Benefits of Moving to the Cloud with Microsoft’s Office 365

With the cloud emerging as a powerful platform to move or hold business data, Microsoft has stepped in as a strong participant. The Microsoft’s Office 365 is a Software as a Service (SaaS) that delivers the cloud technology and productivity to businesses empowering them to be cost, time and resource efficient. Office 365 provides an online version of MS-Office suite along with SharePoint server, Lync server, and Exchange server.

When designing the Office 365, Microsoft had a focused approach towards developing a cloud platform for organizations’ users that is seamless regardless whether they are on-premises or on the cloud. One of the core offerings of the Office 365 is Exchange Online which allows organizations to co-exist with the Exchange Server.

Microsoft, an excellent service provider, has guaranteed reliability backed by robust security. It’s important to note that Microsoft defines simple yet rich feature sets.

With the Office 365, you experience a completely new experience of communicating over the cloud. It allows you to:

• Access emails, documents, calendars, contacts anywhere, on any device
• Enjoy business-class features including geo-redundancy, disaster recovery, guaranteed 99.9% uptime, and IT-level phone support
• Work seamlessly with Microsoft Office and/or any other program your users count on everyday
• Give you flexibility by allowing to pay-as-you-go
• Work with the latest version of Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)

Some great services offered by O365 as a SaaS are:

• Office mobile apps – Access, view & edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote files via a web browser.
• Simple file sharing – Each user gets a 7GB personal storage with the SkyDrive Pro that is easily accessible on various devices.
• Web conferencing – Arrange meetings over-the-web with screen sharing, HD video conferencing, and instant messaging.
• Intranet Team sites – Get customizable security settings for individual teams within the organization with the help of SharePoint.
• Active directory integration – Allows you to manage user permissions & credentials with a single sign-on.
• Hosted email – Provides 25 GB of storage space per user, business-class email, shared calendars and the ability to use your own domain name.
• Office web apps – Create and edit Excel, Word, Power Point, and OnNote files via a web browser.

The Net Activity team is uniquely positioned as a leading provider of cloud infrastructure services. To get a glimpse of our cloud services, visit https://www.netactivity.us/services/cloud-computing-services or discuss the details over the phone with Harry Bhatia, President of Net Activity, Inc at 2165035150 X 206.

How to Transform Your IT Infrastructure with Hybrid IT Solutions – Explained by Net Activity, Inc.

Hybrid IT Infrastructure is the reality of today. With a lot of options available for anything and everything, it has become a necessity to introduce a better alternative for the cloud environment and here it is – The Hybrid IT Infrastructure. Also, multiple legacy operating software, hardware, and customized applications call for a solution that could include the benefits of both – the public & private clouds.

Net Activity, Inc. states that Hybrid IT is transforming the IT infrastructure & the role of IT itself. Analysts suggest that Hybrid IT relies on sophisticated approaches to data classification and identity, new technologies to connect clouds, and service-oriented architecture. Thus, heralds a significant change for IT practitioners. Many organizations are testing the cloud architectures for churning out new possibilities that would bring in a system which would be more cost-effective and performance-driven.

What is Hybrid IT?

Hybrid IT is a combination of the internal (private clouds) and public clouds, in support of a business outcome. The hybrid system increases the exponential rate of the radical evolution of the IT infrastructure.

How does it affect IT infrastructure?

It aims at arranging a structure wherein the positives of both – internal & external (i.e. private and public clouds) can be merged to get a structure featuring the merits of both. This partial contribution of public & private cloud infrastructures brings a culmination of both and allows IT organizations to offer internal customers the speed, capacity, price of the external cloud while maintaining security and reducing IT service costs.

Hybrid IT is the new IT and it has the ability to build internal clouds to house critical IT services. It also utilizes the external cloud to house noncritical IT services & data in order to increase agility.

How can Net Activity, Inc. help?

Net Activity, Inc. is a leading player in the cloud infrastructure services. In times when economic pressures are dominating the business capabilities, the Hybrid IT can be an optimum solution. The Net Activity team introduces the cloud service (public, private & hybrid) and provides you viable options to secure your data while experiencing a dynamic technological shift. You are free to select a cloud service that fits your specific requirements. Please visit https://www.netactivity.us/cloud-computing-services/ to know more about our services or call Harry Bhatia at 2165035150 X 206.

Proven Methods to Move Securely to the Private Cloud

When moving to the cloud, businesses undergo a complete transformation. This transition is not just any decision made in a day or a month. It takes continuous brainstorming, network assessments and involvement of the management to implement the cloud strategy. Choosing a cloud service is the most important decision in this process.

Some key considerations while moving to the cloud network are:

• Data security
• Cost
• Regulations & compliance
• Skills & operation

Organizations are skeptical about leaking some of their information such as the patient data, financial data, and intellectual data on the cloud (especially public cloud) and prefer to keep it in-house. Here, security is the primary concern as many companies would have access to the memory cache as well as the other resources .In the cloud environment, a complexity in layering and changing controls often occurs. Also, the most important intervention is of the users.

Why Private cloud is preferred over Public networks

The problem is not necessarily that the public cloud service providers are not capable or safe enough to be trusted by businesses for their data structures; however, the private cloud services attract entrepreneurs who prefer customization. Of course, there are security issues with the private cloud too which can be minimized by adopting the following methods:

STORAGE

• Plan for proper zoning
• Don’t mask LUN’s at the local HBA
• Implement encryption wherever appropriate

NETWORK

• Proper layer 2 & 3 access controls planning with VLANs and ACLs

PHYSICAL SERVERS

• Buy appropriate hardware for consistency & resource load
• Plan for new chipset-based security mechanisms

VIRTUAL MACHINES & MANAGEMENT PLATFORMS

• Configuration management: Build all virtual machines from templates and manage them closely
• Access controls: Leveraging access to a defined set of individuals can help monitor the traffic and stay protected from external interventions.

APIs

• Integration with applications & orchestration tools is critical

AUDITING & MONITORING IAAS SECURITY

• Auditing should include elements such as VM logs, hypervisor logs and file integrity, orchestration logs
• Vulnerability and network scanners can also monitor ports & services in the cloud environment
• Scripts can help validate strict guide controls or tools like Host Profiles (VMware)

Businesses often consider moving to cloud a s a risky process. However, in today’s world, such a move is crucial to prepare for upcoming changes, as in a few years, almost everything will inevitably exist on cloud. It is critical to make the right choice of your cloud service provider as only experienced and well-equipped Managed service providers (MSPs) can help you ease the process while staying secured.

Net Activity, Inc., offers public, private and hybrid Cloud computing solutions, which include Cloud assets, IPs and services that are customized to meet the diverse business requirements. The Net Activity team is uniquely positioned as a leader in cloud infrastructure services network. To know To learn about our pricing and services, contact Harry Bhatia at 2165035150 X 206. You can also visit our website: https://www.netactivity.us/cloud-computing-services/.

Thank You for visiting us.

How to be Safe While Moving to the Cloud Infrastructure

We all live in an era where the digital workspace is known by the name Cloud. Unlike the earlier times, cloud migration is no longer an option; it is an imperative part of businesses responsible for speeding up processes, reducing costs and establishing flexibility. Almost all the businesses, irrespective of whether technology-based or not, due to the convenience and cost-efficiency (of course, when done right), are moving to the cloud infrastructure.

Moving to the cloud environment affects no single but many components of the business including information, personnel, expenses, security, and performance. To extract the advantages of cloud computing to the maximum, business owners as well as IT managers must diligently avoid the following mistakes that have led to hefty losses to some businesses:

• Selection of wrong service package – Many companies end up paying for services they don’t need and lose agility and control.
• Neglecting connectivity in lieu of saving on costs – You cannot afford to lose even a single minute productivity of thousands of employees which can cost you a hefty loss of thousands of dollars per minute. Some cloud computing service providers may try to lure you with cost saving options but you need to be extra careful in such cases.
• Overlooking disaster recovery exercises – A proper disaster recovery plan (not just backup) allows businesses to be stable during unfavorable situations too.
• Visioning only for the short-term – While opting for a cloud computing solution, many organizations look at their short term goals and analyze what cloud can do for them at that instant. This can lead to unintentional design limitations that could have easily been avoided.
• Underestimating the time and bandwidth required for moving large data sets – Due to network speed limits, large chunks of data require longer duration to be moved. Organizations must rationally understand that speed largely affects the cloud’s performance.

Benefits of cloud computing are many, however, in the current scenario, what speaks dominantly is how a business extracts the maximum out of the cloud computing solutions. For a better insight over cloud computing mechanism and to help you decide on the service provider you must trust, you ought to get impartial suggestions & advice from experts.

Net Activity Inc. is a leading provider of proven cloud computing solutions. Completely dedicated to its services and customer satisfaction, the team popularly addresses its customers’ diverse cloud requirements along with offering a robust environment. For more details on how our cloud services are way ahead of others, please visit https://www.netactivity.us/services/cloud-computing-services or contact Harry Bhatia at 2165035150 X 206.

Cloud Computing Security Risks: 5 Steps to Ensure Success

IT decision makers are under great pressure with the increasing reliability of businesses on IT infrastructure. Almost 80% of the businesses operate and rely on the virtual network (cloud platform) and this is why the cloud computing storage providers are on their toes always.

Cloud data synchronization allows organizations to deliver instant services to clients as well as employees while cutting down costs and minimizing complexity. Moreover, the cloud serves as an extremely flexible platform to grow or shrink capacity as needed. So, it is like no one has left it untouched. Cloud service participates in every domain and affects every business. But is your data safe with cloud? – This definitely is a major concern.

Don’t worry. Interestingly, cloud computing security risks are manageable. With availing cloud services, you actually expose your precious data to a virtual world. Doing this may be risky if not controlled at the initial stages. Here are 5 important steps to keep your business data safe with enjoying the benefits of cloud:

Define problems proactively: Before deciding to avail the cloud services, it is advisable to define your objectives clearly. Making a list of compliance and security preferences would serve the purpose better and reduce risks to the maximum.

Prioritize vulnerability testing: This should be the foremost thing you must do. Under vulnerability testing, your system undergoes a rigorous test which will help to prevent future mishaps to your data and you will be capable of implementing proactive security controls.

Authorize access to selective personnel: Who accesses and controls your data is very crucial. Establishing access controls minimizes risks and limits the possibility of breach.

Select wisely between public/private/hybrid cloud services: Your analysis of which cloud computing solutions possesses the potential to cater to your business’ requirements must be full-proof considering all ifs and buts. The three have their own benefits. However, you, as a business owner, must interpret all the possible circumstances before making the selection.

Prefer a sequential and planned migration to the cloud: A planned approach greatly helps to gain trust and understand the loopholes of any system. If you are struggling to move your data to the cloud due to the associated risks, a better way is to start sequentially. Initially you can use cloud services for non-critical applications, slowly bringing in critical applications to the platform.

With this brief understanding of critical components of cloud storage and cloud computing security risks, you have a pre-defined check list to follow before finalizing which cloud storage is best for you. If you wish to have any further assistance regarding the service, it is important to get in touch with experts. Net Activity, Inc. is offers cloud services in Cleveland and Akron and has teamed up the best in industry professionals to make up a reliable and friendly cloud computing solutions provider in Ohio. Visit https://www.netactivity.us/services/cloud-computing-services to know more about us or contact us at (216)503-6579 and we will be happy to assist you.

Why is Virtualization a Key Technology in Cloud Computing Environments?

Virtualization, as the word explains, is a separation of the physical infrastructures to create various dedicated resources. The term is often seen coupled with cloud computing and you always wonder – Why is it so important? Here comes the answer –

Saying it straight and clear, without virtualization, cloud computing would leave the data unstable, uncontrolled and unsafe. It is an important and probably an inseparable element of cloud computing services. Virtualization allows us to consolidate multiple physical components so that they can be managed at one place. With the help of virtualization, organizations have a better visibility and also a greater control of their infrastructure making security management simpler for the cloud.

It is due to virtualization that the cloud computing services are so cost-effective. Moreover, it is also responsible for the simplicity of delivering services by providing a platform for optimizing complex IT resources.

A few examples to convince you on the above thought –

• Intelligent use of single computers: Virtualization software enables 1 computer to perform as though it were 20 computers. It empowers you to move your data center with thousands of computers to a single one that supports as few as a couple of hundreds.
• Virtual memory: Computer systems can use virtual memory to borrow extra memory from the hard disk. Although, it performs slower than the disk spaces, this substitution works considerably well.
• Efficient use of IT resources: Cloud data storage services let you optimize your resources/capacity based on your needs. Whenever you need more capacity, you can easily leverage the cloud provider’s infrastructure.
• Easily migrate and balance workload: When your workloads vary greatly (mostly happens with e-commerce websites), the cloud computing environments can proactively add more capacity in anticipation of the need.

Though not completely dependent, virtualization and cloud computing rely too much on one another and when combined, make up a power couple. The former provides more strength and reliability to the latter. But you need to choose the cloud computing service providers with diligence as your data is very important.

If you are based in Cleveland or looking for cloud services in Cleveland, you ought to visit https://www.netactivity.us/cloud-computing-services and get in touch with the experts.Net Activity, Inc. is uniquely positioned as leaders in providing cloud infrastructure services network. Our superior solutions let you have a competitive edge over your competitors.

10 Best Cloud Storage Services 2016

The major concern of businesses today is how & where to keep their precious data secure. Ridiculously, it has been more important than safeguarding physical assets. Coming to the rescue, online/cloud storage has become the strongest game changer. Every business, small or big, has partnered and trusted the very reliable and inexpensive cloud storage for storing their data. Cloud services have matured with time just to feature immensely customizable solutions to businesses which will definitely pose a puzzle in making an appropriate choice.

Net Activity, Inc., a leading provider of public and private cloud computing solutions in Cleveland & Akron, realizes the upsurge of data dependency and takes the initiative to describe 10 best cloud storage services of 2016 you can rely on:

Easy usability

1. Dropbox: If you need no more than 2GB of free space, Dropbox is amazing! It shells out more space (as high as 18GB) for you in simple ways such as referring friends. The UI is clean and what interests more is it allows you to share data with non Dropbox users too.
2. Sync: Comparably a newbie, Sync is gaining popularity due to offering quite a large 5GB of free space, upgradable to 500GB for $49/year & 2TB for $98/year with an easy-to-use interface.
3. eFolder Anchor: A strong alternative to Dropbox, Anchor stands as a comprehensive file synchronization platform built exclusively for MSPs, IT service providers and VARs. It characterizes easy usability, true multi-tenant management and monitoring, full white label branding with wholesale monthly billing and RMM & PSA integration.

Efficiency

4. Google Drive: It hits the list as you get a whopping 15GB of free storage on sign up. It allows you to experiment a lot by letting you create, save & sync data with the help of integrated apps without using your free storage.
5. Box: It generously offers you a free space of 10GB along with security, task management & discussions within Box. However, it restricts file size & doesn’t permit file version history.

Privacy

6. MEGA: An intuitive UI with a sufficient free storage space of 50GB is what users experience with MEGA. Sharing of public links is allowed but you can’t password protect shared files. MEGA doesn’t access your data.
7. SpiderOak: It’s kind of a dearly priced service with regards to storage provided. Data is encrypted for both transfer & storage. So it’s extra protected & serves good unless you forget the password.

Other reliable cloud storage options:

8. OneDrive: Microsoft’s OneDrive lets users benefit from 15GB free space on signing up and offers several upgrades for an extra cost. It works closely with MS-Office apps and that’s where it gets a thumbs-up.
9. pCloud: You get an instant 10GB of data storage for free with pCloud and can expand it to up to 20GB. It functions well with all the operating systems and can also be conveniently used on desktop & mobile screens. An instant backup of photos from social media is an added feature to make it appealing.
10. Mediafire: The free account invites 10GB of free data storage expandable by easy tasks or paying extra. It displays an elegant interface & allows you to create, save and manage a wide range of file types.

We have simplified it for you. Visit https://www.netactivity.us/services/cloud-computing-services to understand how the Net Activity, Inc. team can help manage your cloud services.