I've been hearing about the Cloud a lot lately? Is it a good thing?

The Public Cloud is a new way of distributing your data and systems by placing some or all of them on the internet. By this what is generally shown is large data centers renting our space for you to run your applications and store your data, with support from overseas. For most SMBs, transferring their entire IT operation to a Public Cloud is somewhat upsetting. Groupe Access has developed MyCloud.ca; it is a modular infrastructure of products and services that allow for (1)Public Cloud services from our facilities in Montreal, supported in Montreal, for those functions that best belong in the Cloud, (2) Private Cloud services that we can add to upgrade your data center to give you most of the capabilities of the Cloud, but on your own infrastructure, and on your own terms, and (3) Hybrid Cloud services allows for the direct secure linking of these two Clouds, allowing you to put as much or as little of your data off-site as you wish.

I'm wondering what the Cloud means to me, my customers, and my competitors?

The Cloud is about distributed computing, adding speed, reliability, and scalability to your data. Your customers are expecting it, and your competitors are doing it or looking into it. The Cloud is allowing competitors to make a quantum jump in technology, by basically renting out computer time, software licenses, IT support for a monthly fee. If you are an established organisation you undoubtedly have a professional IT department. MyCloud.ca was designed to function with and assist your IT department. We rarely recommend moving a full infrastructure to the Cloud. MyCloud.ca solutions are tailor made to individual IT infrastructures adding Cloud functionalities in both the Public Cloud (data center) and Private Cloud (your server room) to best serve your clients, your employees, and your company.

Is putting my data on the Cloud risky?

We are in the business of minimizing risk, but as with most emerging technologies, opinions vary. At Groupe Access we offer a wide range of data management choices to custom fit to the needs of your customers, your users, and your business. We do have fully integrated, redundant and secured Public Cloud solutions. We offer live replication and failover options. We operate from a Tier One data center right here in Montreal, and constantly monitor and protect our client's data. But some clients prefer to only put less sensitive data in the Cloud, perhaps a catalogue, or a web-site, others will add e-mails, but most still prefer accounting and similar functions kept in house. Our solutions provide specifically for this as well.

Where are all the data, monitoring and help desk centers located?

We hear a lot about large scale American data centers, monitored and supported from Asia. That is the case for many large scale operations. There exists, however, a vibrant and reliable Public Cloud option right here in Canada. In fact Groupe Access has it's primary Public Cloud infrastructure right here in Montreal, and our monitoring and support are done by a dedicated, experienced, certified and bilingual team right in our head office in Downtown Montreal.

How can you help me manage the costs of constant upgrading of my hardware and software?

The backbone of any Cloud platform is server virtualization. This allows us to share resources between servers for specific uses. So now instead of replacing all your servers every 2 or 3 years, you can add a server to your pool and allocate the additional resources between different applications. Software models from suppliers like Microsoft now even come in a monthly per user version, which keeps you up to date with the latest versions and you only pay for what you use. MyCloud.ca engineers are fully certified on virtualisation technologies.

How do I satisfy staff and clients who are pressuring me for remote access with multiple devices?

Again Cloud Computing is basically about where you put your data. With MyCloud.ca you can put as much or as little as you wish on the public cloud. A catalogue or web-site is a good example of an element of your business that could fit on the Public Cloud. Our long-time experience in connecting users and customers to our clients has given us leading expertise in remote computing. From simple remote users on multiple platforms, to the most cutting edge mobile devices, we can make you visible and functional on the web, with the latest security tools.

I have a large relatively new server room, is it still useful?

Absolutely. The backbone of Cloud computing is Virtualisation software. Virtualisation allows for the sharing of resources between existing servers; between existing servers and new in-house servers; and between existing servers and data center servers, if desired. MyCloud.ca has numerous certified and experienced technicians in both leading virtualisation solutions. We also have numerous industry certified server hardware technicians, and can sell and service HP, IBM or Dell platforms.

Can I add Cloud functionalities to my existing systems?

Yes. You may or may not be virtualised within your server room. Beyond installing or optimizing your virtual infrastructure, we might recommend certain upgrades that will allow you more efficient use of your existing platform. But that is just the beginning; we offer Data Center level Cloud services such as remote monitoring and support, help desk, data security and replication, connectivity management and security that can all be added to your existing systems.

My IT personnel are excellent, are you replacing them?

No, we are not. Your IT personnel know your business well, and that is a tremendous asset to your company. MyCloud.ca assists your personnel with regular tasks such as 24*7 monitoring and support, adding new tools and capabilities to your team, keeping software and security up to date, maximizing hardware efficiency, and many other tasks. MyCloud.ca assists by 'keeping the lights on' while your IT staff can concentrate on the growth and efficiency of your business.

Can I have better data security and still keep everything in house?

Certainly. In addition to helping with security and encryption software, MyCloud.ca can provide numerous additional resources. Our proprietary Linux firewall extension allows for ultra-secure inter office communications. Our experienced platform specialists can review your infrastructure looking for open ports, out of date firewalls, and other potential breeches in security.

Can my systems become more up to date without changing everything?

Most equipment purchased in the last 3 years can serve a function in a virtualized cloud. Our consultants are prepared to analyse your environment and propose a conversion strategy. There is no doubt that Cloud computing is here to stay, the question is can it be made to best suit your needs. MyCloud is a large selection of modular solutions that can optimize and assist most Small to Medium businesses, customized to your individual constraints.

Can I divide my systems between public and private systems?

Yes, and particularly well using MyCloud.ca technologies. Developed through years of Research and Development and real world testing, MyCloud.ca represents 18 years of managed services support, remote access support, connectivity support, and data center hosting. Very few clients are comfortable with a complete Public Cloud solution, for example accounting and payroll are most often mentioned as something to keep in-house. On the other hand, many clients do want large bandwidth hungry applications off their in-house system, catalogues, web-sites, and e-mail (Exchange) systems are regular targets. We understand that no single solution works for everyone, and that is why our systems are specifically designed to support a Hybrid Cloud solution.

Can these two systems safely exchange data?

Yes they can. This exchange takes place over the internet so you can to consider reliability and security. For reliability, we have developed a Linux based router with internet fail-over. We generally recommend a fiber-optic link for a Hybrid cloud, and a redundant copper line is not a significant added cost. Our router will detect a problem with your primary supplier and switch over to your redundant line before you can reach for your phone. Our proprietary firewalls create a secure direct link (it is called a Linux Lan Extension) between your sites which in fact make your remote site an integral part of your network.

Can outside users safely communicate with my IT?

Yes, whether in a private or public cloud mode, we recommend limiting visitors (or intruders) outside your firewall inside catalogues or hosted web-sites. There are numerous protocols to identify real clients and company users and allow them into your secure systems. For additional security, our firewalls and programmed for multiple advanced levels of intrusion protection, and the malware protection at our data center is Tier One.

Who maintains the infrastructure?

We maintain it, and your personnel are free to be as involved or not in the monitoring and maintenance of the health of your infrastructure. We are entirely responsible for the proper functioning of all elements of the public cloud you are using, as well as your connectivity. We can take responsibility for the monitoring, maintenance and support of your in-house infrastructure, or work with your IT personnel if you have them. In either event we have amongst the highest ratios of certified hardware, software, and platform specialists in Canada.

How rapidly and often do the systems communicate?

As with many things in new technologies, this is dependent on resources expended, and costs. We offer anything from simple overnight off-site back-ups, to live replication of data. The more robust and powerful the infrastructure, the more frequently your data can be replicated. In fact, we can even offer you a complete failover infrastructure to a secondary site where you may only lose a few minutes of transactions in the event of a total system loss.

My budgets are tight, but I need increased IT capacity, more tools, can you help?

The backbone of our IaaS environment is a well designed virtualised server infrastructure. Whether your servers are on-site or hosted, getting every bit of shared efficiency out of them will stretch your budgets. Even if you are looking at new equipment we can do more with 3 virtualized servers and a SAN, than many more un-virtualized servers. We are also capable of providing you with monitoring and security tools at Data Center levels. We do this WITH you, we help set up the infrastructure and can do as much or as little as you wish.

Are the initial capital costs of servers, storage, software and infrastructure an issue?

If capital costs are a major impediment, we can provide a fully hosted infrastructure in a local data center, secured and monitored, for a very reasonable monthly rate. Perhaps just certain areas of storage are causing an issue, we can offer to host certain functions, such as web-functionalities, Exchange, at our data center, with a fiber optic link to your offices, for a monthly rate as well, freeing up your existing infrastructure.

I'm concerned that my servers are properly maintained and monitored?

MyCloud.ca provides 24*7 monitoring of all significant physical and virtual functions of the infrastructure we support. Depending on your chosen level of service we can give you the tools to manage you systems; monitor and notify you of an issue; or fix the problem, including replacing parts. We work in partnership with your IT management. We concentrate on keeping the lights on, freeing you to participate more fully in the operations of the business.

Can you help me manage the need to upgrade your servers every 2 or 3 years?

Yes we can. Once we have created and optimized the virtual infrastructure, you go on managing your virtual servers in a very similar way to your physical servers. It is now much easier to add resources however. You can add CPUs, RAM, and storage space along a road map we can help you develop. By maximizing the performance of all servers, all your services will benefit with increased speed, redundancy and storage. Once you reach a milestone and your physical servers are all fully loaded, you can simply add another server, and re-allocate shared resources between them.

What is the quality and vintage of the hardware provided in a Data center?

Our MyCloud agreements call for HP best of breed servers and SANs. After an analysis of your requirements, virtual servers are designed and sufficient physical resources are allocated to them. Our systems are all HP G6 and G7 Proliants, monitored 24*7, and maintained by our qualified team of technicians. We can also, at the client's option, host your equipment. Our hosting is done in a Tier One data center, supported by our platform and infrastructure monitoring teams. Our infrastructure team includes 6 HP certified technicians.

How do I ensure monitoring and support for my IT at night and on weekends?

MyCloud.ca is designed to work with you, almost like a staff member. We have automated monitoring of all physical systems, backups, security, and virtual environments 24*7. We have on call staff to repair or re-allocate resources nights and weekends, or we can simply notify you, if that is your protocol. Our platform specialists have many years of experience in monitoring and supporting virtual platforms, operating systems, MS Exchange, Backups, security, the are server rooms specialists, and are there to help.

How do I keep up with the need to update my Operating Systems, versions and patches?

Whether in a Private or Public Cloud solution, we take the responsibility for managing updates, o/s patches and security patches. We are a Microsoft and a VMWare configuration and support center and are certified to manage all significant server room and end-user products. We will NOT do an o/s version change without your approval, even in a hosting center where we are providing the licensing.

Are my backups completing and frequent enough? Do I need to monitor and track backups?

As part of our most basic SLA, we provide nightly back-up monitoring and notification, whether that is on-site, or hosted. Our systems can be programmed to re-launch the back-up or take other actions, as well as notifying you or responding ourselves, depending on your chosen protocol. We can also run periodic data integrity tests for you, and even live failover testing. Finally, depending on your needs, we can help you set up on-site or off-site, disk-to disk replication.

Are my security protocols and firewalls up to date?

We do offer a state of the art hardware firewall designed in house with complete linux software. We also support third party firewalls. We monitor all our managed firewalls 24*7 from our control center. We manage and maintain security in hundreds of sites and can help you maintain your secure environment as Cloud technology, remote users, and mobile devices become more linked with your infrastructure.

Would the support of a part time Level 2 technician for lesser tasks free me for important and advanced tasks?

We hope so. We are offering to work with you. Virtualisation is here, Cloud computing is coming fast; we are offering to assist in areas where our expertise might be of assistance. We are offering to monitor key systems at night, weekends, or even during the day. We can help with reliability, scalability, security, and performance. With MyCloud.ca you have the benefit of a direct relationship with a talent pool of dozens of level 2 and 3 experienced technicians, right here in Montreal. What could you do with an extra 5 or 10 hours a week?

Are you spending time and money updating software versions?

Most software is now available in a licensing, or pay-as-you-go model, with software updates included in the pricing. Updates and patches can be done by our technicians remotely. Version updates are not obligatory, but are included in most SaaS products, and can be done when the version is mature. If you prefer an on-site model and have a large number of systems to upgrade, we can offer you temporary experienced assistance on this or most other projects.

Do you always have a stable number of users?

If your number of users is relatively stable, there may be a variety of licensing options that may assist you. It is much more interesting if you have seasonal or other changes in your user base; there are a number of models that offer direct monthly per user charges for software provided by major manufacturers, even Microsoft. If you have 60 users in the summer, and 30 in the winter, you do not have to purchase 60 MS Office licenses, we can help as an authorized Microsoft SPLA (Software Provider Licensing Agreement) vendor.

Is the initial cost of software an issue for your budgets?

One common element of SaaS is paying for your software over time. Everything from Microsoft products, to customized Web, accounting, and operational software is available in a SaaS model. Some customization costs may need to be paid up front, but in general SaaS is a method of extending not just the cost, but the payment, over years.

Are you asked for connectivity to numerous remote devices?

MyCloud.ca has been supporting remote user technology, security and software applications since the 1990s. In addition to our industry leading Platform and Infrastructure specialists, we have a dedicated team of SaaS programmers experienced in internet interfaces with in house and hosted databases. In tandem with our platform team, we can bring your systems to the Cloud in a safe and structured fashion. Our development team can find a solution specific to your needs and infrastructure that will allow you to maintain control of your systems.

Do you have requests for smaller programming jobs to integrate with your systems?

Our SaaS team is experienced in SQL, MySQL, PHP, Ajax, .NET, and most remote connectivity protocols. In addition to larger projects, they are experienced in providing internet portal solutions to our clients, allowing for a greater integration of the complete Infrastructure, Platform, and Software solution. Why? Because if you have a problem, you only need to call one number, and there will be no finger pointing.