Lately, we seem to be running into many small businesses who are looking to reduce their yearly IT expenditures or increase their return on investment (ROI). One such way is to utilize a combination of free online services along with paid hosted or cloud computing solutions such as Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite or Google Apps.
However, move slowly dear reader! I wouldn't recommend jumping into either of these without planning and making some long term business decisions! We have seen a few of our competitors implement these solutions only to have them fail due to improper planning and lack of discussion with their clients to determine the best choice for a particular client.
Here are some questions to ask before choosing a cloud computing platform:
- What exactly do we want to put in the "cloud"?
- Do we have enough bandwidth to support access to a cloud application? (Are you also using VoIP?)
- Is my internet connection stable enough to depend on a remotely hosted solution? (It doesn't work if you can't get online!)
- What is my monthly budget for an online hosted platform? What trade-off are we looking for?
- Does the chosen service support migration from my existing infrastructure? (What if we don't like it - can we migrate back?)
- Does the hosted service provide the appropriate SLA for system up-time?
- Does it support our phones and mobile needs?
- Will our users want to use exising LOCAL installations of Microsoft Office Applications vs Google Apps' Online Applications?
- Do we plan on upgrading to Office 2010? (Which includes online applications which match the desktop versions?)
As you have now realized, there are a number of considerations to be made before jumping into a hosted configuration! I do believe that hosted solutions can provide some significant savings especially for smaller offices with few employees, businesses with multiple locations, or businesses where they have a mobile workforce without a central office. Additionally, because many of these solutions have flexible contracts (if any), they are a perfect solution for startup businesses instead of making a capital investment in a local server. As you might guess, there are also many reasons NOT to go with a hosted solution over an in-house solution!
If you have been thinking about hosted soltuions such as Google Apps or Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) give us a ring, we'd be happy to help guide your decision, provide some structured planning and when you are ready implement your solution for you! The first step is to give Certified CIO a call!
- Steve
443-283-0666 x301


On January 29, 2010 we completed a major upgrade for Facility Engineering Services of Reisterstown, MD by upgrading their older, failing, Small Business Server 2003 system to Windows Server 2008 and Exchange 2007.