Cloud Computing expert Richard May shares some of his top tips for moving into the Cloud.

In 2012 the Cloud Computing industry is estimated to be valued at £1.2 billion within the UK and it is expected to be the number one I.T. focus for businesses. Cisco predicts that by 2012, 39% of all data centre traffic in the world will be Cloud related, growing at twice the speed of traditional means.

Software as a Service is predicted to be a leading Cloud service with IDC estimating by 2012 80% of new commercial enterprise apps will be deployed through the Cloud.

As the market grows it is also fragmenting with more providers offering varied levels of service, because of this many businesses are not receiving the level of service that they need to run their business effectively. Misleading terms and conditions and inexperienced providers are just two of the pitfalls that companies often fail to avoid.

Richard May, Managing director of virtualDCS has over 20 years’ experience working with Cloud technology, offering bespoke services that are individually tailored towards a business’s requirements. In order to help your business avoid costly mistakes, Richard has produced his top tips on moving into the Cloud.

Fully research into all your potential providers

“Cloud Computing is a relatively new I.T. division and many suppliers are also new. Due to this, the first thing I would suggest is that you fully research all your potential providers. It also is vital to know what will happen to your data if your provider becomes bankrupt, this is a scenario that often becomes overlooked. ” commented Richard.  “Asking these simple questions could save your business from disaster.”

Explore levels of availability

“When selecting a Cloud service provider, I would also recommend that you explore the levels of availability that they are offering. Instead of working on a percentage basis, the most useful way to establish a suitable level of availability for your business is to calculate how much downtime you could expect on a weekly basis. For example, 95% availability accounts for 8.4 hours downtime per week, where 99.999% availability accounts for 6.05 seconds of downtime a week. From a real time perspective you can then suitably judge the level of availability that your business requires.”

Consider a disaster recovery plan

“Another common mistake is made by companies failing to fully implement a disaster recovery plan. Often, companies overlook the need to protect their data, with many companies now choosing to avoid executing a disaster recovery plan in an effort to reduce costs further. However this itself comes at a cost and I would strongly advise against it. What if something happens to your data? You would not be able to access any your vital information and your company would become unproductive,” said Richard.

Discuss your contingency plans

Even if your service provider guarantees a high level of uptime you cannot take advantage of the availability if the data centre fails and your information becomes completely inaccessible. In order to avoid this scenario it is recommended that you choose a service provider with a strong contingency plan, and it is vital that you asses this in comparison with your needs. It is also important to ask your service provider how long it will take to restore your data in the event of a disaster.”

Explore support levels

“The support level provided by the supplier is also something that a business should carefully consider before committing to a provider. If you want a quick solution to any problems that you may encounter then a good support package is highly recommended. Many companies that select a ‘cheap and cheerful’ provider turn out to be not so cheerful when they cannot access their information and they have no idea why not.”

Choose a UK location

“Currently, one of the most significant questions that you should ask is ‘are you affiliated with any American companies?’ Through partnering with an American company, your service provider and all the information they hold becomes accountable to the US Patriot Act. Within this act, all information relating to the company can be viewed by the US government whenever they feel a need to see the data. The US government is not obliged to tell you what information they have viewed, or even if they have viewed any at all,” said Richard. “This drastically impacts the privacy of any business.”

Research into the terms and conditions

“Fully researching into the terms and conditions is a vital step that many businesses fail to complete. Although a supplier promises high availability, this is not often the case. You should ask the provider to outline their definition of ‘unavailable’ as this in itself can impact the accessibility of your information.”

For instance, if a provider’s terms and conditions define a period of unavailability as any downtime over a ten minute period, your company could potentially be subjected to an unlimited number of ten minute downtime periods per month, so it is vital that you research into this” explained Richard. “If you address all these concerns when moving into the Cloud, you can make the process as smooth as possible.”

For more information email on moving into the Cloud email enquiries@virtualdcs.co.uk or call 08453 888 327, you can also follow the virtualDCS team on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news and information.

On Tuesday 17^th April virtualDCS spoke at the conference about their experience with vCloud Director.

The presentation explored how virtualDCS implemented VMware’s vCloud director within their new Leeds data centre, covering the challenges and successes faced when deploying the solution. Asif Malik and Paul Sheard, two new vArchitects for the company lead the presentation in one of their first virtualDCS appearances.

“I really enjoyed presenting at the VMware UK user group and I hope that the presentation aided companies in managing and implementing this technology within their own virtual infrastructure,” said Asif.

Richard May, Managing Director of virtualDCS said: “It was a great honour for the team to present at the VMUG. We pride ourselves on using the best virtualisation technology, which is why we choose to use VMware in our solutions. Presenting at the user group was a welcome opportunity that we were happy to assist with.”

For more information call 08453 888 327 or email marketing@virtualdcs.co.uk

Related posts include: “Richard May to present at the Cloud Computing Techmesh event“

The managing director of Cloud Computing and disaster recovery experts’ virtualDCS, looks towards the 2015 technology milestone.

Richard will discuss the themes of 2012 while exploring what the 2015 internet expansion will mean for businesses. The presentation will also cover how the Cloud can help organisations to improve their efficiency, productivity and performance, while analysing the impact of Cloud Computing technology on staff systems and business budgets.

Richard said: “it is an honour to be asked to speak at the Techmesh event. 2015 is set to be an exciting year for the technology industry and I hope that the presentation will enable attendees to make an informed decision about the Cloud within their business.”

Since the year 2000, Richard May has capitalised on his 20 years’ experience in the I.T. industry by focussing on the technologies and services that have formed Cloud Computing. Lead by Richard, the virtualDCS team has pioneered the Cloud Computing industry, with the accolade of being announced as the first ‘VMware Service Provider Enterprise Partner’.

The presentation will take place at the Hilton Hotel in York on Wednesday 9^th May, at 5.30. If you would like any additional information, please email marketing@virtualdcs.co.uk or contact the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce on 0113 247 0000.

Due to unforeseen circumstances this event has now been postponed.

The team now welcomes Matthew Chamberlain and Paul Sheard to the company, as a support engineer and vArchitect.

From Left to right: Matthew Chamberlain and Paul Sheard

The news comes shortly after Asif Malik also joined the Cloud Computing experts. New recruit Matthew Chamberlain will now be working within the company’s existing operations and support team, performing a range of duties including proactively monitoring customer servers and offering help desk support.

As a VMware expert Paul Sheard will be working as a vArchitect for the team, where he will be proposing, specifying and building server virtualisation solutions. Paul commented on his new appointment stating that: “I’m thrilled to be working for virtualDCS; they are a highly innovative company with a number of large key businesses. I can’t wait to get started.”

Richard May, Managing Director of virtualDCS said: “We are delighted that Matt and Paul are joining virtualDCS. After winning a number of significant contracts, the business needed additional members of staff. Paul and Matt were the perfect candidates for the positions and we are very pleased that they have decided to work with virtualDCS. We are incredibly lucky to be a rapidly expanding company, especially within the current economic climate.”

About virtualDCS:

Cloud Computing company Virtual Data Centre Services (virtualDCS) were established in 2008 by Richard May and John Murray, and have since had a 100% growth rate each financial year. virtualDCS operate their own Cloud platform out of ISO27001 Data Centres in Leeds and Derby. Using the latest technology from VMware, their solution delivers significant cost savings, improved availability and reduced carbon emissions.

For more information on moving to the Cloud, contact a Cloud expert on 08453 888 327 or email enquiries@virtualdcs.co.uk

Related posts include: “Cloud Computing experts virtualDCS continue to expand as a new vArchitect joins them in the Cloud.”

Asif Malik has officially joined the virtualDCS team in his new position, and has since hit the ground running.

Asif will now be completing a range of tasks, including assisting customers in building their own Private Cloud platforms, and migrating customers to virtualDCS’s public Cloud platform. He has previously worked in a variety of I.T. based roles, where he was one of the original founders of the online payment service Nochex. Since his employment at the company, Asif has already worked on a range of tasks, including website migration and VMware configuration for a number of key businesses.

Diana Irimia, Marketing Manager for Britcom commented on working with Asif, stating that: “Asif has helped us migrate our live website onto our new server, to do this he has worked closely with our old hosting provider, along with both our old and new development companies. Without the work from Asif, the migration of our website would not have been possible.”

Richard May, Managing director of the Yorkshire Cloud Computing company, commented on the new appointment, saying: “Despite the economic downturn, virtualDCS are pleased to say that we are still growing successfully, and we are hopeful that this year will be our most successful to date. We are pleased that Asif has joined virtualDCS and we are sure that he will be a great asset to the company.”

The new employment is a result of tremendous business and contract growth within the last six months. virtualDCS now has a range of customers, in a variety of industry sectors, including Yorkshire Law firm Clarion, Management practice software company e-clinic and company Auto Windscreens.

Asif said that: “It is a great honour to be accepted into the virtualDCS team, we already have some exciting new projects lined up for the next quarter, and I can’t wait to aid virtualDCS in their continued growth.”

The founders of virtualDCS have pioneered the development of the Cloud Computing industry for over a decade.  As one of the first companies dedicated to Cloud services in the world, customers are confident that they will only receive the finest solutions. Their approach is to work in partnership with clients to ensure that their infrastructure is ready to exceed the service levels demanded by their business.

For more information on moving to the Cloud, contact a Cloud expert on 08453 888 327 or email enquiries@virtualdcs.co.uk

The potential upcoming fuel strikes are currently the focus of the news, and at the forefront of every driver’s mind. Many people have now started to panic buy, with an ever growing queue of people at Petrol stations around the UK, in an effort to bulk buy and store for a ‘rainy day’.

It is not clear how much fuel is in reserve; however the last petrol strike in 2000 saw these reserves run out quickly and Unite claims that the petrol stores could deplete within a matter of 48 hours of the strike beginning.

So what happens if this petrol reserve runs out? How will UK businesses continue to function? Last year 97% of businesses were affected by the extreme weather, and it has been estimated that severe snow could cost the UK economy up to £1,200,000,000 per day. The Petrol strikes are now recreating a similar situation, so how can companies ensure that they are protected against the effects of the latest strike?

Cloud Computing allows employees to work remotely, while still being able to access all the vital information that they need in order to be productive, ensuring that a business runs successfully no matter what.  Voice as a Service (VaaS) technology even allows users to make and receive calls to and from their direct number, anywhere in the world. Virtualisation technology protects your business from any unforeseen circumstances, and allows employees to work on the move.

As the popularity of the Cloud continues, more and more organisations are realising the benefits of remote working, including overall I.T. cost reductions and enhanced reliability. Last year 59pc of employers offered teleworking to their staff, compared to 14pc in the year 2006, and this percentage is only predicted to continue to increase further.

The founders of virtualDCS have pioneered the development of the Cloud Computing industry for over a decade.  As one of the first companies dedicated to Cloud services in the world, customers are confident that they will only receive the finest solutions. Their approach is to work in partnership with clients to ensure that their infrastructure is ready to exceed the service levels demanded by their business.

If you would like more information on moving your business into the Cloud, call 08453 888 327 or email enquiries@virtualdcs.co.uk.

Related posts include: ‘Power outages cause the most disruption to UK businesses. ‘How can Cloud Computing help?’

On Wednesday 21^st March 2012, Cloud Computing experts’ virtualDCS officially launched their innovative new service, which enables users to create custom Cloud solutions.

Yorkshire Cloud Computing company Virtual Data Centre Services (virtualDCS) specialize in Cloud services such as: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Voice as a Service (VaaS), Recovery as a Service and Private Cloud solutions. The team now adds their exciting new partnership offering to their portfolio.

The new solution enables VSP’s to offer their customers all the advantages offered by Google Apps and Microsoft 365, while allowing them to continue to use their own unique business applications in a Cloud environment. The new Virtual Service Provider service enables their partners to build a Cloud solution tailored to the individual needs of a business, but for a fraction of the cost, or complexity of implementing their own hardware platform.

Richard May, Managing Director of virtualDCS said: “Our new service enables our partners to offer a complete Cloud solution, with a high level of administrative control. Along with custom business software, our interface also offers a range of additional software including SharePoint 2010 and Exchange, all from our highly secure and resilient UK based data centres.”

The founders of virtualDCS have pioneered the development of the Cloud Computing industry for over a decade. As one of the first companies dedicated to Cloud services in the world, businesses can be confident that they will only receive the finest solutions. Their approach is to work in partnership with clients to ensure that their infrastructure is ready to exceed the service levels demanded by their business.

For more information, please visit http://www.virtualdcs.co.uk/services/virtual-service-provider/ or call a Cloud expert on 08453 888 327.

2012 is set to be an exciting year for Cloud Computing, with Cisco predicting a 1,100% growth rate for the industry by 2015. The Cloud is continually changing the way that organisations use technology, with IDC predicting that over the next few years 60% of server workloads will be virtualised.

This staggering growth is the reason why the virtualDCS team decided to research into the specific reasons of why our customers were choosing to move into the Cloud, the key explanations were as follows:

Financial flexibility

The Cloud enables businesses to use an ‘economies of scale’ approach, meaning that through a virtual machine the user only pays for the facilities that they use, while being able to both upgrade and downgrade them whenever they need to. The business therefore has access to a pay-as-you-grow infrastructure. The Cloud also allows the users to rent the facilities with options to pay on either a monthly or quarterly basis, moulding to the individual needs of the business.

Increased accessibility and reliability

Cloud Computing also provides great flexibility, not only financially, but also in terms of accessibility. Technology is changing the way that businesses work, with more companies internationally trading, and working on the move. The Cloud presents the perfect solution for users that want to access their information from anywhere, at any time.

“We appointed virtualDCS because we needed a flexible solution. We wanted to be able to work from home, or on the road, as effectively as we could from the office so an internet-based solution was necessary.” – Harry Cross, Director at MSC-Partners.

The user also has access to a guaranteed availability, which is increasingly harder to achieve for a business maintaining their infrastructure themselves. In order to guarantee their ability (and their productivity) a second infrastructure would often have to be designed, in which a company could then fail over to if anything were to happen. Planning for situations like this can be incredibly expensive in itself; companies can now avoid this through Cloud technology, where they can guarantee up to 99.999% availability and be online again within minutes of a disaster.

Low cost of ownership and capital expenditure

Through renting the facilities, rather than owning them the business decreases their cost of ownership. By renting the Cloud facility, businesses can access a best of breed infrastructure and solution without the time or the cost of purchasing and maintaining the hardware (which also includes power used to run the facilities).The Cloud providers also frequently update and upgrade facilities, meaning that the business would have access to the latest technology quickly, without the time taken to upgrade the software on every machine.

Through the Cloud the business can also avoid purchasing redundant hardware, which is often the case for businesses that plan for growth, or attempt to produce a comprehensive disaster recovery program. A lower cost of ownership dramatically decreases capital expenditure and frees up cash flow for the company.

Security

Cloud technology enables high levels of security; some of the precautions include data encryption and Firewalls, in addition to physical data centre security. The majority of Cloud providers also comply with the Data Protection Act and additional security standards, ensuring that your data is secure and protected to the highest criteria available.

“We selected virtualDCS to host e-clinic because of the team’s highly professional approach and commitment to data security, which meant that we were confident our IP would be safeguarded while we expanded our international customer base.” – Mark Lainchbury, Director at e-clinic.

Carbon conscious

Cloud Computing reduces the amount of physical machines in the workplace, and the power requirements that accompany them. Hosting one server on a virtualDCS platform could save 6619(kWh) of energy per year, which is equivalent to planting 20 trees and taking two cars of the road. In total, this reduces the Carbon footprint of your business by 8867lbs a year*.

*Assumes 550Watts for a 2CPU server, 12,000 Miles per year and 20mpg, 1441lbs C02 emissions per kWh.

Support

Should any potential issues arise the business will be able to seek technical assistance from the Cloud provider. For example, our Yorkshire IT support team proactively monitor the performance of our customer’s server, fixing any issues before they disrupt their business. We also provide a help desk and support service for the company, where users can contact us directly with any technical questions. If a customer was managing their infrastructure independently, this level of support is potentially something that they would struggle with.

“On-going support in the shape of personal visits by the virtualDCS team and responsive remote assistance and guidance was also made available, as an integral part of their offering. Such was the success of the project that we actually had no need to call on these services.” – Richard Adamson, ICT Manager at All Hallows Catholic High School.

If you would like any more information on migrating to the Cloud or our services then contact our team on 08453 888 327 or email enquiries@virtualdcs.co.uk.

virtualDCS are to exhibit at the Yorkshire Mafia Conference

On Wednesday 21^st March 2012, Yorkshire Cloud Computing experts’ virtualDCS are set to showcase their new innovative Cloud service at the exhibition, in Leeds.

Yorkshire based company Virtual Data Centre Services (virtualDCS) provide innovative ways to host business systems for companies around the world.

The team specialises in Cloud services such as: Infrastructure as a Service, Software as a Service, Recovery as a Service, Voice as a Service and Private Clouds.

Richard May, Managing director of virtualDCS said: “The day seemed like the perfect platform to launch our new offering into the public domain. The new service aims to make Cloud technology available to more users, while still enabling them to feel the full benefits of virtualisation.”

The second Yorkshire Mafia conference is expected to be the biggest, business to business conference in the North of England. The team are set to exhibit between on the 21^st and 22^nd March, at stand 36, the Royal Armories, Leeds.

The founders of virtualDCS have pioneered the development of the Cloud Computing industry for over a decade.  As one of the first companies dedicated to Cloud services in the world, businesses can be confident that they will only receive the finest solutions.

Their approach is to work in partnership with clients to ensure that their infrastructure is ready to exceed the service levels demanded by their business. The company’s existing customers include global recruitment business IHR Group, recruitment consultancy Work Group and Yorkshire law firm Clarion.

For more information, please visit www.virtualdcs.co.uk or call a Cloud expert on 08453 888 327.

On Tuesday 28^th February, Richard May, Managing Director of virtualDCS spoke to students at Leeds Metropolitan University about the past, present and future of the Cloud Computing experts.

The speech took place as part of the University’s ‘real world’ curriculum, which aims to bring examples real world business experience to the students.  Richard May commented on the opportunity stating that: “It was an honour to speak to the final year university students and to give them an insight into the Cloud Computing industry and the journey that the virtualDCS team has taken over the last four years. It was great to be able to pass my experience on to such a budding group of young entrepreneurs and I wish them every success in the future.”

During the speech Richard explored both his personal journey and the journey of the virtualDCS team, detailing how the team remained at the forefront of innovation, working closely with organisations such as VMware to create one of the first true Enterprise Cloud platforms.

Barry Blake, module leader said: “At Leeds Met we try very hard to bring “real life” experience in alongside the academic environment. I am particularly pleased that Richard May, a successful Leeds entrepreneur gave a guest Lecture to my Entrepreneurship and Business Development undergraduates.”

The founders of virtualDCS have pioneered the development of the Cloud Computing industry for over a decade. As one of the first companies dedicated to Cloud services in the world, confident customers only receive the finest solutions. Their approach is to work in partnership with clients to ensure that their infrastructure is ready to exceed the service levels demanded by their business.