Cloud computing is a term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that's often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams.

A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting. Firstly it is sold on demand, secondly it is elastic - a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time, and thirdly the service is fully managed by the provider - the consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet access. Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet and a weak economy, have accelerated interest in cloud computing.

Cloud Computing revolutionizes the way businesses work by allowing instant, secure access to your private hosted network from anywhere. All of your software programs, data files, emails and other company data is accessible to you from any pc worldwide. Cloud Computing offers clients a fully secure, managed and maintained IT Infrastructure which allows you and your colleagues to work in a high-speed network environment without ever having to take on the cost of purchasing or maintaining servers, expensive networking equipment and backup systems.

Advantages for businesses?
The most important benefits of Cloud Computing include resource and budget optimization with rapid scaling up or down plus higher security and improved reliability over a traditional client-server system.

Fixed Monthly Costs Allow For Financial Planning:
The Host Cloud Computing is a fully hosted and managed solution that includes secure remote access, data storage, application hosting, backups, antivirus, intrusion detection, hosted desktop, Windows updates and unlimited technical support. For a low fixed, per user monthly fee, your users will receive a hosted IT Infrastructure that costs thousands of dollars to purchase and maintain, making unpredictable IT costs a thing of the past.

Where do the applications and data reside?
Never load programs or applications on your workstation again because your applications and data reside on a secure remote server that is fully managed and supported by a third-party.

The Host Cloud Computing eliminates the need to load applications directly onto your local workstation. Whether it is your company’s customer management system, billing and accounting system, or simply your company time clock, everything is stored on your virtual office environment. Your Hosted IT Infrastructure will provide you with an all-in-one fully managed server desktop available to you anywhere at any time.

Why move to the Cloud?
Cloud computing has become part of the business mainstream, yet many small businesses are still unclear what cloud computing is and how it can benefit their business. Cloud computing is when IT software and services are delivered over the web and through a browser. This transfers the responsibility for IT maintenance, software upgrades and any system issues onto the service provider, allowing companies to focus on their core business instead of their infrastructure.

Moving to the cloud is easy: The transfer of business information into the cloud is very straightforward. There is no need to install new hardware or software as everything is run by the cloud provider.

Cost savings could be higher than you anticipate: Businesses that move to the cloud can save on many different levels – IT hardware and software expenditure is cut dramatically and fewer staff or support resources are needed for IT maintenance.

Improved productivity: One of the key benefits of cloud computing is that employees can access documents and emails from anywhere. If your business demands mobility and flexibility or you have staff working remotely, the cloud could be an easy and affordable way of addressing those needs.

Greater level of security: Cloud computing can be more secure than traditional IT. Many established cloud suppliers employ leading security experts, invest vast amounts of money into securing their applications and develop technology beyond the means of any small business. In addition, the risk of losing confidential data on a laptop or a USB stick is also diminished, as everything is stored in the cloud and not on your devices.

A more collaborative way of working: Using cloud computing applications, people can access and work in the same documents in real time – without the need for hundreds of emails with attachments. Improved knowledge sharing and communication encourages creativity and productivity amongst your employees.

Flexibility to scale up or scale down your business: Cloud based “pay as you go” style services allow you to easily increase your use of cloud services as your business grows, or decrease your spending if you need to temporarily scale down.

Your business resiliency can be improved: Cloud computing providers offer increased resiliency and redundancy afforded by multiple data centres to ensure your information is always available. You experience less downtime than when managing IT in-house and any problems can be solved far quicker by being fixed centrally.

How do I print from my hosted server?
When you connect to your server the system will automatically create a virtual link to your local printer. Your printer will appear as a local printer on the virtual office. Please note that the printer driver must be installed on the virtual office in order for the link to be created. Please contact us to install your printer drivers.

How do I install software applications on my virtual office?
Administrators of your hosted server can install downloadable software to your server as if it was on a local PC. To install applications that are on a CD media, please contact us so we can assist you.

Who has access to my data?
Only your company users and our technical support staff have access to your files. Our staff will never access your files without permission, but we do need access to them in order to properly back them up. We do not open client files unless instructed to do so by the client.