Category: IT Consulting

Today cloud computing has become a general term preferred by many professionals. Cloud computing is nothing but storing, managing, and accessing a wide range of data and software applications over the web.

Do you know, why is cloud computing so popular?

In cloud computing trends 2020 the entire data has a shield of firewall networks. Without using your system hard drive you can use any tool or software as well as with the software and data is installed in several data centers across the world. Cloud computing services are preferred by a wide range of people across their daily lives. One of the most common examples of cloud computing technology is preparing any of the documents over the web or web-based email services.

Cloud technology is being leveraged for business development, as the results are timely and positive. There are many types of cloud computing like:

• SaaS – Software as a Service
• IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service
• PaaS – Platform as a Service

The selection of best cloud computing services can help your business to reach new heights while a small mistake can land your business in great trouble. All the technologies bring with itself a set of benefits and shortcomings. Cloud computing comes with its share of disadvantages regardless of being the fundamental strength for some of the leading business industries.

Characterized as ghosts in the cloud, let’s have a look at some of the cloud computing challenges in 2020.

Data Protection

A lot of questions remain unreciprocated about the security risks of cloud technology. Hacking and virus attacks are some of the mysterious threats that remain to be the biggest problems of cloud computing data security. Before adopting cloud computing technology, entrepreneurs need to consider these things very carefully for their business. Before transferring important company details to a third party you have to make sure that you have a cloud security and management system.

As compared to any other IT professionals, cybersecurity experts are more alert about cloud security. Out of 10 cybersecurity experts, 9 are worried about cloud security. Other concerns are data privacy, data loss, data leaks, and violation of confidentiality.

Vendor Teradata conducted a survey which reported that 46% percent of those who were surveyed reported more security without the challenge of cloud computing. Numerous solutions are being provided by vendors to overcome the threats of cloud security. Apart from these, a survey by the crowd research partners shows that the enterprises depend upon the training and certifications of their IT staff and security tools which is provided by the public cloud vendors to minimize their risk.

Handling of Cloud Spending

Companies make many blunders that lead them to increase their expenses. Also, IT workers or developers fail to rotate a cloud event to be used for a short duration and turn it off. Many companies are astonished by the unexplained cloud pricing plans that offer many prospects for concessions that cannot be used.

Companies can procure help from technological solutions for cloud cost management challenges. Cloud computing services like auto-scaling features, cloud cost management solutions, automation, server-less services, containers, and many more management tools offered by cloud vendors can assist you to reduce the scope of the problem. By building a central cloud team some companies are successful to manage costs and usage.

Lack of Skills/Knowledge

All the companies do not possess a relevant and ample amount of understanding as to how cloud solutions should be implemented. There are no tools or expert personnel to utilize cloud technology correctly. Hence it is tough to provide information and choose the right cloud in the right direction. It becomes a big challenge to train your staff about the tools and processes of cloud computing. It is disastrous for any company to turn to cloud-based technology without the correct information.

Many companies strive to overcome this situation by hiring cloud computing vendors or to train the existing employees and get them up-to-date with the current technological demands.

Power of Control or Governance

As cloud-based technology has taken over, IT fails to have complete control over the operation, provisioning, and delivery. This is the main reason why IT fails to provide the required data quality management, governance, risks, and compliance. IT has to accept the traditional IT management and control processes to minimize the uncertainties and risks involved to shift to the cloud.

As the business units, core IT plays an important role in preference, control, and mediation over cloud services. Moreover, third party cloud computing services are offering best practices which include establishing and enforcing related policies. Also, cloud management software is offered by different firms to automate and simplify the process.

Compliance

One of the threats faced by cloud computing is compliance. This is a hurdle for anyone using cloud storage or backup services. Each time when a company moves its data to the cloud from its internal storage it faces compliance with industry laws and regulations.

One of the interesting law aspects of GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation is that it will aid compliance in the future. As per the requirements of the law, many companies hire a data protection officer to look into data security and data privacy requirements.

Considering these professionals are aware of the compliance requirements of the company they are being employed for, focusing on the responsibility for compliance will support the companies to fulfill each of their legal needs.

Managing Multi-Cloud Environments

Nowadays most of the organizations are not only working on a single cloud. RightScale reports reveal that almost 84% percent of the companies are following a multi-cloud strategy and 58% percent of them have already their hybrid cloud tactic that is combined with the private and public cloud. Furthermore, organizations are utilizing 5 different public and private clouds.

A long-term prediction on the future of cloud computing technology describes a much complex situation faced by the IT infrastructure teams. To overcome this condition some of the best practices like active vendor relationship management, re-thinking procedures, tooling, training staff, and doing research has been suggested by professionals.

Cloud Migration

Releasing a new application in the cloud is although a very simple process but transferring your existing application to a cloud computing environment is quite hard.

Many organizations moving their applications to the cloud reported slow data migration, difficulty syncing data before cutover, difficulty configuring security, downtime during migrations, and trouble getting migration tools to work correctly.

To overcome these troubles, a survey of the IT team players described that they wished to hire an in-house expert, do more pre-migration testing, set a more extended project timeline, and increase their budget.

Immature Technology

Many cloud computing services are at the leading forefront of technologies like machine learning, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and advanced big data analytics. The biggest disadvantage of using these new technologies is that these services do not meet organizational expectations always in terms of usability, reliability, and performance.

So the only potential solution to the difficulty is adjusting prospects, building your own solution, or waiting for the vendors to improve their offerings.

Integration

Those organizations, particularly with hybrid cloud environments account for challenges regarding accessing their public applications and tools to the public cloud to work together. Incorporating legacy systems and new cloud-based technology requires proper resources, time, and skill-set.

It cannot be denied that Cloud computing is transforming the IT Industry. Although there are challenges but if due care is taken these problems are not there to make your IT roadmap stranded.

The cloud has substantially changed the way IT systems function. In the current technological era, the future of cloud technology is dynamic and positive. Layer One Networks can be your best cloud computing services solution provider with well-managed cloud hosting services.

Place your Query, Call us on 361.653.6800.

Happy Browsing!!

In today’s world when technology has taken over every facet of our lives and is expanding at a breakneck pace businesses must keep up with technology. IT consulting has emerged as a giant industry in the United States put in place to help businesses of every size scale their growth with technology. The complexities that come with trying to manage existing and new technologies help business owners understand how  an IT Consulting Firm can help grow their business.

IT Services have become more important in recent years as many companies look for ways to cut costs by reducing their own in-house IT staffing.

The initial phase of investing in Information Technology Services may not feel cost-effective for a business trying to maintain its balance sheet, but the ROI (return on investment) can be long lasting and worth much more than the initial expese.

Let’s take a look at some of the important points that can help you make your decision to bring in IT Services  help.

• You can concentrate more on your core tasks

Let’s admit it, we can’t be masters of everything. Focusing on your core business and outsourcing everything else can free you up to give your organization the time dedication that it needs. Every organization has different objectives and requirements, outsourcing IT Services gives you the flexibility that you need to manage these requirements now and as you grow.

Outsourcing your IT requirements means you can concentrate on your business and let the IT Services Company take care of everything IT related. They will have an effective action plan to take care of any technology roadblocks and free you up to run and grow your business.

• One Point of Contact

Today with ongoing technological upgrades, there are many different softwares and technologies on which businesses rely. It becomes tedious and at times confusing to navigate among all of the services your company uses.

Having a single point of contact allows you to make one call when a problem arises and get it resolved. Your Business IT Services vendor will have many relationships with different service providers and will access this help on your behalf. This can save your business crucial time which otherwise would have been spent trying desperately to get the issue resolved yourself.

• Enhance Your Productivity

Businesses can boost productivity with technology by taking advantage of better communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing within your company/organization. However, knowing which  technology will be perfect for your business can be tough. Partnering with an expert IT professional allows you to find the perfect technology to fit your company without wasting time or guessing.

• Best Return on Technology Savings

A new research report from Accenture suggests only one out of seven companies can harness technology-enabled innovations to its fullest. Also over the past few years, ROI has declined considerably. The main reason behind this is the gap among the organizations’ knowledge and ability to manage and implement new technological systems.

By hiring a good IT consulting firm, you can capitalize on technology-enabled innovations.

• Get 24/7 X 365 Days Support 

The best IT consultants serve you with constant monitoring of your systems 24/7 X 365 days so that you can have peace of mind knowing that even when something goes wrong, they are there to help get things back on track as soon as possible. Also, monitoring solutions will often help determine the issues even before they occur and allow them to be fixed before they become a problem.

• Saves both Time and Money

Hiring an IT consultant can save you money because you are only paying for the services you need and not paying for full time employees that may not have full time work.  Also you can save on lost downtime, which can be avoided as you have hired specialists to focus on various problems as they arise.

IT consultants generally charge on an hourly or project basis. This flexibility is vital for new businesses that have to focus on their cash flow.

• Unmatched Expertise

When you hire IT consulting services, you get the experience and expertise of a team of highly skilled professionals. This team can ensure that with the best available technology you take all necessary steps to streamline your business operations.

Technology is moving faster than most of us can even imagine. Even the most competent IT experts can face several issues as they struggle to keep their organizations up-to-date with recent trends, quality, innovation, and design. This makes selecting the right  IT Services provider vital.

Layer One Networks, located in Corpus Christi is the best IT Services Provider in South Texas designed to help you grow your business. Since its inception in 1999, Layer One has focused on creating and managing cutting-edge technology solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. We believe in a people-oriented approach and strive to support the technological needs of every individual, not just the applications, services or devices they may use.

Whether you are looking to outsource your IT Services or need us as an extension of your in-house IT department, give us a call at 361.653.6800

Are you confused or frustrated about trying to choose the right digital partner for implementing new technologies?

if so, it is understandable as technology has become the backbone for all business operations.

As agencies are modernizing their current systems and preparing for future developments, investing in the right technologies is a great place to start.

A good technology provider can assess your expectations, capabilities and limitations and suggest in customizing and implementing the suitable technologies. Though there are numerous technology providers out there, but choosing the right IT services company makes a whole world of difference. Even if the technology itself is the best on the market, when it isn’t implemented correctly, it can be hard to get all of the benefits out of it. This is where the importance of choosing the correct IT technology provider comes into play.

In this blog, you will get some much-needed practical tips to help decide the right technology partner based on your requirements.

6 Practical Tips to Help Pick the Most-Suited IT Services Company

Let’s be honest about one thing. You already know the basic steps of analyzing, researching and shortlisting the technology service providers. So, we will go past that and look at practical tips that could be a deal-breaker when you are conflicted about choosing a company.

1. Check for Past Experience in Similar Fields

There can be so many limitations when it comes to hiring an IT services company like budget, location, number of resources and more. But the one thing you shouldn’t compromise on, is the experience the company has. Don’t just look at how many years of experience. Go beyond that and look at the experience of companies in your field or related fields.

Check if they have previously worked on similar projects in related fields. For example, if you are a clothes-based e-commerce company, you can check if they have at least some kind of experience working in the field of e-commerce.

This will ensure that the employees will have a working knowledge of how your industry functions and will, therefore, be able to provide better services. Look at the portfolio on the company website and the customer reviews. Some companies will even have use cases listed which will give you better insights.

2. Talk with Project Team and Assess Their Working Knowledge

Sometimes, IT Consulting Firms will have more than ten or fifteen years of experience offering technology services. However, that doesn’t mean that their employees have similar expertise. There are often new employees who are in the learning phases or have just been hired. There isn’t anything wrong with a new employee being a part of your team, but make sure that a majority of the team allocated to your project have many years of experience.

As we covered in the previous point, it’s crucial for at least some members of the team to have worked on similar projects or in the related field as yours. Like most companies, when you are searching for a technology partner, you are probably looking for a long-term relationship so most IT companies will try to accommodate your request to have experienced team members on your project if possible.

3. Ensure the Ability to Accommodate Future Technology Scalability

You may have a specific technology in mind that you want to implement and will search for particular providers who can accommodate this need. However, keep in mind that you may have different requirements in the future and you need an IT services company who will be able to grow with you.

Failure to keep this in mind when choosing your new IT services company, you may need to go through the same process of researching, shortlisting, discussing and finalizing another partner for implementing new technology. It’s best to choose one IT services company after complete research and analysis by considering the scope of future expansion and future technology needs too.

4. Explore Your Team Ability to Meet the Partner’s Working Style

Even when you are outsourcing to a technology partner, you will still have a limited number of in-house IT team present. So, the team that will work from an offshore location should be the right fit for your in-house team.

So how you can ensure that? Ask about the working principles and processes of the technology partner.

For example, your IT process may be entirely by traditional means while the technology partner works only in agile methodology. At this point, your in-house team has no other way but to adapt to agile fast by attending classes and sessions. Assess if that’s an investment you want to make and a transition your in-house team is ready for.

This is just a single instance of conflict in processes. There can be more such practical differences coming up once you have partnered with a service provider. The best way to forecast these conflicts beforehand is to sit and analyze their working processes and talk with the in-house team about their opinions and abilities.

5. Assess the Resources Available for Change Management

According to a Forbes Insights Survey conducted with 500 senior executives from all around the world and from industries, change management is one of the most common challenges in technology implementation. Poor implementation tactics, identifying the right resources, training and lack of performance management are among a few other challenges listed.

When you are relying on a partner for successfully implementing new technology in your agency, any performance issues or preparation lags in their part will affect your business. During such times, explore the ability of the company beyond just the technical details.

See if they are open to offering support across your entire agency with new technologies if the need arises. For change management, you need to prepare and support everyone in the agency for the change. This is made possible through structured training programs which again should be provided by the same company that has implemented the change.

6. Prioritize Data Security More Than Anything Else

Last but not least, the safety of the sensitive customer information, employee data and all other business processes should be at the top of your priority list. While every technology partner signs an NDA now, that’s not all you can do. Analyze the IT security features they have in place like the firewalls and encryptions. Let your in-house IT team take the lead in it, analyze the security and give the final verdict.

This way you can avoid any unnecessary security threats or breaches and ensure the safety of your data.

A Final Word

The right technology partner can be your biggest asset in developing your agency. So, you shouldn’t hasten and pick one by just asking a few basic questions. Don’t stop your research just the internet. Talk to the company, get details from them, have your checklist with points given above and verify every one of them. The right technology partner should be a perfect fit for your requirements and should complement your IT drawbacks effectively.

If you are already the proud owner of an IT department, you may think you’re set for life, at least on the IT front. Those folks can take care of themselves, right? They can run updates, upgrade software, keep up to date with all the latest tech that rolls out each month, and so much more. But there’s a lot to keep track of in the world of IT management and support, and while we’re sure your IT department is wonderful, sometimes even the best of the best needs a little backup—and an outside IT consultant can do just that.

Here are three great reasons to bring in an IT consultant like Layer One Networks to provide expert insight on your systems and processes:

Solve Short-Term Problems

If you’re getting ready to take on a big one-time project, it may be wise to bring in a consultant for the duration of the project. When you’re implementing a new ERP, replacing major hardware elements, or switching over to the cloud, having a couple extra hands on deck with years of experience can be a lifesaver. That way you can have someone come in to do setup and installation with practiced skill—but you can skip paying for a full-time addition to the team. An IT consultant can help you transition from one system to another in half the time it would have taken you to do it yourself, which can save you time, money, and frustration.

Get An Expert’s Opinion

Most IT consultants have more experience than your whole IT department put together. They represent a team of people who have all practiced working with teams like yours on similar projects that your team may only encounter once every few years. This means that while your team may be able to handle your day-to-day needs, an expert IT consultant will be able to bring years of direct experience to the situation. This means they’ll be more efficient—and can solve problems before they even occur.

Tap Into Extensive Resources

When you bring an IT consultant onto your team, even on a short-term basis, you now have access to a wide range of resources you wouldn’t have otherwise. Your consultant will have spent years amassing the right tools, equipment, and third-party vendors they need to solve every potential problem imaginable, and then some. By bringing in an expert, your project now has access to all those resources too, so that you can rest assured the job will be done quickly and done well.

While hiring a consultant might seem intimidating at first—and sound expensive—it can pay dividends in the long run. When you bring in IT experts like Layer One Networks, we can save you time and money by solving your outstanding issues and setting you up with efficient and modernized systems and processes, so that you can get back to doing what you do best. Contact us today if you’re ready to get back to work.