What is cloud computing?

One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘What is Cloud Computing? and 'What is Microsoft Office 365'.

The easiest way of explaining this is with a few simple diagrams:

‘Traditional’ On-Premise Network:

 On the above image you can see 3 file servers at the top of the page:

• The blue server located at the top left manages the network or domain
• The second manages email / Outlook mailboxes
• The third manages file and print sharing

On some networks these three services could actually be managed by one server which does all three jobs, i.e. Small Business Server.

The bottom half of the page shows PCs which are on the network. The 2 PC’s at the bottom right are connected to the network via the internet which is depicted as a cloud.

 
Cloud Computing Network:

On the above image you can see 1 file server, and 2 clouds at the top of the page. This is known as hybrid as it is a combination of on-premise and cloud computing:

• The server to the top left manages the network or domain and potentially print sharing
• The cloud in the middle ‘Exchange Online’ replaces a server and is a Cloud Computing Service which manages email / Outlook mailboxes
• The cloud to the right ‘SharePoint Online’ replaces a server and is a Cloud Computing Service which manages file sharing plus much more besides

The bottom half of the page shows PCs which are on the network. The 2 PC’s at the bottom right are connected to the network via the internet which is depicted as a cloud. If the network is unavailable this doesn't matter as users are still able to access files and email via cloud computing services.

The result of the above hybrid approach is that the network users will not have changes in functionality and not need to learn anything new. Quiet often users do not know anything has changed!

Do you think it is the right time to move to the cloud? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

Free Microsoft Sponsored Cloud Seminar

The Cloud - Your Questions Answered

Eitex are hosting a number of free cloud seminars this year, the first event is to be in March (dates to be confirmed). Industry leaders Microsoft, FusionCRM and Simply Unified will also be presenting.

 

The seminars will cover:

• The cloud - what is it?
• Cloud products including Office 365, SharePoint, Exchange, Lync and CRM Online
• Your questions answered - Q&A Session
• Business Benefits
• Xbox giveaway

Register your Interest:

To register your interest in the events please go to http://www.eitex.co.uk/office365events.asp

I keep hearing about the cloud, but what is it?

Traditionally a network for a small to medium sized business consists of one or more servers, and a number of client machines / laptops etc. Today this largely remains the same, however the cloud is available as a viable option to replace servers and / or services on the network, but what is it?

Essentially the cloud is a large number of servers which are stored in a data centre by companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple and such like. These servers offer tools, email, backup facilities, file sharing, online applications and much more which are often driven by your web browser. Your web browser (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari) is essentially a window through to the data centre where the product or service resides.

Largely the functionality and user experience remains the same for the end user. Applications which are driven via your web browser and designed to look and feel like they are an application, and people begin to use them naturally. The main difference is at the back end, where the servers are.

When we explain the cloud to our customers we begin by explaining the role of an email / Exchange server, as this is something which most companies have, and is something which is easy to explain. The Exchange server traditionally sits on the network and provides clients with email, this is something most users can visualise. Now imagine moving that server to Microsoft, Microsoft will look after the server for you, and the functionality on your network will remain the same. Users typically will not notice a difference. This very basically is Exchange in the cloud. The next thing we explain is that Microsoft won’t use your server, they will use their own, and Exchange in fact will be stored on several servers not just one, and probably will span across two or more data centres.

The benefit of this is that the system is far more resilient than any system you could economically build for a small or medium sized business. Another advantage is that the software is managed, maintained and updated by the software provider which saves money on IT Support.

Please see the following links for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOxA1l1pQIw

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/office365/online-software.aspx