new customers?

− Do you have an existing IT staff?

− Has your business recently made a large investment into IT infrastructure?

Questions To Consider:

Questions To Consider:

Cloud Services or Utility IT Offerings



_{How Can My Business Begin Leveraging the}

Public Cloud?

− Have you talked to the providers of your business

applications about the availability of their products as SaaS offerings?

− Have you considered other options from companies who have similar products offered as SaaS?

− Have you considered leveraging Infrastructure as a Service for critical IT elements that you lack internal expertise to support?

− For development environments – have you investigated

Questions To Consider Relative to Cloud

Services or Offerings



_{Is it time for my business to create a Private Cloud?}

− Have you started Virtualizing your current IT infrastructure as new servers are brought online?

− Have you performed or had an IT provider perform a Cloud readiness assessment on your existing IT infrastructure?

− Is your IT infrastructure resilient enough to keep all business critical functions online if you lose a network server?

− Can your employees access productivity data and applications from anywhere they have an Internet connection, from any

Questions To Consider:

Utility IT or Hosted Services



_{Is my business a good candidate for these}

types of services?

− Does your corporate HQ’s power, connectivity, or

environmental controls impede your ability to keep your IT services online?

− Does the idea of having IT equipment “under lease” as

opposed to owning it appeal to you or turn you off?

− Do you currently maintain internal SLA’s to your

employees around uptime, repair time, and other metrics around IT availability?

− Are you presently on a 3 year hardware refresh cycle? Is a 3 year refresh cycle something that appeals to your

For More Information..

 For more information about Thrive’s Managed IT Services, including Virtualization Solutions and our upcoming Cloud Computing Offering, please contact:

Kevin Ellis

Director of Sales