technology 19


Smoothing the way to the cloud


Moving from a physical platform to a cloud server was easier than moving home for one Home Counties estate agent, writes Russell Cook, director at SIRE Technology


The focus for the previous columns has been to alert Thames Valley businesses to the benefits of cloud computing and to sow the seed regarding the benefits of business continuity planning. This theoretical viewpoint is all well and good but we all know that what we really want to hear about is someone’s real life experiences.


One sector of business that is particularly well represented in the Thames Valley is estate agency, be that commercial, rural or residential. Also, we all know from our own experiences that moving home or relocating your business can be a highly stressful process so anything that can make that process run a little more smoothly must be an improvement. So when Henry Adams, estate agents approached us about upgrading their IT arrangements, we wanted to make sure that their data relocation was smooth and efficient.


The client and the challenge


Henry Adams started in 1990 with just one office in Chichester and dealt only in agriculture and property management. Since then they have grown significantly and now have offices across Sussex and into Hampshire and Surrey, offering a multi-discipline service through their network of firms of estate agents and chartered surveyors in the region. The companies and partnerships that make up Henry Adams are all independently and privately owned but obviously need to share data to provide a professional and consistently high level of service to their various clients. Like any organisation today data is the key to their ensured success.


The challenge facing the organisation, which they asked SIRE to assist with, was the need for more room for data and an increase in computer resources. SIRE assessed the company’s existing provision and it became clear that due to limits on the physical platform and operating systems any further expansion would be a complex and not entirely satisfactory and relatively short-term solution.


The solution SIRE, in conjunction with the software


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – DECEMBER14/JANUARY15 www.businessmag.co.uk


developers, decided to move Henry Adams’ data from a physical platform to a secure private cloud server with flexibility for growth to match the company’s plans. By taking the time to understand the nature of their business, the type of data they require and how they access it, SIRE were able to make the appropriate recommendations. The preferred solution was one whereby their data would be moved to a virtual machine (cloud server) with no disruption to the business. The solution that was put forward and subsequently installed, encompasses: protection against physical failures; redundant systems throughout (redundant systems allow for hardware and software failures without interrupting business processing); full back-up each day; and, protection by the SIRE anti- virus program. Importantly, it's a fully scalable solution.


As for many similar organisations, the cloud is the perfect place for Henry Adams to host their data, as it easily accommodates their business growth. With a scalable solution in place they will never have to be concerned about running out of space or resource, which leaves them free to run their business knowing that the data is being looked after.


As one of the company's partners commented: “With plans to expand our company, scalability is an essential part of our business."


Conclusion


Since making the move to SIRE’s cloud solution Henry Adams is reaping the benefits of a far more stable working environment.


Along with upgrading to a cloud server, they have upgraded their network infrastructure, have noticed a significant


increase in speed and are experiencing far less down time than previously.


With plans to expand the business, scalability was high on their list when making the decision to switch to a cloud solution. They now have a fully scalable solution that allows for future flexibility and growth.


So if you think your business might benefit from one or more of the following, all of which have been achieved as a result of Henry Adams move to the cloud, then maybe you should think again about migrating your business to the cloud:


• Security of data


• Scalable IT resource that is able to cope with growth and/or seasonal peaks and troughs in business


• Offers flexibility, speeds and levels of data retrieval that can be tailored to your own specific needs


• Built-in business continuity and associated peace of mind that even if the worst were to happen the business will still be able to operate.


Details: Russell Cook 01344-758700 rcook@sire.co.uk www.sire.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64