Have you been talking about migrating to the CLOUD?

CIO’s are making the move to cloud computing to reduce costs, increase productivity and simplify their IT department.

Cloud computing is a new term for old technology and more than that, a new approach to management that is starting to gain traction.

However, it is interesting enough to look at real world use cases that you can implement today. At the top of that list is the ability to use cloud computing for both private and public specifically for critical backups, disaster recovery, and business continuity.

Imagine, for example, that your data center fails, from a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood or even theft. Or you may have a less spectacular event that is nevertheless potentially just as damaging like a local pandemic that requires your staff to work from home, a transformer failure, or a localized blackout.

Even without the impending doom of a large-scale failure, you still need to be prepared to recover individual files that get corrupted or accidentally overwritten, application code that is updated without authorization, single systems that have failed unexpectedly, or user documents that have mysteriously disappeared.

Enter cloud computing and a real world use case that you can implement today.

Backup and recovery, business continuity, and content storage are among the top use cases for cloud computing today. Applied judiciously, both private and public cloud can address all of these potential disasters, from a single lost document, to a full-scale data center failure.

You can, of course, simply backup your data to the cloud, by copying files and systems, in whole and/or incrementally using Offsite's online cloud storage. This is possibly the easiest way to start out with cloud computing. In any disaster, your data from a single end-user document to your entire enterprise storage can be available across the network from any hot site location, including your work-at-home employees' PCs, for easy recovery and continuity.

After all, rather than just having data stored offsite, you can set up a fully operational application offsite. In this case, you will be able to not just restore data from the backup to your own facilities if you have a disruption; you will be able to keep running your existing applications, with your existing data, even while your core facilities are down.

Of course, you need to be aware of and accommodate a number of potential hurdles. For example:
• Security & Control - not all public cloud providers have the same attitude to security and compliance that you do. That is why the private cloud is the better way to go if you are worried about security. You simply need to set your own standards, be aware of what your cloud provider can and cannot deliver, and choose according to your desired level of risk.

• Portability & Compatibility - not all cloud providers will be able to provide the level of portability and compatibility for your systems and data that you might need. Your applications may also need significant changes to be compatible with storage in a non-specific location that changes in case of emergency. Be aware of your use cases, and make sure your recovery plan allows for the mobility of data the cloud will enable.

• Longevity & Accessibility - You need to be assured of the longevity of your Backup/Data Recovery host, and that your data will be accessible when and how you need it, before committing to them as your sole source for data recovery.

Regardless of which route you take, you will need to make sure of a few things. First, understand that no option is perfect, and you will need to make trade-offs. Second, plan carefully, down to the last detail and prepare for every contingency. Third, test your plan, not just once, but early and often, continually refining it as you go. Fourth, and finally, make sure you have the right management tools that are going to let you achieve your goals.

For example, you will need solutions for sophisticated backup and recovery, including physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual recovery. You will need solutions to automate the IT processes for backup/recovery. You will also need solutions that provide desktop and user mobility so your staff can work from wherever they are by using Offsite’s online backup service.

These are just some of the processes and technologies that can help you achieve continuity with cloud computing, whether private or public. Contact an Offsite representative to get information on how to get started at 775-888-9933 or email to sales@offsitedatadepot.com.