CLOUD COMPUTING

Many businesses are finding benefits in not “owning” their hardware and remotely accessing software applications. Through a licensing agreement from a large provider they can experience scalability, flexibility and ease of setup. The applications themselves are “hosted” in secure data rooms accessed by staff through an internet connection. Access to servers can also be rented saving on setup, maintenance, security and facility rooms cost.

Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS)
Instead of paying up front for new computers and software, you could just pay a simple monthly fee to “rent” the technology you need, as you need it. With a HaaS solution all your technology expenses – hardware, software, maintenance and support – can be rolled into one easy monthly payment.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
SaaS also known as software on-demand. Many applications, including customer CRM databases, email, collaboration tools and web meeting software can be accessed via the internet with licenses paid for as you need them.

Solutions include:

Microsoft Exchange email – Implement enterprise-class email with calendars, sharing, delegation and synchronisation abilities.
Microsoft SharePoint – Collaborate on projects, tasks, calendars and team calendars.
Hosted office – Access hosted solutions for word processing, spreadsheets, database and CRM solutions.
Google apps – The newest suit of office products from Google charged by the month per user.
Hosted email archiving – Storage of historic emails for backup or regulatory purposes.
Hosted security software – Flexible pay by the seat, pay by the month pricing.
Hosted virtual servers – Virtualisation has allowed server benefits to be enjoyed economically for even the smallest organisations.