Cloud Computing is the new buzzword in IT Support Services

It has great potential and far reaching consequences for every business.

It could change how you pay for IT and remove the need for an expensive server, or servers, in your office.

• What is “Cloud Computing”? Cloud Computing is a new computer architecture. It’s so new that there isn’t a clear definition yet, but this is how Wikipedia defines it: Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid. No need for a server in the office. The concept is that you won’t buy expensive servers and install them in your office. Instead your server(s) will be out in the Cloud and you will access them via your broadband connection. We will manage them out in the Cloud for you.

• Eliminate Capital Expenditure -  Without the need for a server your up-front Capital Cost will be much lower or perhaps even zero. Instead you will pay a monthly fee for the use of the server resource and its support.Depending on the software author you may even be able to switch to paying for your main business application on a monthly basis according to the number of users you have rather than paying for it all up-front.
• Scale you operation without big capital costs - If you need more computer resource or more users on your main business application you will be able to scale increase usage without capital expenditure. Just pay for the extra users when you need them.
• So what should you move into The Cloud first? The best way to move into the Cloud is 1 step at a time. This enables you to test the water and move pieces of your infrastructure in a controllable manner.

Here are some of the things you can most easily start to move into The Cloud:

• IT Support – there really is no need for an engineer to visit your desk to fix most of your problems. We can help you via the Cloud and log onto your PC or server (with your permission) and fix your problems. It means that problems can be fixed faster, more conveniently and for less cost. To find out more about ASG's IT Support services click here

• Email – hosted Exchange email now works well in the Cloud. Putting it in the Cloud means that even if your office server goes down or something happens to your office you will be able to get your email at a different location.

• Online data backup – for most organisations this is the easiest most cost effective way to back up their data. The data is encrypted and then backs up over the internet each night (or whenever you choose) to a secure server centre. You won’t need to buy tapes or a tape drive and it’s all automatic so you don’t need to do anything. We will monitor for you every day to make sure it’s running correctly.

• Hosted applications – today more and more software vendors are making their applications available across the internet for a simple per user subscription each month. The applications are accessible from any location with a suitable internet service.

• Data – instead of keeping your data locally in the office you can store it in the Cloud in a hosted server making it easier for mobile and remote workers to access.

FREE Cloud Computing consultation

Of course to make these changes you will need the right advice. If you would like a FREE consultation to see how whether moving to The Cloud would benefit your business and how you could start the transition please contact us.

Contact us today to learn more.

Google Apps offers simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools for enterprises of any size in business, education, or government – all hosted by Google to streamline setup, minimise maintenance and reduce IT costs.

The Apps Suite:

Overview

Rather than spending your precious time monitoring your email server, why not use it to run your business. With Gmail for your business you get 25 GB of storage for each user, powerful spam filtering, Blackberry and Outlook Interoperability, and a 99.9% SLA.

Benefits and features

• Email, IM, voice and video chat - Google provides 25GB of Email and IM storage space for each Apps user. This is estimated to be 50 times the industry standard.
• Access your email anyplace, anytime, anywhere - So you need to do your work on the road? Gmail is securely powered by the web. You can be productive from your desk, on the road, at home and on your mobile phone, and even when your offline, without costly or complex infrastructure.
• Outlook & BlackBerry sync- You can now access your Apps on familiar platforms, also making the transition to Google much easier.
• "Google Search" your emails- With Google-powered search for your inbox, organising and seaching for emails quickly becomes a breeze.
• Receive less spam - Spend less time focusing on Spam and more time dealing with what is important. Saving you time with powerful Gmail spam filtering, and enjoy the benefit of customising your spam filtering with Postini spam protection.
• Proven cost saving - No hardware or software, minimal administration need, creating tremendous time and cost savings for businesses.
• Continuous innovation –  Experience the accelerating rate of innovation at Google. No exertion needed from the customers.
• Smoother information sharing – More efficient collaboration will enhance business application usage.
• Worker mobility – Online accessibility from any internet connection. Employees can stay connected and productive anywhere in the world.
• Information access control – Control information sharing for private and public situations.
• Enterprise-class service – Google Apps includes a 99.9% uptime SLA. Receive 24/7 Support from ASG, the all-in-one Google Partner, Apps Reseller and Postini Reseller.
• Secure infrastructure – Audited and accredited certification ensuring multi-layered protection and privacy for all customers.

If you are interested in this product contact us and speak to one of our specialist account managers for a tailor made product to suit your business needs perfectly.

Google™ Apps Support

Set-up & Install Google Apps

Google Apps for your company. Fast and easy set-up and installation for Google Apps tailored to meet your requirements. ASG can customize the installation of Google Apps in two stages:

Administrator Set-up

• Create a deployment strategy to customize the implementation for your business
• Set-up Google Apps as a mail server
• Customize e-mail, calendar, docs and spreadsheet URLs for your domain
• Implement changes in your e-mail server to use Google Apps
• Configure security settings for online documents

End-user Set-up

• Create new user accounts
• Configure contact & calendar sharing
• Set-up Google Chat
• Instant Support

Call now for instant support for Google Apps:

• Get fast resolutions to errors and problems
• Optimize usage & efficiency with Google Apps
• How-to support on using Google Apps
• Collaboration
• Functionality
• Customization
• Experience the Best Technical Support

ASG Certified Technicians customize deployment of Google Apps for your business to help you effectively communicate and collaborate across your organization. With one of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry, ASG is one of the best technical support for small businesses.

Contact us today to learn more.

Hosted Microsoft Exchange Server

• Group-wide communication and collaboration without the expense or technical hassles normally associated with supporting sophisticated software applications

• Real-time access via the Internet to email management, shared calendars and address books, public folders, task-lists and timelines

• No new hardware, software or training is required

How it works

Hosted Exchange is an email solution that allows companies to share information across users, using Microsoft Outlook, for a fixed cost per user per month.

Mailboxes are stored on the servers in a secure Data Centre, which means there are none of the upfront costs typically associated with the implementation of Microsoft Exchange. Software updates are free and there is minimal need for technical support.Using secure usernames and passwords, employees can access their company mailboxes and shared information in real-time, from anywhere, using any Internet-enabled device.

Features and benefits

•     Mail management features to control company inboxes and grant access to administrators and support staff
•     Group calendars to streamline scheduling and meeting arrangements
•     Company-wide address books and other shared contact information
•     Public folders for organising and sharing files
•     Shared, track-able task-lists and timelines
•     A 2GB mailbox per user on the Premium and Premium Plus offerings
•     Built-in security features, such as secure defaults, the ability to restrict connections and messages, attachment blocking, and improved anti-virus protection
•     Daily back-up by data center
•     Certified Microsoft technicians to keep everything running smoothly
•     Complete scaleability – you pay a user cost per month, and can increase or decrease this number at any stage

If you are interested in this product contact us and speak to one of our specialist account managers for a tailor made product to suit your business needs perfectly.

Contact us today to learn more.