I am frequently asked by client and colleagues about the exact nature of “Cloud Computing”. Recent commercials have end users charging “to the cloud” and this further blurs the lines between real business value and consumer marketing for cloud services. Here I will try to break down common services that can be obtained from the cloud. I think that you will find that you are well aware of “the cloud” and have already come to depend on it. This does not exhibit an all-inclusive list, but these simplified categories will give you an idea of the variety of available services.

1. SaaS (Software as a Service)

This type of cloud computing delivers a single application through the browser to thousands of customers. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting. Salesforce.com is by far the best-known example among enterprise applications, but SaaS is also common for HR apps and has even worked its way up the food chain to ERP.  And who could have predicted the sudden rise of SaaS "desktop" applications, such as Google Apps and Zoho Office?

2. Utility computing

The idea is not new, but this form of cloud computing is getting new life from Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT staff can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacenter.

3. Web services in the cloud

Closely related to SaaS, Web service providers offer programing interfaces that enable developers to exploit functionality over the Internet, rather than delivering full-blown applications. Some web services that you may have used are Google Maps that have been embedded in an independent web site like a hotel, ADP payroll processing, the U.S. Postal Service, Bloomberg, and even conventional credit card processing services.

4. MSP (managed service providers)

One of the oldest forms of cloud computing, a managed service is basically an application exposed to IT staff rather than to end-users, such as a virus scanning service for e-mail or an application monitoring service. Managed security services and cloud-based anti-spam services can filter your network traffic and deliver clean purified traffic to your doorstep. Other offerings include desktop management services that can alert a service provides to problems areas in your network before they progress to full blown outages.

Today, cloud-based services might be more accurately described as "sky computing," with many isolated clouds of services which customers must plug into individually. These loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure is among the biggest of trends that is here to stay. Now, when you hear of “The Cloud”, you understand that it has value and you probably have been using it all along.

As PCs age, the number of IT issues they have typically begins to rise, increasing total cost of ownership (TCO) through a combination of factors including the cost of keeping those machines patched and up-to-date and the diagnosis and repair of machines after hardware and software failures. On average, the routine task of updating and maintaining PCs is the greatest cost driver. Failures become commonplace as machines age and manual resolution of these issues can become time consuming and expensive. Gartner estimate lifetime costs for repair and maintenance to be as high as $2,162.89 per PC, nearly half of the average PC TCO of $4,850.33.¹

The recent economic downturn is forcing many agencies, businesses, and IT departments to test traditional IT lifecycle as a means to save money. If nothing is done to improve performance and system health, extending the life of those machines could become very expensive, very quickly.  But all these figures make an assumption that desktop and laptop performance will gradually degrade over time. 

Through automated regular refreshes, periodic reboots, scheduled patching and dynamic maintenance, any organization can now proactively maintain the health of every PC on the network, new or old. This regular maintenance, which can be carried out overnight or at weekend so as not to impact users, removes many of the performance concerns associated with older machines.

In fact, third party maintenance providers can not only save you up to 60 percent of the cost of hardware maintenance, but you can extend the life of your hardware, helping you to realize significant savings during a time when you need to make a dollar last.² – recession or not!

By employing such tools, any organization can extend the life of their PCs beyond the usual limit of three years but without incurring the higher TCO associated with older machines. 

1  How to Reduce Your PC TCO 30% in 2011 | 20 March 2009 | Gartner ID: G00166195

2  Cost Optimization: Re-evaluating Your PC Hardware Replacement Strategies | 27March 2009  |  Gartner ID: G00166285

It is estimated that 1 – 3% of a company’s annual revenues are consumed by printing as stated by Gartner Group while IDC states that print volumes are declining by 1 – 2% per year.

Most companies and organizations have a good idea of what they are spending on printers, copiers, toner and paper, but have no idea what the impact is to performance when they need to be serviced.  Now day’s organizations have a split support environment between copiers and printers.  A copier company services the copier, while the IT department maintains the printers.  However, printer manufacturers are bringing inexpensive “Multi-Function Printers” (MFP’s) to market that further blurs the lines between copier and printer.  Thus the roll of the IT department and copier service provider gets confused.  These MFP’s scan, fax and print in B/W AND color making it very easy to dramatically increase the cost to print.  The MFP’s require computer drivers and integration into your network resources and this is clearly the responsibility of IT.  When you begin use the copier like copier, and it needs to be serviced, the wear and tear requires a local service provider to get it running again.  What is largely unaccounted for in this arrangement is the amount of time that IT spends trouble shooting these MFP’s.  It is estimated that 50% of the help desk calls into an IT department are printer related and distracts your critical IT resources from more important productivity issues.  Worse, if you do not have an IT department, the “power user” stops what they are doing and digs into the problem with mixed results but always consuming a lot of time.

A solid print management strategy that focuses on;

1. Rightsizing your existing fleet of printers.  This is done with a print study that determines print volumes, locations and manufacturers of all printers in your organization.

2. Utilize the benefits of the Multi-Function Printer.  These printers are well designed, energy efficient and offer many excellent features.

3. Purchase competitively.  The hardware is not the goal of the manufacturer, it’s the supplies.  Leverage your buying power of the base unit for all its worth.

4. Maintain control of the fleet.  Adjustments will have to be made.  Equipment will have to be retired and printers be returned to some desktops for special needs.  Be ready for change management.

The bottom line in print management strategies is that an organization can trim 10 – 30% from there spend on document production.  Not only can a good print management strategy hit your bottom line, it can also return your critical resources to work faster.

Security Incident Response Policy and Procedures should be in place for institutions to have a security plan to protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal information.

Clients are also responsible for taking steps to ensure that their affiliates and service providers safeguard customer information in their care.

The plan should include;

•       designate one or more employees to coordinate the safeguards;

•       identify and assess the risks to customer information in each relevant area of the company's operation, and 

        evaluate the effectiveness of the current safeguards for controlling these risks;

•       design and implement a safeguards program, and regularly monitor and test it;

•       select appropriate service providers and contract with them to implement safeguards; and

•       evaluate and adjust the program in light of relevant circumstances, including changes in the firm's business

        arrangements or operations, or the results of testing and monitoring of safeguards.

Please join us for an informative and valuable presentation on physical and data security topics by former regulators from the Ohio State Attorney General and Auditor Offices. The event provides an excellent platform for participants to exchange ideas and share experiences on security issues that face local government.

This half day seminar will feature a key note presentation from Former Wood County Prosecutor, State Attorney General and Auditor Betty Montgomery, with other informative presentations from past Senior Regulators, State Consumer Protection Section and a City Magistrate. The last presentation of the day will feature an IT security systems engineer that will discuss the most current events and threat recognition.

In today’s electronic age, email communication has become the norm both professionally and personally. It’s quick, allows for conversations involving many people, keeps records of exchanges, and can accommodate any schedule. But with these many conveniences, come dangers as well. Users must beware of email scams. Designed to obtain your personal information, these messages often pose as legitimate emails. So, to help protect you from identity theft (and obnoxious spam!), here are five signs of a scam from Microsoft for online safety.

1. The email uses a generic greeting. A salutation like “Dear Customer” indicates that the sender does not know you, and therefore should not be trusted.
2. The message uses alarming or urgent statements requiring an immediate response. If you don’t reply within an abbreviated period, the email threatens dire consequences.
3. You are asked to provide sensitive information. This can be personal information, (like usernames, passwords, your residence, social security number, or date of birth) or financial information (like credit card or bank account numbers). Never give out identifying information through unsolicited contact.
4. Errors in spelling and grammar. These can include minor variations of an actual web address, called typosquatting or URL hijacking.
5. Discrepancies in outbound links. The message is from one address, but uses another address as the recipient. Or the message body includes a link, but the link text does not match the destination (you can check this by hovering your cursor over the link, or by right-clicking on the link and choosing Properties). These sorts of bait and switch methods

Once you’ve identified a message as spam, do not reply to it (even to unsubscribe). And remember to never open a suspicious attachment. Always practice discretion and caution online, and take steps to protect your personal information!  

Here’s a fantastic article by Business First on local non-profits utilizing the power of social media. Social media gives consumers and organizations a chance to carry on spontaneous, real-time conversations. It can generate free publicity while simultaneously connecting you to potentially exponential audiences. Non-profit organizations are particularly well situated to benefit from social media usage, since social media works best when it’s personable. There are tons of excellent resources available online too, to help you get started. As long as your content is interesting and your online presence is engaging, it’s hard to go awry. Your success is really up to you!

So check out this article, and be sure to start using these great free tools if you’re not already.

Do you or your organization use Twitter? A popular online platform for micro-blogging, Twitter allows for tiny posts of 140 characters or less, called “tweets.” Whether you’re a tech-savvy business looking to utilize Twitter’s social media power, or you’re an individual looking to interact with the online community and promote yourself professionally, Twitter can be a powerful tool. To be sure you’re maximizing your Twitter’s potential, know your terms and follow these basics. 

Terms

Followers – These are the people subscribed to your feed. They can see all of your tweets. If your profile is locked, only accepted followers can see your tweets; if your profile is unlocked, then all of your tweets are public.

Following – These are the people that you are subscribed to. You can see their tweets in your home feed, or by clicking on their profile. If their profile is locked, then you can only see their tweets if they have accepted your follow request.

@Username – Using @ in front of a username allows you to mention someone or reply to someone on Twitter. By using @, you can carry on conversations via Twitter, or direct attention to a person, event, or information.

RT – This is a retweet; it’s a re-post of someone else’s tweet. RT precedes the tweet you are reposting. When retweeting, you should also mention (@username) the original author of the tweet. RT is a way of spreading information and giving credit.

#topic – Hashtags are a way to categorize your tweets. You can then follow a specific keyword #topic using Twitter’s search engine.

Basics

1. Publicize your Twitter profile. Include a link to your Twitter in your email signature. Put a Twitter badge on your site. Let people know that you’re on Twitter! Visitors to your website and frequent email correspondents are likely interested in you or your services and products already. Why not capitalize on these contacts?
2. Personalize your Twitter profile. Fill out your bio. Add a profile picture. Customize your profile (colors and background). Start tweeting! Think quality over quantity.
3. Get involved. Twitter is about maintaining a dialogue. Ask questions, answer questions. Get and give referrals. Use a mix of interactions to keep your Tweets interesting; from retweets, to @replies, #topics to links, and original content. Avoid the temptation to over-promote yourself. Like in any conversation, one-sided chatter is boring, and you’ll lose followers. So keep it interesting.

Twitter offers a lot of different opportunities for meaningful interaction. Use Twitter to network, to track topics and keywords, to publicize announcements and events (like seminars or job openings), and to increase traffic. Keep these guidelines in mind, and have fun. Happy tweeting!

Follow CSC on Twitter.

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly and at top speed. There are tools available in Windows 7, Vista, and XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to help efficiently maintain your computer and protect your privacy when you're online.

One: Free up disk space.

By using the Disk Cleanup tool you can free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete, and then allows you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files. Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

Two: Speed up access to data.

Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your computer. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer. Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, and without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

Three: Detect and repair disk errors.

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced. If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

Four: Protect your computer against spyware.

Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for your permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can slow your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using the PC safety scan from Windows Live OneCare. This scan is a free service and will help check for and remove viruses.

Five: Learn all about ReadyBoost.

If you're using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.

Compliance for the Savvy Business

According to a study done by the market researcher Gartner Group, an astounding 97% of all business communications are done via email. And a startling 80% of respondents ranked email as more valuable than the phone in business communications in a META Group survey. Email facilitates communication with multiple parties, generates written records of interactions, and allows for the mobile, prompt delivery of information and documents. With email such an active component of the modern company, email accessibility, security, and archiving have become key factors to the successful business.

Email accessibility and security are obvious concerns. Restrictions on email access can limit productivity and efficiency, but uncontrolled email access can put businesses at risk for spam, malware, and data loss or theft. But email archiving is just as important as email accessibility and security. Besides the internal benefits of information accessibility and saved disk space (archived emails are stored in a compressed format), email archiving helps businesses meet regulatory and compliance laws. Compliance is composed of three elements; data durability, data security, and ability to audit. Data must be retained in its original format. Data must be protected from physical damage and unauthorized access. And data must be easily accessible by authorized sources. Email archiving fulfills each of these aspects, protecting the business from hefty fines and severe penalties. So reap the benefits and ensure compliance; use email archiving.

As technology advances, so too must the protection.

Information technology has become an integral part of the education experience for students. It interfaces at all levels of the classroom, from students to teachers to administration. Technology is no longer a standalone component to a well-rounded education; technology is a means for connecting and strengthening all areas of the education process. But as technology plays a greater role in education and society in general, cyber security also becomes increasingly more critical.

Technology security must focus on the unique difficulties and needs of the K-12 education environment when targeting solutions. The increased connectivity that comes with technology also puts schools at risk for viruses and malware, data loss/corruption, and system misuse (like illegal file sharing). These issues mean that schools can be exposed to federal law and regulation violations, loss of sensitive or restricted information, and civil issue liabilities. A comprehensive security solution must include conventional safeguards like intrusion prevention, but should also protect against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. It also needs to handle the fluidity of the modern network perimeter. Laptops, remote and wireless access, email, web-connections, and G3 smart phones that utilize IP all contribute to a constantly changing and variable environment. So take the proactive approach-make sure your security is up to date and meeting your needs before problems arise!