Tag: cloud computing

Business Continuity Plan
IT Consulting

Reasons for Outsourcing Business Continuity Plan

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Everyone knows that all businesses need a business continuity plan, but not everyone can spend time creating one. 

The problem is that these plans require the right decisions to be made when the time arises, and this process can be difficult without the right knowledge or toolset. If you want to save yourself some of the hassle involved with creating and maintaining business continuity and IT disaster recovery plans, you should consider outsourcing your needs.

In this blog, we’ll look at everything you’ll need to know about a business continuity plan as well as the benefits of outsourcing it.

What is the Purpose of a Business Continuity Plan?

Business Continuity Plan - Layer One Networks

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a framework for establishing and maintaining an organization’s ability to recover from disruption. It typically includes policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards for dealing with emergencies, disasters, and other situations threatening your operations. 

Business continuity planning is also called disaster recovery planning, an extension of business continuity planning. The two terms are often used interchangeably. The plan covers the actions you need to take and the resources you need to have available to continue running your business as usual in the event of a disaster.

For example, if your workplace were damaged by fire or flood, your BCP would help you decide what you need to get your systems and organization back up and running as soon as possible.

A good business continuity plan will include:

  • Information about the different types of risks you face, such as fire, flood, power outage, or cyberattack
  • Steps you will take if each risk occurs
  • A point of the person responsible for making decisions during an emergency
  • The method of communication with employees and customers
  • Estimating the time employees return to work after a major disruption.

When Does a Business Continuity Plan Kick In?

Outsource Business Continuity - Layer One Networks

A business continuity plan’s goal is to ensure your company can continue running its operations after any disruption — even if the disruption lasts for several days or weeks. The plan includes procedures for dealing with emergencies, finding temporary office space and equipment for employees who might not be able to get to work, and communicating with customers and other stakeholders.

A BCP is part of an organization’s overall business risk management strategy — it’s not just about IT or technology issues. It includes plans for dealing with events such as: 

  • Fires, floods and power outages
  • Human resource issues such as employee absences or illnesses
  • Regulatory compliance issues
  • Supply chain issues
  • Financial matters such as cash flow management
  • Reputation management; legal issues; media relations
  • Environmental concerns such as hazardous materials spill or chemical leaks
  • Public relations issues
  • Community relations issues and 
  • Even pandemic preparedness.

Why are the Main Reasons to Develop a Business Continuity Plan?

Disaster Recovery Service - Layer One Networks

To Protect Your Business from Disaster

A disaster can wreak havoc on your business. A fire, flood or another major incident could close your business for good if it isn’t equipped to withstand such an event. When you use business continuity services, you can protect your company from the effects of natural disasters or artificial events such as cyber-attacks and power outages.

To Minimize Business Interruption

Business continuity services like backup and disaster recovery services include an array of resources that you can use to recover quickly after an emergency strikes and minimize interruptions in service for your customers. These resources include backup facilities, disaster recovery plans and computer systems designed to withstand any failure and keep your operations running smoothly even during a crisis.

To Reduce Costs Associated with Disasters

A disaster can cost your company significant amounts of money when a disaster strikes. For example, if your data center floods and causes damage to equipment or other assets inside, it may take weeks or even months for repairs to be completed — leaving you without access to critical information needed for day-to-day operations. 

IT disaster recovery services help reduce costs associated with these situations by ensuring that there’s always someone available who can step in and ensure everything runs smoothly.

Help You Meet Compliance Requirements

Many industries have compliance requirements that should be met to remain operational within those industries. For example, financial institutions must meet specific regulatory requirements to continue operating as financial institutions within their region or state jurisdictions. 

With IT disaster recovery services that include compliance measures, you can ensure that your company remains compliant with all applicable laws and regulations even during a crisis.

Protecting Your Data

Data loss can be devastating for any business and can threaten your business’s very foundation. With a well-planned BC plan in place, you’ll be able to protect your data from natural disasters and other types of damage that could result in data loss.

Why Do You Need to Outsource Business Continuity Plan?

Business Continuity - Layer One Networks

Is outsourcing business continuity important when running your own business?

Very much so. With the growing number of businesses outsourcing their services, it is no surprise that many have started looking for a reliable business continuity plan provider. This is because they want to make sure that their business will be able to continue operating even in the event of an emergency. There are many reasons why you need IT disaster recovery services and a business continuity plan:

Reduce the Time Taken for Recovery

The key benefit of outsourcing a business continuity plan is that it will reduce the time taken for recovery. When you outsource a BC plan, you can get professionals who are experts in this field and who are well-versed with all the latest tools and technologies required to make your business recover faster from any IT disaster. This means that they can offer you 24/7 support whenever a disaster strikes.

Leverage the Skills of Experienced BC Experts

When you outsource a business continuity plan, you can leverage the skills of BC experts who have expertise in handling critical incidents affecting businesses of all sizes. These experts have new ideas for improving your BC plan and making it more efficient.

You can also seek their advice on implementing cost-effective solutions that will help your business recover faster from any IT disaster. Doing so will allow you to save both time and money while ensuring that all your critical systems are protected at all times.

Save Time and Money

Business continuity planning is a complicated process and it can take up a lot of time if done if the right person doesn’t handle it. 

Also, creating a plan from scratch can be very expensive, especially if you are not experienced in doing so. If you outsource the plan for IT disaster recovery services to any of the experienced IT consulting firms, it will save both time and money for your company. You do not need to hire extra people just to create this plan; instead, you can hire professionals who already have experience and know what they are doing when it comes to creating such plans for other companies. 

Include Latest Technology to Fuel Fast Recovery

Business continuity plans should include technology that helps speed up recovery efforts during disasters or outages by using the latest technologies of cloud computing, remote access, etc. With a BCP outsourcing company to help, you can ensure that you have all the right tools and technologies to ensure that the system recovers as fast as possible.

The Process Involved in Business Continuity As A Service 

  • Business impact analysis: This step involves identifying critical assets and functions, as well as their dependencies on other assets and functions. The objective is to determine how much downtime each asset or function can withstand before it becomes unusable or irreplaceable.
  • Identification of risks to BC plans: The data recovery and business continuity company will identify all the related risks, including those that are external and internal.
  • Identification of recovery strategies: The team will analyze and plan an individual recovery strategy for each risk identified during the business impact analysis step, along with recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs). An RTO is an organization’s target amount of time it expects to resume normal operations after a disruption; an RPO is an organization’s target amount of data loss that can be tolerated during a disruption before resuming normal operations.
  • Creation of disaster recovery documentation: This document will outline all the essential steps for recovering critical systems after a disaster hits, along with operational continuity and resilience steps.

Implement a Data Backup and Recovery Services

Data Backup & Recovery Service - Layer One Networks

Business continuity planning is a vital part of strategic management in every organization. So if you have any kind of service-oriented business, then it makes sense to think about how your organization will continue even if some kind of disaster strikes.

If you’re looking for a reliable company to outsource business continuity planning, then look no more than our experts at Layer One Networks. We provide end-to-end managed IT services with a business continuity plan, including IT disaster recovery services. To discuss your need for data backup and recovery services, contact us now.

 

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Difference Between Cloud Computing and Traditional IT Infrastructure
Cloud Services

Understanding The Difference Between Cloud Computing and Traditional IT Infrastructure

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Confused about choosing cloud or your traditional on-premise IT infrastructure?

Well, cloud computing and traditional IT infrastructure are different methods of running an enterprise. The former is a model where a third-party provider hosts your data and applications, while the latter is where you own and maintain your hardware and software.

In this blog, we will dig deep into some of the differences between these two types of infrastructure models in terms of setup, costs, flexibility, and scalability.

Infrastructure Setup

Traditional IT Infrastructure - Layer One Networks

  • Cloud Computing: Cloud computing refers to delivering hosted services over the internet. It allows users to access applications and storage over the internet without purchasing their hardware or software licenses. This makes it possible for companies to scale up or down as needed, which helps them save on costs associated with IT infrastructure maintenance. 

It also helps with compliance because you don’t have to worry about keeping your data secure from hackers or malware attacks since everything resides in a secure offsite location managed by a third-party provider.

  • Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructure refers to an on-premises setup where all applications and data are stored on company-owned hardware and software licenses. This setup can be expensive because businesses need to invest in new equipment every few years to keep up with demand for new features, not to mention all the additional costs associated with operating systems.

Scalability

  • Cloud Computing: The ability of cloud computing to scale up or down as needed without any downtime or disruption is one of its key benefits. For example, if you need more storage space or processing power, you can simply add more resources by increasing the number of virtual machines (VMs) in your server farm. As you reduce your usage, you can shut down VMs and free up those resources for other uses.

  • Traditional IT Infrastructure: In a traditional IT infrastructure, data is stored locally on your company’s servers or storage devices. In other words, all your data is stored in one place where it can be accessed locally by everyone who needs access. This means that if your business grows bigger and you need more storage capacity, you will need to buy more hardware and invest in expensive upgrades to keep up with demand.

Remote Flexibility 

Cloud Computing - Layer One Networks

  • Cloud Computing: Cloud computing allows you to access all your data from anywhere at any time without worrying about where it’s stored or how much space it takes up on your hard drive or server. This makes it easy for employees to work remotely since they don’t have to carry around laptops or tablets anymore; they just log into their PCs via VPN or some other secure connection method so they can access their files from their homes or while traveling on business trips.

  • Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructures are rigid as they are difficult to change without significant cost implications or downtime associated. It is not flexible enough to meet the changing needs of businesses. 

Costs

  • Cloud Computing: Cloud computing solutions tend to be cheaper than traditional ones because they require less upfront investment on your part as well as reduced ongoing expenses such as maintenance fees or power bills. The pay-per-use model makes it easier to scale up or down your usage as needed without paying large setup fees or monthly minimums.
  • Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructures are owned and operated by an organization directly. The organization owns all the hardware, software, operating systems, and applications needed to provide its employees with IT services. The organization also hires IT support staff members responsible for maintaining the infrastructure. 

You may even need to hire an IT consultant service for managed services to handle your infrastructure. All of this contributes to a huge amount in the installation as well as the operating costs of the traditional IT infrastructure.

When Should You Choose One Over the Other?

Cloud Computing & IT Infrastructure - Layer One Networks

Cloud computing has numerous benefits over traditional IT infrastructure 

  • It is flexible and scalable, meaning it can grow or shrink as needed based on your business needs. 
  • Cloud computing also offers increased security since your data is stored in a central location rather than on your computer. 
  • Cloud computing provides access to and uses IT resources as a service rather than building and maintaining them in-house. Cloud computing allows organizations to focus more on business innovation than IT maintenance and support.
  • Additionally, it reduces costs by eliminating the need for equipment purchases and maintenance costs.

A traditional IT infrastructure has some advantages over cloud computing as well. 

  • A traditional IT infrastructure allows you greater control over your systems.
  • Such control can be critical if you have sensitive data that must remain confidential or if there are compliance issues like HIPAA regulations requiring certain security measures that a public cloud service provider can’t fulfill.

If you want more information about the best choice for your organization, reach out to our IT consulting firm. Our IT support specialist is an expert in all things cloud computing and IT infrastructure and can guide you to make the right choice.

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Benefits & Risks of Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity
Security

Benefits & Risks of Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Cloud computing is a natural fit for cybersecurity. 

For large corporations and even small and medium-sized businesses, the cloud offers a variety of benefits that can improve operational performance. And for most companies, moving to the cloud and leveraging cybersecurity is an essential step toward future growth.

It’s becoming more and more common for companies to outsource their IT needs to save time and money, but with increased outsourcing comes increased risk. 

In this blog, we’ll look at the benefits and risks of cloud computing as well as cybersecurity.

Why is Cloud Computing + Cybersecurity the Best Choice?

CloudComputing

Cloud computing is at the top of its popularity and for a good reason. It makes companies more efficient, productive, and profitable. Though the cloud does have some drawbacks when it comes to security, there are far more benefits than outweigh them.

Scalability 

One of the most prominent benefits of cloud computing is its scalability. When it comes to cybersecurity, this means that companies can now have access to data security solutions and protocols that they couldn’t afford on their own. As their businesses grow, so will their cloud-based security solutions and protocols by using firewalls and other tools when they need them.

Custom Security

Another benefit of cloud computing is that it allows companies to customize the level of protection they receive based on their specific industry or business needs. For example, if you’re an e-commerce company, you can focus specifically on data security measures for credit card information as opposed to a government agency that might have different regulations or concerns. You can even customize protections based on your specific business model—a SaaS provider would have different needs than an IaaS provider.

Instant Data Access

Cloud computing makes it easier for employees to work from multiple locations on multiple devices like smartphones and tablets. This can help improve productivity, especially if the company has employees that work remotely or travel frequently.

Secure Data Storage

Companies use cloud computing to store information in offsite data centers, accessible through the internet by authorized users. The cloud stores data securely so that it takes a lot more effort to steal information than with traditional storage methods like hard drives and memory sticks.

Quick Information Sharing

Cloud computing allows for faster access to information which means less time wasted searching for files or waiting for them to download from an email attachment. Not only does this increase efficiency, but also improves customer service as well because customers don’t have to wait as long when making inquiries about products or services offered by the company.

Inexpensive; No Infrastructure Costs

Cloud computing offers cost benefits because you don’t have to invest in expensive hardware equipment or software systems to get started. You also don’t have to worry about spending money on servers and other IT infrastructure and cybersecurity architecture, as everything from data storage to upgrades is taken care of by your service provider. This makes it easy for small businesses to manage their technology needs without straining their budgets or resources.

Automatic Software Updates 

Most cloud service providers offer automatic updates as part of their service, so users don’t have to worry about downloading or installing updates and patches.

This saves them time and makes it easier to get new features without having to buy new versions of the software they use.

What are the Downsides of Cloud and Cybersecurity?

Cloud and Cybersecurity

Cloud Computing has become a bit of a buzzword in the past few years. While some people are still hesitant to adopt this technology, many businesses have already made the transition. And while there are many reasons why Cloud Computing can be beneficial, it also has its share of risks. 

So is it worth it? Let’s dive into the three main risks associated with Cloud Computing and see how you can mitigate them.

Concerns about Outage

The biggest drawback of cloud computing is not having access to the data if there’s an outage on one of their servers or something happens where they can no longer provide service for some reason (e.g. natural disaster). In this case, you’ll need a physical backup to resume your work and if all your data resides on the cloud, you may need to wait until the cloud reboots to begin your work.

Solution: A great solution to handle this issue is to choose a reliable provider. There are many cloud computing services online and you can get the help of an IT consulting firm to choose a provider where there are no such issues.

Concerns about Data Security 

One of the things that makes people feel uncomfortable about storing their data in the cloud is that they don’t have control over it anymore. You store all of your sensitive data online and trust one or several third-party providers to keep it safe, but what if they fail?

What if you accidentally delete a file and forget to check your trash folder? If you don’t have a backup, all that information will be lost forever, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Solution: You can use backup and recovery solutions to keep your data safe even in case you inadvertently deleted your information. While this is a common issue, this happens with all systems — both physical servers and the cloud.

Concerns about Insider Threats

Insider threats are a big problem for cloud computing. The cloud is only as secure as its weakest link, and the weakest link is often the people who have access to the data.

There are employees in your organization who have access to sensitive data, and they may not be using it responsibly. Sometimes, that’s because they’re malicious — they’re actively trying to harm the company by selling or leaking sensitive information. However, most other times, it’s because they aren’t educated about security or safety protocols. They might be sloppy with their passwords or click on phishing links because they don’t recognize them as suspicious. This could harm your entire cloud network.

Solution: The best way to handle this issue is to conduct regular safety programs and educational seminars to keep your employees appraised about the safety measures they need to follow.

Looking for a company offering IT consultant service and security service in Corpus Christi? Reach out to our team today to get guidance on the latest cloud security measures and protocols.

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Cloud Storage
Cloud Services

Complete Guide on Infrastructure As A Service

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Cloud computing is a buzzword for virtualized computing resources provided over the Internet, not just for storage and databases but also for processing and memory capacity.

The idea behind Cloud Computing is to provide scalable IT infrastructure on demand. Developers can utilize these resources to build applications without worrying about the underlying hardware, operating system, or software. This leads to faster development cycles.

Embracing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for enterprise operations is a growing trend in the business world. There are many advantages to leveraging this service model, including flexibility, scalability, and cost savings.

Let’s look at the basics of IaaS, how it works and how beneficial it can be for your business. 

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service model that provides virtualized computing resources over the Internet. IaaS enables a customer to access virtual servers, storage, and networking capabilities provided by the service provider. This provides greater flexibility and scalability than traditional hardware or software platforms. Since everything is in the cloud, it can scale up and down to meet customers’ needs. It can also scale up and down quickly in response to changing capacity requirements.

IaaS is a subset of cloud computing that provides virtualized resources rather than physical machines or virtual machine instances. The consumer’s computing hardware or software is abstracted and hidden from the provider, who delivers operating systems, networks, and storage over the Internet. Unlike platform as a service (PaaS), IaaS typically allows users to install their software on the provided infrastructure. 

IaaS is an umbrella term for services based on cloud computing that offer scalable and elastic computing capabilities. IaaS provides users access to the hardware and software resources via the Internet. Users can provide virtual resources to their applications or use the available infrastructure for deploying their applications.

IaaS provides a virtual computing environment to client organizations that can rent it monthly. 

How Beneficial is IaaS to Your Business?

Cloud Storage
Cloud Storage

  • Affordable:

The main benefit of IaaS is that it is cost-effective. You don’t need to invest in hardware. All you need to do is rent the hardware from a cloud hosting service provider. So, this means that you will be able to save a lot of money which can be used for other purposes. Plus, you only need to pay for the resources you need and can scale up or down as needed.

Its flexibility enables you to change your infrastructure requirements quickly and efficiently as per your business needs. This means that you don’t have to worry about high capital costs and high operational costs, so this will also help you save a lot.

  • Maintenance-Free:

IaaS reduces the efforts needed by businesses in managing IT services. Companies can focus on their core operations while the IaaS provider maintains the hardware and networks.

  • Simple Disaster Recovery:

With cloud disaster recovery plans, your business doesn’t have to relocate its entire IT infrastructure in case of an emergency – just whatever parts are required for business continuity. This reduces downtime and frees up capital that would have been used for purchasing new hardware. You can always leverage backup as a service to protect your business even when the uneventful happens. 

  • Easy Accessibility:

It is easy to access whatever software or service you need, wherever you may be located with cloud computing. 

All you need is an internet connection to connect with their servers and access the programs from any location. This makes it easier for organizations that have employees who travel a lot as they no longer have to carry around discs with them everywhere they go. Instead, they can simply log in to their account using their smartphone or other mobile devices whenever they need to access important information.

10 Questions to Ask When Choosing an IaaS Provider

Foundations exist to provide a structural framework that supports complex and sophisticated projects quickly and cost-effectively. The same can be said of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), where it provides a foundation for developing applications quickly and easily.

Truly, IaaS is designed to support the ever-expanding business requirements of users across the globe, providing them with complete flexibility to choose what works best for their business processes. It is this flexibility that makes this service such a highly sought-after commodity in today’s cloud technology marketplace, but what separates one provider from another?

Finding the right IaaS partner for your business can be pretty confusing. But there are some essential questions you need to ask before you decide.

  • How quickly does the IT support specialist respond to requests for assistance? 
  • What kind of track record does it have in meeting service level agreements (SLAs) with its customers?
  • How often do outages occur, and how long do they last when they do occur? 
  • How much flexibility do you have with your server configurations? 
  • Can you create VMs with specific OS or programming languages installed? 
  • Will the provider allow you to modify your server settings to optimize performance, security, or other factors?
  • How much administrative control do you have over your server environment? 
  • Are there any hidden fees you should be aware of?
  • What type of system integrations do they offer?
  • How do they handle backup and recovery?

Wrapping Up

Many businesses choose IaaS because they require high-performance solutions customized to their business needs at affordable rates.

Hopefully, this guide will help you better understand the basics of IaaS solutions so that you can make the best choice for your business and your IT needs.

Have any more questions? Reach out to our experts at our IT consulting firm now. We offer IT consultant services and managed IT services for SMBs and enterprises to help them figure out the best way to leverage the benefits of IaaS for their business.

Call us at (361)-653-6800 to contact our IT consulting firm.

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Importance of Network Management for Your Business
IT Consulting

Importance of Network Management for Your Business

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Most businesses are dependent on the internet. Whether you need it to run your business or simply need to be online so that people can contact you, running your business without a reliable network is a risk that you don’t want to take. 

A solid IT infrastructure is vital to the success of any business. You need to ensure that your systems can handle the demands of modern-day computing and network management is an essential part of maintaining your company’s IT infrastructure.

This blog will explore network management in detail and why you need it for your business.

What is Network Management?

Network Management - Layer One Networks

Network management refers to the process of maintaining and upgrading the hardware and the software that is used to connect multiple computers. Many problems can arise if you set up a business network — whether it’s for your company or a group of employees — you’ll be able to easily access data throughout the network, such as files and programs.

The importance of network management is something that most SMB owners fail to realize. It is the process of monitoring the stability of your network. When your business relies heavily on the network to run your everyday operations, you need to strengthen it as much as you can.

Network management can help businesses improve productivity by providing employees with proper system integration and an optimal online working environment. It also allows easy access to data and allows multiple workers to share information and programs.

An experienced IT network specialist will offer all of the following network management solutions:

  • Device Configuration
  • Network and Server Administration
  • Monitoring & Troubleshooting
  • Capacity Planning
  • Network Security
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Quality of Service (QoS)
  • New Technology Integration 

Why do You Need to Invest in Network Management?

Network Management Importance - Layer One Networks

As a business owner or a stakeholder in a company, you need to know what’s so crucial about network management that you need to invest in it.

There are numerous reasons and instances where a protected and reliable network has saved companies thousands of dollars. But let’s start with your network security.

Securing your Network:

The number one reason businesses need network management is that they need security. Every day, there are threats out there trying to get into your systems and steal information. 

Many problems can arise if your company doesn’t have a secure working environment. Your efficiency will decrease, and your risk of being hacked or encountering malware will increase. When it comes to network security, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. The more secure your working environment, the better off you and your company will be.

Network management allows you to secure your network, so threats don’t get in, whether you have local storage or cloud computing. Several network management tools can help you keep unauthorized people from accessing sensitive information. You can get the help of an IT support specialist to learn more about the best network management tools for your business.

Optimizing IT Operations:

If your company does not have any network management in place, it can be very easy for someone on your IT team to become overwhelmed by the amount of work they need to accomplish. Network management can aid in resolving this issue by giving them additional tools and resources that will assist them in managing the IT side of their organization.

Efficient Disaster Management:

Network failures can have a significant impact on an organization’s productivity. Downtime results in delayed deliveries and missed deadlines, leading to loss of sales and a poor public image. 

For example, if your website goes down at any point, potential customers may lose interest in purchasing from you. It could cost you a lot of money in lost sales, not to mention the disappointment of customers who can’t connect with you to make a purchase. 

A well-managed network allows users access to their data and applications even when there is a network failure. 

Preventing Bigger Issues:

Network management goes a step ahead and can help you locate and fix issues in your system before they become problems.

If your business depends on computers and network systems, you need to ensure that they are working correctly. If something goes wrong or if any of the components fails, you need to know about it as soon as possible so that you can take the necessary steps to fix the problem before it becomes too big to handle.

Securing your network with the help of an expert IT service provider can help you avoid such problems altogether so that you can plan your work without worrying about any disruptions.

Our Conclusion

If you are currently experiencing issues or want to ensure that your business runs smoothly, it is essential that you look into network management for your organization. It can also help to improve the efficiency of your business. 

Unfortunately, searching for the right network solution can be time-consuming and difficult. It can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what questions to ask or how to make those inquiries. 

The good news is that IT support specialists are well-versed in these matters and are happy to help you narrow down your options. Their assistance can take some of the burden off of you and allow you to focus on other aspects of running your business.

Our IT consulting firm, LayerOne Networks, can assist you with network management and disaster management solutions. In addition, we offer customized IT services and IT support for your business. If you want to learn more about securing your network and protecting your business, reach out to us today!

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Cloud Computing
Cloud Services

Nine Powerful Advantages of Cloud Computing

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Cloud computing has an array of advantages that have been proven to be incredibly beneficial to the business world. You don’t have to worry about the specific hardware your business relies on, which allows you to focus on your business and what matters most – your customers. 

Cloud computing is the future of technology, and getting in on the ground floor has so much to offer. One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is the speed and agility for all areas of any business. The ability to work online from anywhere in the world holds enormous potential for both SMBs and large enterprises.

This guide will explain the ins and outs of all the major cloud computing advantages available today.

9 Advantages of Adopting Cloud Computing for Your Business

Cloud Computing Services Near Corpus Christi

Cloud computing has an array of advantages that have been proven to be beneficial to the business world. Here are nine powerful benefits of cloud computing!

Flexibility 

Businesses are no longer tied to their current hardware, software or operating system since they are all stored in the cloud. Users can access their information and files anywhere as long as they have an Internet connection. This allows businesses to easily adapt to changes in technology and switch between technologies as needed without replacing hardware.

With the flexibility of the managed cloud solutions, individuals can have 24/7 access to information whether they are traveling or at home. If a company is looking to increase its global market share, cloud computing can make it’s products and services more accessible to customers worldwide.

Scalability

Businesses that rely heavily on information technology must ensure their systems can handle the demand during peak periods and unexpected surges. 

Cloud-based systems can grow as needed. They can easily increase their scale as new users join and increase their storage space as necessary. This is possible because the majority of the hardware is centralized, allowing for easy expansion.

This also eliminates downtime or unexpected expenses due to overcapacity or underutilization of resources.

Business Agility 

Business agility is crucial in today’s fast-paced digital economy. Cloud technology allows businesses to respond quickly to competitive changes with minimal investment in capital or IT resources. Companies that embrace cloud technology can remain nimble and responsive with minimal disruption to their day-to-day operations. 

Security

Many people have concerns about storing sensitive data on a third party’s servers, but cloud-based security is top-notch. Many major cloud providers have invested heavily in securing their infrastructure, using both physical and virtual security measures, including firewall and encryption.

Additionally, some cloud hosting services allow users to increase their encryption to further enhance security. You can work with an IT consulting firm that offers security IT services to add another layer of protection to your cloud.

By outsourcing your infrastructure needs, you save time while also advancing your company’s digital security protocols. 

Cost Savings

There are two primary cost savings when it comes to cloud computing: initial cost and maintenance cost.

The initial cost of purchasing software can be quite expensive, especially for smaller companies or new startups, but this cost is eliminated with cloud computing. Maintenance costs are also reduced because the user will only need to pay for the storage space used instead of an entire license for each computer within the company.

Business Continuity 

There is no need for businesses with heavy reliance on digital assets to maintain pricey backup systems in natural disasters or equipment failure. Managed cloud hosting services allow businesses to access all their files and data from anywhere at any time, with no risk of data loss or downtime with an offsite backup system. 

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) have become extremely cost-effective for companies since cloud computing technology came into play. Once your data is uploaded to the cloud, backup servers automatically scan for changes to ensure that everything is accounted for. This ensures that any potential data loss or mistake can be rectified quickly.

Reliability 

Cloud computing sites are designed to be more reliable than traditional data centers. Redundant servers and storage systems are used, making it nearly impossible for a failure at one point in the network to bring down the entire system.

Rapid Expansion

Cloud-based applications allow for rapid expansion without having to invest in additional hardware or software upfront. Instead of purchasing 200 computers, a company could opt for just one server and use cloud-based software to add 20 computers when needed. This also allows companies to scale back when necessary or shift resources between projects as they please.

Improved Collaboration

One of the main reasons why businesses are encouraging their employees to use cloud computing is due to the collaboration feature that it provides. The cloud makes it easier for employees to collaborate on projects without being in the same physical location. 

Employees can communicate more effectively because they do not need to be in constant contact with each other for information to get passed along. This allows employees who work in different locations or have conflicting schedules to work together effectively without causing problems for the business’s workflow.

Conclusion 

Cloud computing is a vital tool for any business because it provides a way for businesses to function reliably – even if their own systems fail – as well as maintain data security and manage assets.

At LayerOne Networks, we help businesses to move their business operations to suitable cloud hosting services. Our IT consulting firm also extends support and security with our managed cloud services for setting up cloud backup and recovery and for additional firewall protection. Reach out to our IT consulting firm to discuss your cloud computing needs now.

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Hybrid Cloud
Cloud Services

Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud – Know the Main Difference

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Most companies rely on cloud storage for their everyday operations. But different cloud computing models can be tricky.

Many companies turned to cloud computing when the traditional means of offline or on-campus storage started to become unfeasible and extremely challenging.

While cloud computing solves a good majority of the issues that businesses face with offline storage, the different models of the cloud can store endless amounts of data.

Initially, many companies started using the public cloud, where the infrastructure and support were provided by the likes of the top companies — Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. This cloud model quickly gained popularity and created revolutionary, affordable storage solutions for businesses of various scales.

However, this public cloud model doesn’t solve some issues where another storage option already exists. This was when the terms ‘multi-cloud and ‘hybrid cloud’ were introduced. So what exactly are they and what’s the difference between both? Let’s find out.

What is a Multi-Cloud Platform?

Cloud Computing Services

Unlike a hybrid cloud platform where two different cloud storage models are involved, a multi-cloud platform is when several cloud computing solutions of the public cloud environment exist together. 

For example, a company can use public cloud storage from Amazon to store data related to marketing and sales, Microsoft’s cloud solutions for finance data transactions, and finally from Google for the rest of it.

A combination of such various public cloud models used together in an organization is called a multi-cloud platform. When partnering with multiple cloud vendors for different tasks removes the dependency on the individual providers and chooses to pick the cloud platform based on the individual department’s requirements.

What is a Hybrid Cloud Platform?

Cloud Storage Services

Some organizations may already be relying on a private cloud for their data storage, primarily due to their security concerns. But because of the enormous administrative and maintenance tasks needed, they may choose to go for a public cloud platform and combine both the operations together.

This is when companies go for a combination of public and private clouds called the ‘hybrid cloud model’. Sometimes, a company can combine the public cloud with an on-premise storage system too.

Hybrid cloud models are more often used along with the traditional IT systems by organizations who wish to modernize their storage options.

What’s the Difference Between a Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud?

While the distinction on the combination of two or more cloud models helps to identify if it’s a hybrid or a multi-cloud, there are also some important differences.

  • Inter-Cloud Operations

In a hybrid cloud environment, you can differentiate and allocate operations to be conducted on just one cloud. All of the functions in the hybrid cloud platform will be communicated to the platform as a whole. This means that the individual clouds need to communicate with each other.

However, that’s not the case with a multi-cloud platform. Each team can pick its choice of cloud inside the multi-cloud and conduct operations without any interaction with the other cloud. This benefits individualistic operations that are entirely independent of the other operations and cloud providers.

So, a multi-cloud platform cannot be a part of a hybrid environment, while a hybrid cloud can be a part of a multi-cloud.

  • Security & Maintenance Responsibilities  

In a public cloud, the providers are in charge of data security and maintenance. You, as a consumer, don’t need to worry about it.

In a private cloud environment, you should lead a team of employees or outsource to any IT services to maintain your cloud. You need to conduct regular security checks, employ the best-in-class security systems, take charge of the infrastructure needs, expand the storage capabilities, and perform every set of tasks related to the private cloud.

  • Cost of Operations

In a public cloud platform, the cost of operations is relatively cheaper than the total cost combined for a public cloud. This makes multi-cloud models cheaper than hybrid cloud models.

The overhead costs of maintaining a private cloud are high. Companies spend on  manpower to manage the infrastructure and build on the cloud whenever needed. On the other hand, since the cloud service providers take care of the maintenance efforts, as well as the infrastructure expansion needs, your costs will be considerably lesser.

  • Lock-In with Cloud Service Providers

In a hybrid cloud model, the dependency on a particular cloud vendor makes it difficult to migrate to other providers. While any IT consulting firm can help you with that, the amount of work involved is enormous. 

You need to take the help of a company offering Backup as a Service to back up all the information on the cloud. You should also plan for disaster recovery if things go sideways and plan for a considerable downtime in the operations of all teams that depend on the hybrid cloud environment.

However, the independence in a multi-cloud platform makes it easier to change vendors of individual clouds without any downtime for people using the other cloud systems.

How Can You Choose Between a Multi-Cloud and a Hybrid Cloud?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself when choosing the right cloud environment for you.

  • Do I have the staffing to maintain a private cloud?
  • Can I migrate my entire storage to a public cloud?
  • Can I afford to have considerable downtime?
  • Do I need to exercise complete control over my storage platform?
  • Do I have the budget to take care of the overhead costs of a private cloud?

When you answer these questions, you’ll find it easier to make a decision on which environment is best for your business right now.

LayerOne Networks is a popular IT consulting firm in Corpus Christi, TX, that helps companies maintain their cloud storage while guiding them with migration and backup. With our IT consulting services, you can make the right choice between a multi-cloud or a hybrid cloud environment. Reach out to us now to book a consultation call.

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Cloud Monitoring
Cloud Services

What is Cloud Monitoring? Benefits and Best Practices

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Are you using any cloud computing services for storage and processing?

Then you should definitely be aware of cloud monitoring solutions.

Cloud monitoring is the process of monitoring and managing cloud computing resources to ensure seamless operations. Usually, cloud monitoring requires automated and manual tools to review, analyze, and report the performance of various servers, applications, software, and sites present on the cloud. 

Conducting regular cloud monitoring sessions helps in maintaining the various cloud infrastructure in its best health and avoid unnecessary expenditure and security issues. 

In this blog, we’ll take a detailed look at what cloud monitoring could practically mean for businesses using cloud platforms.

Why Cloud Monitoring is Necessary?

Cloud Monitoring

Many IT consulting firms stress the importance of cloud monitoring solutions due to its long-term benefits. Some use cloud monitoring as a part of a bigger cloud management strategy to get a complete view of the operations and performance of the cloud. And some others use standalone cloud monitoring tools solely for performance and security. 

Whatever is the case, cloud monitoring is a prime necessity for organizations due to a number of reasons:

Proactive Approach

With automated cloud monitoring tools, you can find out the anomalies and emerging issues in the cloud before they become bigger. Often, these cloud monitoring tools have the ability to detect these issues before they become full-blown into a serious one. This way, you can considerably cut down a lot of money required to fix a major issue instead of resolving them when it’s smaller.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the top priorities of any business having an IT infrastructure. With a considerable portion of your IT system on the cloud, it’s crucial to have a strong cybersecurity system in place. 

The cloud monitoring tools double as a cybersecurity tool to recognize the breaches in the networks. With monitoring tools, you can keep a constant eye on your cloud’s security and take immediate action when vulnerabilities are detected.

You can identify the breaches and cyber attacks in the network as soon as possible and take action before the damage is immense.

Read More: Top 8 Cybersecurity Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

Quick Problem Resolution

One great advantage of using cloud monitoring solutions is the ease of figuring out the root cause of an issue. 

You may have several cloud infrastructure present and it can be hard to find out the specific point from where the problem arises. And as time passes, most IT issues become bigger and bigger. 

Since the cloud monitoring tools have an integrated control panel, it’s easy for the IT maintenance and support team to take one look at the dashboard and quickly trace the origin of an issue. This could save so much time, energy, resources and money when the problems can be analyzed and traced in a very short time.

Host-Maintained Tools

Both the hardware and software of the cloud monitoring tools entirely rests with a separate host. Therefore, even when there are issues in your local IT infrastructure, the cloud monitoring system doesn’t get impacted. 

Furthermore, you can scale up your cloud monitoring needs when your organization grows. You need to spend additional resources to procure hardware and install the software. Like the cloud service providers, you can seamlessly increase your cloud monitoring tools and continue using the platform without any interruptions.

Best Practices of Cloud Monitoring

Cloud Monitoring

If you’re planning to implement cloud monitoring in your organization, you need to be aware of a few best practices for efficient implementation.

  • Be clear on what needs to be monitored – Often, companies make the mistake of monitoring everything and anything they can get their hands-on. This could only complicate matters and steal focus from the crucial metrics that need attention. So prioritize those metrics that should be regularly monitored on the cloud computing platform.
  • Monitor the user experience metrics – You need to be aware of how user-friendly the platform is. So, when you decide on the few metrics to monitor, make sure to include response time, performance metrics and ease of access.
  • Collect the data to a single platform – Spreading your data into different platforms can be the worst mistake you can ever make. Bring all the data to a single platform for easy and quick observation of the metrics.
  • Separate the monitoring data – When you store your cloud monitoring data with your local system, you cannot access it when there’s a local issue. So, keep your monitoring data separate from the other systems for maximum efficiency.

  • Automate the monitoring – Since the data rests on the cloud, you can script the cloud monitoring tool to run automatically and send you notifications when there’s any issue or anomaly.

  • Keep an eye on the cloud service use and fees – Since cloud monitoring tools are flexible and scalable, your costs can increase when the usage scales up. The monitoring tool should calculate the usage on the platform and its appropriate costs to keep informed.

Wrapping Up

Since the infrastructure of the cloud service providers is already known, it’s easy to install, implement and customize the cloud monitoring tools. By providing central access to monitor the operations, functionalities and performance of the cloud, you can avoid issues that would otherwise become a major thorn in your IT system. 

At LayerOne Networks, we offer cloud computing services along with data security and network support to keep your applications, software, servers and other infrastructure on the cloud up and running in its best state. Reach out to us to get a free quote of our cloud monitoring solutions. 

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cloud computing & it's working
Cloud Services

What Is Cloud Computing and How It Works?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Today technological advancements have seen a big boom, ask any business about their current computing configuration, and “cloud” will be their common answer.

Over the past decades, file sharing and saving have seen a vital development. File sharing devices to support the fast-moving lifestyle are becoming smaller and with higher capacities. There is no need for you to manage all your documents in one device. Rather you can access your files sitting at any place 24/7, all thanks to “Cloud Computing”

So in this context piece, let’s understand what is cloud computing and how cloud computing mechanisms work?

What Is Cloud Computing?

You must have come across cloud symbols that replicate the internet on diagrams. The Internet as a virtual space is like a cloud that connects users across the globe and shares information via satellite networks.

Cloud computing is nothing but a system where you get the required facility on demand to store data, share, and operate applications, computer power, and various IT resources through the Internet. The cloud provider holds and manages the hardware network for cloud computing. Cloud computing services are preferred by a wide range of people across their daily lives. 

Cloud computing ensures that maximum computing works are carried out by the cloud system. Once you install the cloud interface software in your system it will confirm that all your storage, computing, and data backup needs are met. This means on premise software and hardware will be less involved eventually. Email is the best e.g. of cloud storage system, once you make an account on a web-based electronic mail service you can access it from any corner of the world. Your account and its data are stored regardless of the computer wherein you created the same.

Types of Cloud Computing

There are different types of cloud computing models, services that have evolved with time to suffice your business requirements with correct solutions. It is important to identify the cloud computing architecture on which your services will be implemented upon. There are 3 different methods to deploy cloud computing services on public, hybrid, or private cloud. All three clouds are different.

1. Public Cloud

Operated and owned by third-party cloud service providers that deploy their computing resources like storage and servers over the Internet. You can access services and manage your account while your cloud provider owns and manages all the supporting infrastructure, hardware, and software. An example of a public cloud is Microsoft Azure.

2. Private Cloud

Exclusive cloud computing resources for a single organization or business is a private cloud. 3rd party cloud computing services are also hired by some companies to host their private cloud. A private cloud can be physically situated on the company’s on-site data center. Services and infrastructure of a private cloud are retained on a private network.

3. Hybrid Cloud

The hybrid cloud is an amalgamation of private and public clouds. You can get amazing flexibility with a hybrid cloud to move your applications or data between private and public clouds as per your business requirements. You can optimize your existing security, compliance, and infrastructure and simultaneously get more deployment options with a hybrid cloud.

Types of Cloud Services

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS encompasses cloud computing basics with easy access to computers, data storage base, and networking features. Get the best flexibility to govern your business IT resources as compared to other types of cloud services with IaaS.

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Cloud computing services that provide an on-request environment to develop, test, deliver, and manage software applications are platforms as a service. PaaS is designed in a manner to make it stress-free for developers to quickly build mobile and web applications. You will no longer need to worry about resource procurement, software maintenance, capacity planning, patching, and other heavy work required to run your business applications.

3. Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS offers a complete product to end-users which are managed and operated by their cloud service provider. With SaaS, you need not bother about the management of the underlying cloud infrastructure or the maintenance of the service. For e.g. Outlook and Gmail both are SaaS applications.

Thus in modern digital times, cloud computing is nothing less than a boon for businesses. One of the important benefits of cloud computing is the ability to access your data anytime across the globe. You just require a browsing device and a perfect internet connection.

How Does Cloud Computing Work?

There are 2 operational parts of a cloud computing system front end and back end. Both the sections are well connected with one another through the internet.

Front-end refers to the part of the computer user that is you the cloud client. It includes the application part and on premise computer network with which you can access cloud computing.

While back-end refers to the “cloud” part. This section represents different computers, servers, and data storage which unite to make up the “cloud” part of the cloud computing system.

One central server rules the entire system of cloud computing including the traffic and the client requirements. The monitoring central server adheres to a list of protocols and uses middleware as its special software program. This program allows ease of communication among the networked computers on the cloud. In the end, what you get is the facility to access your data from across the globe and any device with the best security.

Cloud computing services are being leveraged by companies to save on the price of software and hardware and avoid numerous repairs and operations. Cloud computing has a multitude of benefits but just ensure you sign-up with a secure and authentic cloud provider.

Layer One Networks can be your best cloud computing partner. What sets us apart in the competition as a cloud computing service provider is our results. 

So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us or give us a call now on 361.653.6800 to see how we can help serve your Cloud Computing needs.

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