Cloud Services and Software Consulting by Advanced Service Solutions, Inc.

What do we mean by "Cloud Services and Software" and why do you need consulting for it?  Let us start the answer to that question by listing a few of the different names of some of these services.  SAAS, PAAS, IAAS are just the start and more are being invented by the day.  Are they all just simple variations of Cloud Services and all share the same basic meaning?  No they are not, the answer is that they are completely different and all have a different use and/or intent.  How do you know what offereing comes under which of those labels and what are the ramifications of those choices and what does it mean for your business?

In the begining of business computing with PC's and Servers, a simple concept of having the same security model running accross all computers and servers was introduced.  Business loved the concept and having a single entry point for users and rights won rave reviews for the simplisity that it brought.  But, along with that simlicity, it also brought the ability have significant security improvements including restricting access to some PC's and or certain information on some PC's and more.  It allowed for "Groups" of users to be created and either granted or denied access to whatever the administrator chose.  A simple yet significant example of this was the ability to, when necessary, lock a single user out of every PC and server on the Network with the single click of a mouse.  It, therefore, added a set of features to business that allowed business to have greater protection and control over its users and data, while simplifying how to do that through centralized control.  Now, what does Cloud Services and Software have to do with this?  Some Cloud Services take away these controls and benefits and some do not.  How do you know which do and which do not... and do you need those features and security?

Also during that same time frame, as Software and Systems became more advanced and lived together on the same network... they started to evolve and create duplicate data between similar applications and/or need to share information between those same applications... integration between applications started to occur on a consistent basis.  The ability for business to not have to do duplicate entry, or to lookup information from one applications interface that is being pulled from another application became normal.  This evolved from being something that comanies hired individuals to do to something that Software OEM's started building into their applications as options and/or standards?  Industry specific softwares which specialize in certain verticle markets were a large part of starting this movement but everyday industry standard softwares soon saw the benefits and moved in that direction as well.  A simple example of this could be if a sales person is working in a CRM application and has a customer on the phone, do you need him to be able to see whether customer is over their credit limit (from your accounting application) while speaking to them?  Again, some Cloud Services take away these integratons and their benefits and some do not.  How do you know which do and which do not... and do you know if you need those applications to continue to work together?

The answer to all of the questons that this has brought out are the reason that Cloud Services and Software are not nearly as simple as the providers sell you that they are.  The selection of Cloud Services and/or Software can have significant effects on your business and can even cause your business to fail accredidation, compliance and/or security audits if applicable.  It can take away integrations, reduce security and cause significant complexity to be added to your administration based on have numerous different locations to enter the exact same user and security settings over and over and over again.  The Cloud Services and Software providers sell you on reduced cost and that they are the "way of the future", but do not disclose the serous ramifications of the decisions you are making in your selection process for these services.  Why would they?  Is it in their best interest to inform you that they are taking things that you are accustom to having and take for granted away from you?  Why would they do this?  Bait and Switch is one possible answer!  If they move you to their cloud and then you realize what you are missing and need, then they can upsell you to their higher end solutions.  They win either way.

Advanced Service Solutions has been working with business to understand Cloud Services and Software since the Internet and Cloud were invented.  We understant the Internet, Cloud Services, Cloud based Software and Applications and can help you understand the raminifactions of the decisons you are making and to make the right choice the first time.  We partner with and have many years of installations and experience with some of the top names in the technology and Cloud Industry, and we also have experience working with business development, structure and services.  This means that we are uniquely qualified to help you bridge the gap between technology and business need, Cloud versus local, security versus cost, Administrative Complexity versus single entry and how to continue operating your business while realizing the benefits of Cloud Services and Software.  If you are not aware of all the options and ramifications of how to keep your business operating and how to keep the same features, benefits, security and more that you are use too... you cannot effectively make good decisions about moving to the Cloud.

Call today for more information and a free initial consultation.
Contact our Consulting Specialist at:  +1 (561) 432-1404