The Attivo Blog

When I first heard of the term “cloud computing” I wasn’t really sure what to think?  At the risk of sounding ignorant the first thing that came to my mind was sitting on a puffy cloud while using your PC or Mac.  I know, I know, completely idiotic, but I am just being honest.  I soon found out that “cloud computing” can be a pretty efficient and cost effective way to manage the IT infrastructure of your business. So what on Earth is “cloud computing?”  Simply put it is moving software applications which would typically be on the user’s network infrastructure out onto the internet by having control remote servers to maintain data and applications.  Did I say simply put?  I know, confusing! So basically you are having your IT hardware being shared amongst many companies.  By sharing costs including electricity, internet bandwidth, data storage, security and IT management, cloud computing can provide higher quality resources at a lower cost than most companies can provide with their own resources. Another example to explain this would be if you want milk, do you need to have a cow living in your backyard?  No, let the grocery store handle that for you!  Another advantage to “Cloud” environments is that they are generally managed in a secure, disaster-ready environment.  So if a major flood, tornado, or earthquake takes place, your equipment will remain safe. Now that you know that “cloud computing” isn’t working with your computer up in the sky, it is up to you to decide whether or not it is right for your business.   A lot of business’s today use a combination of “cloud” and “on-site” technology to handle their needs.  Whatever your choice is, it is nice to have an option of having your own in house infrastructure or sharing it with other companies.

Every day we have certain choices to make and often face crossroads that we need to decide which direction to go.  These crossroads don’t always have to be major and most of these decisions have positive and negative outcomes. Let’s take a decision like whether or not you would like to live in New York City.  Sounds like a great idea right?!  After all, what’s better than the glitz and glamour of the big city, the amazing night life, Broadway, great restaurants and diversity that only New York can offer? Too good to be true?  Let’s take a look at some of the negative aspects of living in NYC.  Rent and cost of living is very expensive.  People can be very aggressive and often times unfriendly and traffic in NYC is far less than ideal.  When weighing the pros and cons of living in New York, it makes the decision a little tougher to make. A decision or cross road that many businesses have to make in today’s world is whether or not to use Social Media Marketing.  Venues like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are commonly being used by businesses to market their company.  But are these forms of media right for your business? Some advantages of SMM are low cost, quick turnaround, community sharing/connectivity and the ability to express creativity using various platforms.  Some disadvantages of SMM include current lack of filters creates problems finding the best content, writers often have problems delivering content consistently, and anonymity can sometimes lead to polarization and hate. For many businesses whether or not to use this form of media is a tough decision to make.  As society and technology moves forward it is very important to stop and think which direction your company wants to go and whether or not you want to embrace this form of media.

Everyone loves a great rivalry: Coke vs. Pepsi, Lakers vs. Celtics, USC vs. Notre Dame, Domino’s vs. Pizza Hut and the list goes on.  A lot of America’s culture has been founded on rivalries just like these.  At the base of this is a common question, who or what is better and for what reason? The rivalries that I have mentioned are commonly known and everybody has their favorites, but one that has been under looked for years is the decision of whether to have your computer software hosted or having it on premise?  Before one can choose a side we have to distinguish the differences between the two.  Simply put, hosted applications run on a server that is managed by a valued partner and on-premise applications have the software on their site and take full responsibility for it. So which is better?  When it comes to choosing, most rivalries are pretty one sided.  Not many Lakers fans like the Celtics and vice-versa.  So let’s break down this match-up.  Well, I guess the first question you have to ask is do you like to rent or buy? With hosted applications extensive IT resources are not required.  The total cost of ownership can be significantly less than non-hosted solutions.  For disaster recovery, hosting company’s often provide routine backups and dedicated support people are usually not required to be on staff to troubleshoot problems if they arise. Perhaps the biggest advantage of on premise software is the ownership of it.  Companies have complete control over their critical business data.  Also, while on premise software requires a larger upfront investment, it delivers a greater return of investment over a sufficient period of time.  Plus, on premise removes all remote-connectivity issues, a critical consideration for a growing business. I know, I know, tough decision right!  Well, I guess that is what makes a good rivalry.  If everybody ate Domino’s than Pizza Hut wouldn’t exist and if everybody used on premise software than hosted applications would not be an option.  There will always be trade-offs, but the key is to understand which issues are most important for you and more importantly for your business.