CSP, Inc. Is Honored To Be Named a Top Cloud Provider

CSP, Inc. Named a Top Cloud Provider by The Triangle Business Journal

Businesses choose cloud solutions for reliability, disaster recovery, ease of budgeting and enhanced performance. With the growing need for the Cloud, companies must look for a cloud provider with the experience and knowledge to meet their unique needs.

We continue to see growth in cloud computing at 41% year over year. Areas of focus continue to be with Green Cloud, 8×8, Microsoft Office 365, Datto and other cloud companies.

One thing is true in any business; you must always be on the lookout for new opportunities. The same can be said for the Cloud. The Cloud can help open doors and present new opportunities for your business.

The Cloud is continually evolving. Every day, new cloud applications help businesses do more with less, become hyper-efficient, and create streamlined workflows and processes.

They do this by using Managed Cloud Services from an IT service company like CSP that works closely with cloud companies. We ensure our clients get the value, reliability and security they need from the Cloud.

What Exactly Is The Cloud?

The Cloud is a shared resource containing a suite of web-based products, tools and services that can be configured and deployed with minimal effort. To maximize the benefits of these cloud products and services, you need a cloud strategy that is focused and aligned with your business goals. That’s where CSP can help.

What Are Managed Cloud Services?

Managed Cloud Services host your cloud platform so you can use them more efficiently and cost-effectively. It offers an economical IT support framework for you to utilize the cloud solutions that are right for your organization.

Managed Cloud Services are a part of an overall Managed Service Package that includes the basic IT services and support you need, along with customized solutions to help you get the most from your cloud technology.

What Does A Managed Cloud Service Provide?

A Managed Cloud Service Provider like CSP will determine the cloud solutions that work best for your operational needs. We start with a Cloud Transformation Assessment to:

• Assess, design, implement and support your cloud computing while reducing IT capital costs and increasing employee productivity.
• Define your business and technology requirements before we recommend a cloud strategy.
• Determine the business value and business impact before presenting you with a customized cloud strategy. As part of the Cloud Assessment, we will make sound recommendations for public, private or hybrid cloud environments that are the best fit for your business.
• Compare costs over time and determine what role cloud computing should play in your business plans.

What Cloud Services Might Be Advised?

A Dedicated Private Cloud: This is a secure, dedicated environment that ensures maximized performance, security and functionality for your business applications and operations. It’s usually deployed for compliant-driven businesses such as those in healthcare and finance.

A Hybrid Cloud: Instead of entrusting legacy solutions to a public or private cloud, many businesses are opting for a hybrid cloud. They use a mix of on-premise, private and third-party public cloud services because this provides an infrastructure where one or many touchpoints exist between the environments.

This is a dedicated cloud computing resource like Microsoft Azure Stack with an extension to on-premise resources for maximum performance, control, security and functionality. It’s for businesses that require maximum control and scalability.

SaaS (Software as a Service): These are productivity applications like Microsoft Office 365, cloud-based practice management solutions, document management software, accounting programs, and more.

A Managed Cloud Service Provider helps you identify and select line of business applications that will run well in the Cloud. They can migrate your data and integrate it with software platforms in your current premise-based or cloud technology stack, or help you implement new ones.

Hosted VoIP/Unified Communications: Your Managed Cloud Services company will advocate on your behalf to identify and select the best telecommunications solution and providers in the business. They typically partner with experts who understand telecom expense management, unified communications, communication, collaboration, and call center technology.

Cloud Backup & Disaster Recovery: You need both local and offsite backup solutions designed to meet your business recovery time objectives. Your Managed Cloud Service will take a holistic approach to design a backup and disaster recovery solution to meet business your requirements.

Cloud-Based Wide Area Networks That Increase Security & High Availability: Today’s organizations are implementing innovative Wide Area Networks (WANs). These are broadband connections supplemented with software overlays. They are called SD-WANs or Hybrid WANs. They provide security (encryption and segmentation), redundancy (for high availability) and centralized control (for maintenance and management).

Broadband connections are much less expensive than using private lines, so this approach lets you add more bandwidth as needed and other connection technologies like wireless/LTE for network resiliency while strengthening compliance.

It also makes it possible to control IT traffic streams to prevent inefficiencies. It can force cloud applications to pass through a corporate data center before reaching the Cloud. And just like the Cloud, you can take advantage of SD or hybrid WANs without abandoning or tearing out your existing IT infrastructures.

What Are The Benefits of Using Managed Cloud Services?

Managed Cloud Services Provide Cost Savings

Hardware: One advantage of cloud computing is the reduction in hardware cost. Instead of purchasing in-house equipment, hardware requirements are left the cloud vendor.

If your business is growing rapidly, new hardware can be a large expense. Cloud service alleviates this challenge because resources can be acquired and deployed quickly and easily. Even better, the cost of repairing or replacing equipment is passed on to the vendors.

No Capital Investments: Many cloud solutions are available on a pay-per-user basis. Unlike an upfront licensing that requires cash outlays, you pay as you go. This means you can also add services in busy times or cancel them when things slow down.

You won’t have unused IT solutions sitting on the shelf collecting dust. And for companies that want top-level products, they are more affordable via the Cloud.

Energy & Space: Using offsite hardware via the Cloud cuts power costs and saves on office space. Data centers and onsite servers can take up precious office space and produce a large amount of heat. Moving to cloud applications or storage can help significantly cut energy expenditures.

Maintenance & Labor: You can reduce these costs when your hardware is leased from vendors and stored offsite. The result is less demand for in-house IT employees.

If your hardware goes down, it’s the responsibility of your Managed Cloud Services Provider to ensure they get you up and running again quickly. You can also eliminate routine maintenance and free up your staff to work on more important initiatives.

Managed Cloud Services Drive Business Growth

Increased Productivity: Deploying cloud software is faster than with traditional on-premise solutions. With a standard installation, you’re possibly looking at weeks or months to complete a company-wide installation.

Cloud software can be deployed in a matter of hours. This means your employees are working rather than wasting time waiting for the software they need.

Your employees won’t waste time navigating between cloud applications. Your Managed Cloud Provider can set up a Unified Communications solution that centralizes messages from different applications on one dashboard.

Hosted cloud applications can provide a seamless transfer of information in ways that non-cloud solutions can’t. And with anywhere/any time access via the Cloud, your employees can work on your projects via an internet connection. This is especially helpful for companies that rely on travel or telecommuting.

Enhanced Collaboration: From proposals and contracts to finished projects, you rely on employee collaboration to get things done efficiently; and efficiency drives growth. With Managed Cloud Services, you can access software solutions that allow your team to work on documents in real-time, saving the headaches and frustration of emailing versions back and forth.

Your workforce can even do this securely from their mobile devices. This keeps everyone on the same page and is also more secure than transferring files back and forth. Turnaround times are decreased, customers are happy and stay with your business, and will hopefully refer you to others.

Managed Cloud Services Enhance Security

Managed Security via the Cloud protects your data and your organization. Your provider can conduct routine and remote security scans, penetration and vulnerability testing, and other security management processes to ensure 24/7 cybersecurity.

They can respond to today’s growing threats by using smarter, 24/7 intelligence-driven services that focus on maximizing security and minimizing damage. These connect with your IT infrastructure through the Internet or a virtual private network (VPN) to analyze and review your overall IT security.

You can benefit from security services and tools that include:

• Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) that identifies, monitors, records, and analyzes security events in real-time. This provides a centralized and comprehensive view of the security posture of your IT infrastructure.
• Intrusion Detection Systems to automatically alert us when someone or something is trying to compromise your information system through malicious activities or security policy violations.
• Intrusion Protection Systems that monitor network traffic and take action when an incident occurs based on prescribed rules. This is an active, real-time device, and will protect your network from threats, such as denial of service (DoS) and unauthorized usage.
• Managed Firewalls, which are the first line of defense to block unauthorized access and unauthorized Web users or illicit software from gaining access to your network.
• Managed Antivirus Solutions that detect, prevent, and remove viruses, worms, malware and new threats from infecting your computers.
• Mobile Device Monitoring that can wipe your business data from mobile devices if they are lost or stolen. And Cloud applications come with security features that can block connections to your network from unsafe devices; no more wasting time checking every employee’s smartphone, tablet or laptop.
• Vulnerability Testing to assess the security strength of your network. It locates the vulnerabilities and security gaps that can compromise the overall security, privacy and operations of your network.
• Compliance Management to ensure your IT complies with any industry standards or government regulations that your business must adhere to.
• Cloud Backups for a safe and reliable way to make sure that your data will be there when you need it. The Cloud is also more secure than some other forms of storage. Plus, if a disaster occurs in your office (fire, flood, etc.), you’ll always have access to your data in the Cloud.

In Summary

Managed Cloud Services provide hosted cloud-based solutions that let you:

• Scale resources up or down as needed.
• Have secure anytime, anywhere access to applications and resources so you and your authorized staff can use your solutions when you’re out of the office.
• Reduce the total deployment time of rolling out new applications.
• Never have to worry about management or maintenance. Your cloud is always being monitored for security risks, for efficiency and all types of issues that can crop up out of nowhere.
• Ensure Business Continuity so a natural or manmade disaster won’t shut down your business.
• Increase Collaboration: Work with your team at the office or on the road.
• Secure Critical Files. Don’t be the victim of ransomware or a malware virus. Get layered security via the Cloud to safely store and protect all your data.
• Improve Communication. Stay in touch with your teams no matter where you go.
• Increase Productivity and Efficiency. Get more from every employee each day.
• Increase Compliance. The Cloud greatly simplifies compliance issues.
• Benefit from Flexible Pricing. All facets of your business technology infrastructure can be addressed for a single monthly fee. You can take advantage of bundled packages that include anything and everything from your phone system, cabling, data network, help desk, wireless and other IT infrastructure needs.
• Have ready access to the latest software: In a cloud environment, resources are often available for automatic scaling, provisioning and management.

For all these reasons and more, shouldn’t your organization be using Managed Cloud Services? Contact the team at CSP, Inc. to learn more.