IT Services Info & News | Ascensha

Those who make their livings making predictions and coming up with cute names are calling 2010 “The Year of the Cloud.” To my mind that phrase brings up an image of Yoda in Dinotopia, but it’s really referring to the shift from hardware-based data storage to data storage in “the cloud,” i.e., online. The advent of Google docs and any number of other online storage systems means that companies can now store their information in The Cloud, rather than maintaining costly server centers on site. For the small- to medium-sized business (SMB), the switch to The Cloud offers an unprecedented opportunity to customize software usage and data storage. As we’ve explained in previous posts, if The Cloud allows companies to use pay-as-you-go models for software (usually referred to as SaaS, or Software as a Service), and to store information online, it could indeed be Green, since businesses would need far fewer IT resources on-site.

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A new report released last week revealed some telling statistics on the security of certain “critical infrastructure” industries like power plants, sewer/water systems, and oil/gas companies. In a survey of 600 IT security executives from companies in 14 countries, more than half have already suffered major attacks from malicious organizations. Another 40 percent expect to be infiltrated with a large-scale attack within the next 12 months. (more…)

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Many are still reeling from the loss and devastation in Haiti after the Caribbean country suffered the effects of a massive 7.0 earthquake early last week. And while world relief organizations have already begun to send aid, we know the recovery of this hurting nation will be long and difficult. At Ascensha, we hope for the healing of this nation, and we also hope the tragedy raises awareness concerning natural disaster planning and recovery. Unfortunately, since there is simply no way of accurately predicting when and where disasters like the one in Haiti will strike, it’s imperative to have a working disaster recovery plan in place. For those businesses who don’t already have a plan, here are a few quick steps to get you started.

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Still reeling from the repercussions of its monster service outage and data loss incident, wireless provider T-Mobile has become a living example concerning the importance of data recovery solutions. Unfortunately, they’re the example of what not to do. Immediately, as a business owner, two questions come to mind: (more…)

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We’ve recently been discussing the rising technology known as cloud computing, however, today we shift our focus to another new technology that’s closely related to the cloud — virtualization. Similarly ambiguous and evolving like cloud technology, virtualization is more than just another buzzword being tossed around IT circles. As experts continue to toy with the technology, virtualization stands to show much promise when it comes to integrating into today’s business world. As your own business and IT needs grow, what do you need to know about how virtualization will affect you?

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