How is AI changing cloud computing?

Cloud computing has come a long way, from the use of virtual computers in the 1990s to the rise of cloud-based services in the 2000s. And now, artificial intelligence (AI) is matching the improvements in cloud computing. Interestingly, more and more cloud computing providers are utilizing AI to enhance their service offerings. Let’s take a look at how AI is impacting cloud computing.

What are the benefits of AI in cloud computing?

Incorporating AI technologies will deliver more functionality and extra value to cloud computing, and this comes with the following key benefits:

Intelligent, accelerated automation

Basic IT management tasks that are time-consuming and repetitive, such as scaling and resource allocation, can be automated using AI. AI is more efficient at performing such tasks because it doesn’t get tired and is not prone to errors typically committed by humans. It can also determine the cloud resources you need, oversee and maximize cloud performance, and scale up or down the services according to your needs.

Better data management

AI tools make it easier and more efficient to manage and use your data. From data gathering to data analysis, AI will be able to provide valuable insights into your operations as well as to your customers’ behavior. And because AI tools can mine and manage real-time data, the analytics you get are up to date and immediate.

Improved user experience

More and more businesses are using AI tools for tasks involving customer support. For example, chat and email support are now powered by AI bots. While some business owners may still not appreciate their customers being serviced by a machine, the truth is that more and more consumers are getting used to dealing with bots when seeking customer support. Many companies now rely on AI to manage simple support tasks, while staff handle complex customer problems, typically those requiring critical thinking and/or empathy.

Stronger security

AI will enhance the security of your system. It can control, monitor, and manage critical workflows in your system without you having to worry about human error that can lead to data loss or leave your business vulnerable to cyberattacks. In addition, AI can flag any suspicious activity or behavior and stop potential threats in their tracks. With AI-powered security, you have an electronic security force that is on guard 24/7 and doesn’t get tired.

Cost-effectiveness

AI-powered cloud computing optimizes your resources, making your processes more efficient and thereby lowering costs. Yes, the price to engage in AI-powered cloud computing may require high upfront costs, but providers can help you get the service you need without breaking the bank.

Innovative services and new business models

As AI continues to change the landscape of cloud computing, managed services providers and cloud vendors need to find new ways to adapt AI that adds value to their offerings. This can mean the rise of more innovative services and the development of new business models in the future — or even sooner than you think, given the rapid developments in technology.

With all these exciting developments in cloud computing and AI, it’s not surprising that SMBs are a little overwhelmed by it all. Fortunately, our IT experts at NetWize are ready to provide you with the technical knowledge and practical help you need to navigate the world of AI-powered cloud computing. For scalable technology solutions and expert IT services for Utah-based business, contact us today.

Top 6 mistakes to avoid when adopting cloud technology

Cloud computing is undoubtedly one of the most useful technologies today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, cloud-based solutions and services enabled companies to operate efficiently and effectively even with remote workforces.

However, when done haphazardly, cloud adoption can expose your business to various pitfalls, including uncontrolled costs and cybersecurity risks. Here are the top mistakes to avoid when adopting cloud technology for your business:

1. Allocating insufficient bandwidth

If your internet bandwidth cannot accommodate the number of cloud users in your company, your cloud apps will inevitably slow down. This sluggish performance will result in lowered staff productivity, delayed projects, and frustrated stakeholders.

When allocating internet bandwidth, you must also take into account possible spikes in the number of cloud users, which may occur during business-critical events such as product launches and seasonal promotions. Also, consider your employees’ cloud usage. For instance, tasks that require activities like streaming videos or processing large files use more bandwidth than emailing or web surfing.

2.Mindlessly migrating all your business apps

Not all applications are suited for migration. Some are too complex and may require re-coding, while others are built on legacy systems that are incompatible with migration or other cloud-based applications. Such apps are often best replaced or left on premises.

Prior to cloud migration, assess which among your applications and data can be migrated and which ones must be left as is. Doing so will help you avoid extra costs, misconfigurations, and other headaches in the long run.

3.Ignoring the service level agreement (SLA)

The SLA is a contract between you and your cloud service provider (CSP). It details everything you can expect from your CSP and their services, such as uptime rates, disaster recovery, and data security, among others. The SLA also provides information about fees and other financial implications.

Before signing up for a cloud service, go over the SLA carefully. If there are provisions or technical jargon that you don’t understand, ask your CSP to explain them. Beware of vendor lock-ins, as these may force you to pay additional fees just so you could use your desired cloud solutions.

4.Forgetting to set a goal

Cloud adoption can have significant ramifications for your business, so each step in the process counts. One simple but crucial step you can’t neglect is identifying what you want to achieve from the migration in the first place. Do you want to improve your business’s flexibility or augment its cybersecurity? Or are you looking to save money?

When you understand your goals, you can better assess which cloud services, solutions, and providers will work best for your business. You can also develop clear success metrics to track your progress and ensure that you’re getting the most out of the migration.

Cloud adoption can have significant ramifications for your business, so each step in the process counts.

5.Neglecting cybersecurity

Your CSP must implement the necessary precautions to protect your business’s data. These include enterprise-grade anti-malware solutions, firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection systems, and more. Your CSP must also conduct regular testing to ensure that their security measures are always up to par.

Keep in mind, though, that these measures are only half of the equation. Research reveals that over 80% of data breaches involve user error, so you and your staff will have to do your part as well. Train your staff in cybersecurity best practices so they know what to do and what not to do in order to protect your cloud data.

6.Not accounting for failure

For all its sophistication, cloud technology is far from perfect. Cloud servers may experience outages and cyber incidents. Your business can suffer downtime because of such events.

Therefore, it’s not enough that you implement measures to prevent impending disasters — you also have to be prepared for when disasters strike. Setting up redundancies like data and server backups, for instance, will ensure that your apps and files remain recoverable after outages and cyberattacks. These measures will allow you to quickly resume business operations and avoid costly downtime.

Cloud adoption can be very rewarding for your business, especially when done correctly. At [company_short], our IT experts can assist you in every step of the cloud adoption process, from planning to migration and beyond. Start your cloud adoption journey by contacting us today.

Does my business need in-house servers, or should I migrate to the cloud?

When it comes to where you should keep your business apps and company data, you may use in-house servers, or you may migrate some or all of your apps and data to the cloud instead. Which one would be best for your small business? The answer is: it depends on what your business needs.

Check your business requirements

To arrive at something more definite, let’s take a look at which business requirements each option fulfills best — and where they may come up short.

In-house server

Allows you to set up your IT system the way you need it to be
If you have particular system requirements, a cloud service provider (CSP) might not be able to accommodate you. Owning your own infrastructure grants you total control over it.
Grants greater data privacy
By keeping critical data in an on-premises (on-prem) facility, you get to safeguard it more closely. When it comes to who may access your information, you don’t need to worry about CSPs and their clients. Because of this, firms in industries with strict data regulations deem in-house servers to be a good fit for their needs.
Data access is not reliant on internet connectivity
If your business is located in an area with few to no internet service providers, then in-house servers are your only viable option.
Requires considerable investment in machines, software licenses, and network infrastructure
You’ll also have to factor in power consumption costs, maintenance and repair costs, and the risk of obsolescence, among other concerns.
Requires physical space and in-house IT support
Your data capacity is dependent on the availability of physical space for server racks and closets on site. You may have to rent additional space to set up server rooms, and install the necessary devices for climate control, access, and security monitoring. Additionally, you’ll need to employ full-time IT staff to take care of your machines.
Data is vulnerable to disasters such as fires and flash floods
Whatever emergency situation befalls your office will likely affect the servers you keep there. You’ll need to set up a process for taking backups off site to prevent complete data loss during an adverse event.

Cloud services

Guarantees high levels of uptime
Web-based businesses have less risk of downtime due to 24/7 monitoring and other CSP protocols.
Provides greater scalability
Unlike on-prem solutions that have capacity constraints due to limited office space, the cloud lets clients increase or decrease the amount of IT resources they use as needed.
Data backups are less vulnerable to disasters
Natural calamities and man-made disasters that affect your office are likely not to reach off-site data backups. Additionally, CSPs can help facilitate business continuity and disaster recovery efforts to minimize downtime.
Uptime guarantees and other added-value cloud services increase costs
Firms that don’t need high levels of uptime may end up overpaying for cloud services.
Greater risk of overspending
Cloud resource management mistakes, such as provisioning too many resources when these are not yet needed, can easily lead to overspending on the cloud. Fortunately, managed IT services providers like [company_short] can help you handle your cloud.
Cloud service is reliant on internet connectivity
If you or your CSP lose internet access, then you’ll lose access to your data. However, this risk can be mitigated by having backup internet service providers.

Check what other businesses are doing

Another way to guide your decision-making is by looking at which option other companies are going for. Retail and B2B transaction data provider NPD noted that from January to May 2021, more companies invested in the cloud than in on-premises solutions. NPD determined this by tracking companies’ software purchases: year-over-year growth for B2B software for the cloud was 12%, whereas growth for on-prem was 6%. In 2020, Deloitte observed that while companies will continue to opt for a hybrid cloud model — i.e., one in which a company uses a mix of public and private clouds and also retains some on-prem capabilities — migration to the cloud is accelerating.

This is happening partly because businesses are learning from their past mistakes and are becoming better cloud users. Here are five things that they’re doing when migrating and adopting the cloud:

1. Shifting from public to private clouds

Private clouds may be more expensive than public ones, but data is safer and workloads run faster there. And when seeking technical support, private cloud clients don’t have to wait in line as long as public cloud tenants do.

2. Prioritizing security when developing cloud-based business apps

Oftentimes, moving to the cloud necessitates the creation of bespoke cloud-based apps to replace on-prem software. Initially, in their rush to migrate, developers prioritized functionality and patched vulnerabilities only after releasing their apps. This made for clunky security workarounds that failed to significantly reduce the risk of data breaches.

However, what used to be an afterthought in app development is now becoming a primary consideration. More and more developers are baking in security measures, such as access management and encryption in transit and at rest, from the very beginning of the development process.

3. Refraining from dumping data onto the cloud

In the early days of the cloud, it may have been cheap to store data there. Over time, however, retrieving the data back to on-prem servers has proved to be time-consuming and expensive. Now, companies are reserving cloud data storage for safety measures such as backups.

4. Using storage devices to transfer data to the cloud

The information superhighway is no longer sufficient to facilitate the backing up of vast volumes of data produced by enterprises to the cloud. This is why companies are now using migration appliances such as Google’s Transfer Appliance. The cloud service provider ships the appliance to where the data is. Once the data is saved on the appliance, the data owner then ships the device right back to the CSP, which will upload the data to the cloud.

5. Migrating workloads to the cloud, not non-backup data

Many regulations and privacy laws now limit where companies can store data. This, plus security concerns like man-in-the-middle attacks, makes storing data on premises the easier and less complicated choice.

However, since apps don’t need to be co-located with data, apps can reside in the cloud so that they can leverage its vast processing power.

Our IT experts at NetWize can help you design the IT infrastructure that fits your business best. Leave us a message or call us at 801-747-3200 today to learn more.

What are the pros and cons of cloud computing?

Everyone in the field of business technology is talking about cloud computing these days, but decision makers are more concerned with where the hype stops, and the real benefits begin. Despite what some vendors might say, the cloud is not a fix-all solution. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine any organization that can’t benefit from including cloud services in their technology strategies. In fact, if you’ve ever used leading applications like web-based email or Google Docs, then you’re already in the cloud.

Availability

Although they’re becoming more reliable, computers need occasional maintenance from operating system updates to upgrades and physical replacements for ailing hardware. There’s always going to be downtime during these processes, which is why relying solely on in-house IT can substantially reduce system availability. If, for example, your email server needs to be taken offline or is taken down by a hardware failure or cyberattack, you’ll lose access to one of your most mission-critical systems.

The cloud doesn’t have such issues. Providers proactively look after cloud hardware and back up mission-critical systems in multiple offsite servers to maximize availability and so that you never have to worry about scheduled or unscheduled downtime.

Flexibility

When it comes to flexibility, cloud-hosted applications and other computing resources are with you no matter where you go and which device you use. This affords an unprecedented degree of flexibility, thereby enabling workforce mobility and the productivity and cost-saving benefits that come with it.

While you do, in theory at least, lose a degree of control when you’re having your computing workloads handled in a third-party data center, almost all everyday business applications work optimally in a remotely hosted environment. With platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings, you can even develop your own bespoke cloud applications and services.

Scalability

Scalability is one area where the cloud trumps in-house IT every time. Since the cloud gives you access to a wealth of computing resources on demand, there’s practically no limit to the scalability of your infrastructure.

By contrast, relying entirely on your own IT department and on-premises services means you’re limited by things like budgetary constraints and physical space and infrastructure. Furthermore, the cloud is heavily intertwined with virtualization, which offers the ability to create an entirely software-defined computing architecture that completely does away with your dependence on physical hardware.

Mobility

As mentioned, enabling workforce mobility can boost productivity and morale. After all, most people prefer to work with their own devices with which they’re familiar, and an increasing number like to work at home or on the move. Both are impossible if you’re fully reliant on an in-office network. The cloud, however, lets people access the applications they need for work wherever they are on any internet-connected device. Since the data stays in the cloud, administrators can still maintain full audit trails and enjoy complete control over access and security policies.

Performance

When it comes to weighing the benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing versus in-house IT, this one’s a tie. Whether performance will be better or worse depends a lot on the workload. While the cloud gives you access to the most cutting-edge hardware in the world, the fact that there’s a large distance between the end user and the remote data center means bandwidth and latency will never be as good as they are with local computing. For most applications, this doesn’t present any discernible difference. However, for very high-performance, specialized, or latency-sensitive tasks, it’s still better to use local computing resources.

Netwize helps businesses in Salt Lake City drive outstanding results with modern technology. Call us today to take your first step towards digital transformation.

10 Ways Cisco Meraki Solves Your Organization’s Growing Pains

Whether you’re managing IT in a startup or fast-paced enterprise environment, your organization can benefit from a centrally managed network of IT solutions. Read a list of the common issues growing organizations face, and get an idea of how Cisco Meraki can help you securely manage your infrastructure 100% from the cloud.

Do any of the following issues sound familiar?

Issue #1 – My organization is in a constant state of flux. At our current rate of growth, it’s difficult for our business solutions to keep pace.

Meraki is a centrally managed solution, meaning you can add and modify components as your infrastructure necessitates. Whether you’re looking to streamline the deployment of a new company communications system, or ensure your security across multiple sites, you can manage all of your deployment and security needs from an online Meraki dashboard.

Issue #2 – We need a better way of targeting potential customers who visit our retail branches.

Meraki’s presence analytics capabilities allow you to measure the number of people who visit each of your locations. Use the data to compare one location to another, or build out a customer profile by piping in data from other sources (such as a CRM or other analytics application) using APIs.

Issue #3 – Dealing with third-party threat management has made it difficult for us to set up all of our sites consistently.

Deploy a Layer 3 firewall to block threats at the network layer, or a Layer 7 firewall for threats at the application layer. Manage all of your different security services, such as Kaspersky and Brightcloud. Ensure your security policies are followed at each of your locations. And make sure your security definitions stay up-to-date. Handle all of this and more within the Meraki dashboard.

Issue #4 – Setting up and connecting new devices to the network is becoming harder to manage the more we scale.

Meraki Systems Manager allows you to manage and control thousands of mobile and desktop devices from the web-based Meraki dashboard. Drive company initiatives by seamlessly onboarding new devices and automating application of security policies.

Issue #5 – Syncing up a new location’s VPN is a headache, takes forever, and can leave us vulnerable.

Take advantage of Meraki’s automatic configuration of site-to-site VPNs. By enabling AutoVPN through the Meraki dashboard, you enable each participating device to:

Automatically advertise its local subnets across the VPN
Advertise its WAN IP addresses on Internet 1 and 2 ports
Download the global VPN route table
Download the preshared key for establishing the VPN tunnel and traffic encryption

Issue #6 – Network downtime could ruin our business, and failover setup is both complicated and time-consuming.

Meraki MX Security Appliances support multiple layers of redundancy, ensuring WAN connectivity, appliance availability, and seamless failover for branch sites.

Issue #7 – Client device troubleshooting takes multiple hours daily and consumes already scarce IT resources.

The Meraki solution gives you complete network visibility. Use the dashboard to identify switches, and track device connections through the network to pinpoint likely issues. Learn more about your device connections with a one-click cable test or ping.

Issue #8 – I need to deploy new switches to remote sites without sending an expensive tech on-site.

Instead of making the trip out to your sites to deploy new switches, simply configure a switch and the switch port settings from your Meraki dashboard. Then ship the switch to the new install site and have anyone plug it in. Streamline the process by cloning switch settings right from the dashboard.

Issue #9 – How can I save electricity and the environment without compromising performance?

Cisco Meraki leverages time-based port scheduling to put switch ports into energy-saving mode after-hours.

Issue #10 – Torrenting on our network is hogging our bandwidth and putting us at risk.

The Meraki dashboard provides insight into clients that drastically slow down WiFi networks, or downloading illegally on your network. Use the Meraki Layer 7 Firewall to block applications by type, and shape traffic by setting application-specific bandwidth limits.

Would you like to learn more about Meraki cloud-based IT solutions? Sign up here for a live demo of the Cisco Meraki platform and receive a free AP! You can also contact NetWize by calling 801-747-3200, option 1.