The buzz in the tech arena recently has included a sizable dose of Cloud computing topics. While we’ve progressed well past a conceptual perspective, the Cloud remains an interesting topic and a hotbed of speculation and progressive thinking.

The spotlight at the center of the discussion shifts almost daily as a fervor of competition and development herald a bustling digital revolution. Cloud service vendors stand to reap a bountiful harvest as more adopters emerge in the corporate space. But from a high level view, the current Cloud marketplace represents a threshold still unconquered despite years of growth.

I came across an article on GigaOm recently that was not unlike cracking open a virtual time capsule and peering into the Cloud as a fledgling concept. In the article, author Gary Orenstein analogized the Cloud marketplace as a ‘three-horse race’, where each “horse” is one of the key Cloud service offerings: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).

While Orenstein’s descriptions and postulations about each service and the merits of their application for business make sense, the true takeaway was his prediction that the next progressive step would be “Undoubtedly, a combination of all three deployment models.” That was more than 3 years ago.

Yet few have managed to attain the perfect ‘Triple Crown’ of successfully and efficiently offering solutions that compile the treasured triad into one neat package. (Or perhaps we’re not looking hard enough.)

On the contrary, the news of the day involves big players marketing aggressively with a single-channel focus, a trend well exemplified by Network World’s recent piece about four household-name heavyweights jumping into the PaaS arena. Google has been snagging plenty of headlines of its own lately too.

For those keeping score, the evolution of the Cloud marketplace might have proven a little tough to keep up with. Despite predictions and anticipations from 2+ years ago that combining services would not only be the brass ring on the Cloud vendor carousel, but also the natural denouement for an evolving marketplace. So which is better? Time will tell.

But there is still little doubt that building the perfect ‘Triple Crown’ Cloud offering would benefit Cloud-bound businesses greatly, and earn a tidy fortune for the vendor. However, such a model may never exist – at least not as it’s been previously conceived.

The secret is that it’s not really a “Triple” Crown. For a vendor to execute the marketing, distribution and delivery of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS services concurrently, at least one additional critical component must bolster the bundle together: An internally-grounded core infrastructure with a broad scope of support. Think about it this way: Even if you had three hands in all, none would do you a bit of good if you had no backbone.

There is one caveat that seems to have been only scarcely discussed, and which could create a barrier to global tech titans from being able to offer up the ultimate Cloud combo: Location, Location, Location.

Thoughts of the Cloud computing space conjure up images of a largely atmospheric environment, free of the constraints of the physical world.  But the reality is less liberating, as proximity between vendor and client becomes increasingly important.

Successful Cloud marketplace competitors will be those who recognize and adapt to these subtle secrets. Our very own bWERX Inc., (the IT enterprise which helped develop eTransmittal into such a standout document management tool), represents this ambitious pursuit with a sound support strategy and local-focused IT management. No strategy is perfect, but we all know that every great formula has a few secret ingredients.

IT departments might just want to install revolving doors on their conference rooms across the country as the towering tide of technological tools continues to swell. With no shortage of new devices, services and myriad other digital delights on the horizon, it’s hard to be too selective in pinpointing those that would prove most beneficial for your business.

These five top tech tools, representing our own ‘highlight reel’ of sorts, are perhaps the most significant stand-outs in the realm of new business gadgetry:

#1) The Cloud

Popularity and adoption rates for the virtual environment affectionately known as “The Cloud” are steadily growing. Standing out as a pinnacle of utility in the enterprise space, The Cloud represents a cost-savings opportunity while providing tremendous scalability, flexibility and efficiency. Many SaaS (software as a service) products, secure file sharing tools, web applications and other online services are rooted in the Cloud. Accessibility from anywhere and collaborative benefits are also among the perks enjoyed by those migrating to cloud computing. 

#2) Tablets

The advent of the iPad is perhaps the most notable milestone ushering in the Tablet computing era. Since then, many competitors have entered the market and we’re seeing more and more sophisticated versions of iPads and the other dreamy digital devices that still manage to possess that sharpness and ‘wow’ factor that bolstered their impressiveness at first launch. Incredible versatility, coupled with portability and ease of use are the strong-suits of this device.

#3) App Shops

Where would all our tablets and smartphones be today without App stores? We’re all familiar with the massive and diverse array of applications, ranging from games to photo editing software and millions more. With such a swift and streamlined integration to our favorite touchscreen devices, App shops have also become a buzzing bazaar for business. The enterprise-level tools available on App stores are becoming more and more sophisticated and approachable, not to mention cost-efficient as fierce competition keeps prices consistently low.

#4) Mobile-Minded Applications

While App stores themselves are key components of today’s technology tools (along with the wares being peddled therein), the mobile computing space is a much bigger animal. More so today than ever, businesses are seeking mobile integration for applications, software tools, online services and their own IT architecture. Implementing this type of versatility with assets that were previously just fine in a stationary PC computing environment is quickly becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

#5) Sophisticated Analytical Tools

The process of collecting and analyzing data has changed little at the base level throughout the history of modern business, but the escalation in our ability to glean actionable info from this type of analysis has increased exponentially in the past few years. While many powerful new analytical tools exist that can peer into the heart of almost any campaign, tracking report or gobs of marketing research, perhaps the most important advent is integration with business platforms. Analytical tools that are specifically tailored to certain enterprise services and applications are now frequently built directly into the software itself. This melding of marketing mechanics creates an entirely new competitive atmosphere that balances every business’ strengths in market visibility…or at least those early adopters of the new technology.

The Cloud is a massive new frontier for business as well as technology. Although the virtual space empowers companies with new tools, resources, scalability, security and myriad other benefits; it can quickly become more expensive than initially expected if not handled properly.

Taking a few proactive steps at the outset can help minimize unexpected costs and avoid unforeseen money drains while setting your company up to get the most out of the new platform. These four tips below should be on the top of the Cloud migration ‘to-do’ list:

Proper Procedure and Documentation

Establishing clear, repeatable and scalable procedures, protocols and documentation right at the beginning will streamline your migration while creating a case study for the big move. Proper process can significantly reduce the margin of error and mitigate wastefulness in all matters of engaging a new platform for your business.

This is also an opportunity to establish visibility and set up the teams and designations of who does what and how things work. Documentation is another important piece of this puzzle, as you’ll benefit greatly from taking detailed notes every step of the way and applying what you’ve learned.

Tools Are Your Friend

The Cloud is awash with all sorts of cool tools, many of which are approachable in price, or even free in many cases. Taking advantage of these resources will not only hasten your pace in the competitive space, but also help you to effectively leverage your upgraded assets and visualize and react optimally within the new environment.

Because the Cloud is all about collaboration and interaction with multiple parties, you’ll want to employ tools with monitoring and alert functionality to maintain the utmost visibility on your systems. Balancing usage vs allocation will also become a key issue that is well remedied with the right software.

Proper IT support

Perhaps one of the gravest mistakes a company can make is diving into the Cloud without the proper technology support – namely your core IT team. Not only is this type of change a very intensive technical undertaking requiring the expertise of a tech professional, you’ll need ongoing support in the form of a savvy human (help guides and online resources only go so far).

Whether you employ an IT crew in-house or you’ve hired an outsourced IT Consulting firm, the goals and applications will be the same: Bolstering sound support from beginning to end. It is especially ideal to work with the same IT team from the development phase and indefinitely as long as your company is growing in the Cloud.

Dedicated management

Your new platform in the Cloud will ease the pressures of many IT roles and maintenance issues, but only to a marginal degree at the outset. You can grow your resources and infrastructure to make things easier to manage as you move forward as well. But despite these benefits, you’ll never end up in the position where abandoning dedicated management is an option.

You should have someone in place in a designated leadership role governing the Cloud operations and the existing technological assets built into the firm’s architecture. That individual can play a consulting role and should be a comfortable decision-maker for the migration as well as changes down the road. They can help establish and maintain an audit trail, and dictate the governance of all things Cloud. This position is extremely critical and should be in place before the jump to the Cloud even gets off the ground.

How much does ‘free’ FTP really cost?

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) has long garnered mass popularity as a simple and ‘free’ file sharing tool, making it one of the most approachable resources in a business toolbox. But the illusion that FTP is free belies a much greater, more deceptive long-term cost.

It’s a cost that, over time, will devour a company’s bottom line.

This article represents a huge wake-up call…an undeniable break-through that will change the way you think about FTP as a ‘free’ tool for your everyday business needs.

Forget everything you know about FTP and discover the true costs in our break-down below. Most FTP clients are indeed free to download…but a business can’t run with just the client.

This list represents the typical FTP infrastructure for a business, with approximate costs for each item:

Hardware - $2500 (or more)

While the price will vary depending on the processor on the server and other factors such as hard disk space, a reliable and capable FTP server won’t be cheap. Plan on extra costs such as server operating system software and other oft-forgotten necessities.

Software - $500

There is no shortage of FTP software out there, and some of them are even “free” (although remember there’s no such thing when it comes to FTP). But you won’t just need a client, you’ll need FTP server software, which range widely in price from $200 to $2,000.  On average, a solid, cost-effective program can be had for around $500.

Bandwidth/Hosting - $1300 initial, $900 per month

The costs of hardware might actually be pretty easy to swallow in comparison to the rest of the expenses, which will continually sap away your budget. These items are also dynamic resources which might not work how you’d like them to all the time – which means, in the event of problems, you’re tacking on more lost productivity and more evaporating money.

In the case of bandwidth and hosting, plan on forking over around $1,300 just for setup, configuring, backups and other services (especially if you employ a datacenter and your servers end up off-site). After that, you’re probably paying just shy of $1,000 to keep things humming along each month. Bear in mind these costs don’t take into account any issues encountered along the way or any additional services you might need.

Setup & Configuration (1 Day / $600)

Another widely variable cost that you’ll endure is the dreaded set-up and configuration phase. You’ll likely have a couple of in-house techs tackle this tall task, in which case you’re looking at a time and payroll cost of around $600 and a solid day’s work. If you can do all this stuff yourself, bravo! Just calculate how much a full day of your time is worth and use that cost for your projections.

This setup will involve installing and configuring your server OS, setting up security protocols as well as configuring backups, FTP software, permissions, firewalls, IP addresses and the network. Plan for the possibility of additional time (and money) to deal with any necessary patches, troubleshooting or upgrades.

Ongoing Maintenance - $1,800 (or more) per month

The maintenance costs for upkeep on your FTP infrastructure will include any handling by your IT staff as well as any technical support you might get from your datacenter or webhost. On average, the cost runs about $1,800 per month. If your firm is like the many others that use FTP on a daily basis for all necessary file sharing and document management, be sure to budget toward the high end on this item as your users (and your server) will need lots of attention from IT team members.

Emergencies, Breakdowns and Setbacks - $1,100 (or more) per month

Because FTP is not designed to handle the type of work that most companies push through it, the infrastructure is prone to a huge variety of problems. Whether permissions are constantly needing updates, files get lost or overwritten, your hardware fails or you end up draining all your bandwidth too quickly, the end result is the same: You’re forking over more money to patch things up – and this doesn’t even account for the lost revenues endured during the outage.

This list encompasses the base costs typical in most FTP environments in the corporate space. While there are tons of variables and hidden costs not mentioned here, just the base numbers are sobering enough. Now that we have our estimates, let’s add it all up and see how much FTP really costs:

Hardware………...…….$2500

Software………...……..$500

Bandwidth……...……..$1300 + $900/Mo.

Setup & Config….….$600

Maintenance…….…..$1800/Mo.

Crises & Setbacks..$1100/Mo.

The grand total is..................... $4,900 initially, plus $3,800 monthly. 

So after a full year, your “free” FTP systems will have cost you about $50,500!!

The  best take-away you can get from all this number-crunching is the abandonment of the myth of so-called ‘free FTP’ (‘free’ being most likely the only appealing factor that drew you towards it in the first place). There’s no further reason to use FTP now that the true costs are exposed. Instead, switch to a cloud based FTP Replacement solution that’s designed for the tasks at hand.

If you upgrade to a more optimal tool, you might find that ‘missing’ money or swiftly-draining payroll hours are quickly and significantly mitigated. By ditching FTP, it is entirely possible that you’ll see massive boosts to your bottom line simply by switching to a more effective solution. 

Denver, Colorado-based technology consulting and IT services firm bWERX Inc., developer of eTransmittal, a Web-based document transfer & tracking tool that simplifies, streamlines, and automates the exchange and tracking of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) documents, today announced its national recognition in Management Today magazine, also marking milestones in growth and new innovations.

bWERX’s ‘Vendor Focus’ feature, appearing in the Spring 2012 issue of Management Today, highlights not only the implementations of eTransmittal as a case study for environmental solutions firm ADA, but also the careful and practical balance and strategy yielding successes for all parties. Speaking on his relationship with ADA ES, bWERX CEO Justin Culver remarks, “We’ve grown and expanded as they have. It’s been a great learning experience and blessing for us to work with ADA.”

bWERX’s collaborative SaaS (Software as a Service) product, eTransmittal, is also represented on the back cover of the Management Today Spring 2012 issue. Poised to earn even more awards for growth and software development accolades (beyond those exhibited on the back cover feature), bWERX Inc. has added three new employees so far this Spring and established technology partnerships with four new clients.

Regarding the perpetual prosperity marked by bWERX's recent growth and media attention, which also included mention of CEO Justin Culver’s dedication to worthy charitable causes, Culver quips, “Our success isn’t only measured by the businesses we impact with technology, but in how we can contribute to the bigger picture of reforming the partnership between missions and the marketplace.”

The speed of business isn't slowing down any time soon. The files we send are getting larger, we're distributing them to more people, more often and over increasingly greater distances. The accomplishment of our collaborative tasks is heavily reliant on one universal tool: File Transfer Protocol (FTP). But FTP's capabilities and convenience factors are beginning to wane in the shadow of drawbacks that are increasingly apparent in the hastening digital business environment. 

We've put together a list of four of the most common ways FTP can harm your business. It might be wise to evaluate whether any of these are impacting your company:

1)    Security Vulnerabilities

You don’t have to look far to find resources online that decry the security flaws in FTP. Increased concerns over privacy, security and compliance regulations are prompting many firms to reevaluate their technology tools, and FTP should rank near the top of that list.

Every other application or program that is as commonly used and tied to as many systems as FTP is given the highest levels of security scrutiny. It is only practical that we should examine our FTP systems in a similar fashion.

2)    Permissions Management

CIO’s, system administrators and webmasters should be all too familiar with the idea of managing permissions. FTP servers are accessible via the web and there are usually multiple users accessing the same FTP site. Because of this ease of accessibility and the folder-file directory system inherent to FTP, there will always be permissions issues. This is especially true if you have a lot of users, a lot of FTP sites that serve various purposes, and/or sensitive data to protect from prying eyes.

Managing who has what level of access and which parts of the FTP server they can see can quickly sap precious time away from IT administrators. FTP seems convenient and it’s easy to use. But it’s imperative to evaluate how much time (and money) is wasted managing FTP users, sites and all their individual directories. After all, your IT department is also managing your servers, your email systems, your workstations, your networks…you get the idea.

3)    Tracking and Monitoring

This one is pretty simple – FTP simply doesn’t have the proper tracking and monitoring capability. Aside from very basic and hard-to-interpret activity logging, there is simply no way to see a visible trail of activity or any way to monitor activity on the server.

With so many users, folders and files – especially on larger FTP servers and web servers – there is too much room for error. Files can get overwritten, deleted or moved and there’s simply no way to immediately know about it, and certainly no way to track down the offender and hold them accountable.

4)    Costly Servers

Most users only see your FTP site from their side of the screen. Perhaps even your own employees are never aware of the ‘back end’. But the reality might prove more sobering, especially to those concerned with the technology budget.

All FTP sites are often based in heavy, space-hogging, high cost servers. If the servers are on-site, they represent a direct cost center to the company, including maintenance, server management, security, cooling systems and more. If the servers are off-site, you’re paying for the colocation, hosting services, monitoring, rack space and support.

It’s been almost three years since Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers remarked that Cloud computing platforms would represent a “security nightmare”.  That was back when the Cloud was a relatively young innovation and the concept wasn’t so widespread. Even then, the technology titan recognized the challenges that could result from the shift to such a network-intensive nebula.

Today, business leaders are flocking to the Cloud even more ambitiously, possibly even too rapidly; yet the security issues are still largely unabated. As Cloud computing gains traction in the corporate realm, the awareness factor for best practices and security becomes crucial. Planning is imperative, not just because of the risks associated with poor security, but because it will undoubtedly heap a whole new set of challenges onto IT departments and CIOs – many of which could already be overextended.

Perhaps the smartest plan for companies in the Cloud, or those preparing for the jump, is to follow a simple set of Best Practices to alleviate the security and logistical stresses. Companies that successfully migrate to a Cloud architecture through the application of Best Practices are also playing a dual role for the entire corporate technology community by blazing a trail and helping to establish standardized methods that work. Furthermore, those that take a little more time in the planning phase could enjoy the luxury of watching others make mistakes, taking notes and thereby avoiding similar pitfalls themselves.

While each firm will differ in terms of strategy during such a mass migration, (although the banking industry has discovered a unique cooperative solution) there are a few good options and best practices that everyone can leverage during the challenging change:

*When shopping for Cloud services, learn all you can about the provider, paying special attention to their guarantees, privacy policies and security protocols

*If possible, choose Cloud providers and SaaS developers that offer technology management and consulting services for added support throughout the migration.

*Find out exactly where your data is being stored. Also check into the data protection laws that govern the location and who has access to the servers.

* If you’re undertaking a large-scale migration, take extra time shopping and comparing providers. Consider seeking an independent security audit of the firm or hiring a Managed IT Consultant.

*Look at the integration factor from every angle, taking extra care to ensure that the Cloud provider can work within the scope of your technology assets and security policies.

*On the internal side, set up robust monitoring systems and security alerts. Educate the staff about the migration and share pertinent details with the appropriate teams.

*During updates, upgrades or any other such change in the system, run security checks, scans on local workstations and make sure that all users and their permissions haven’t changed.

Handling a big technology change is no easy task for any business, which is why many have opted to outsource their IT operations and hire a Managed IT provider. Not only does IT outsourcing shift the tremendous burden away from the company leadership, but it ensures that the migration is handled with the proper planning and under the watchful eye of technology experts. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how to make the big jump to the Cloud.