Are Hosted Services Right for your Company?

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