Rethinking IT for the 21st century

Farewell to servers: rethinking IT for the 21^st century

Tony Moffa, Business Development Director at iConsult explains how new technologies are making IT more mobile, more affordable and much easier to maintain.

The Information Technology (IT) industry is renowned for being focused on the future, sometimes to the detriment of its customers who, quite understandably, are far more interested in today, dealing with the ongoing challenges that business throws their way.

Although very few companies believe they could run their business more effectively without IT, the technologies they employ can be expensive, demanding and difficult to understand. Even the simplest of office networks can cost thousands of pounds to install and then maintenance of the servers, the constant renewal of licences and the need to upgrade software means that running costs can be just as expensive and unpredictable. In one sense, IT liberates your business by giving it capabilities that it would not otherwise have. On the other hand, it’s easy to find yourself tied to systems that don’t quite fulfil the tasks you intended, or that your business has outgrown.

A traditional IT network suitable for small or medium-sized businesses is usually held in-house and in the absence of a dedicated IT manager, consultants like ourselves, are brought in to look after the network. This works and will continue to do so for the time being. However, new technologies and infrastructures are coming into existence that are changing the way IT operates, for good.

A quiet revolution

As with so many advances in the world of computing, Internet technologies are at the core of the quiet revolution known as ‘hosted applications’. This term refers to the idea of taking the programs (applications) that a business uses and instead of situating them on a server that the company buys and maintains, they are ‘hosted’ on a server held elsewhere and maintained by a third party in a secure data centre. This third party looks after all the hardware, ensuring that there is a continual, uninterrupted service; they also manage hardware and software upgrades as well as ensuring that licences are continually updated. These hosted services are provided on a rental basis with all costs included. This brings the enormous benefit of allowing businesses to fix their IT budget in the knowledge that there will be no unexpected maintenance or upgrade costs incurred during the year.

The immediate and clear advantage is that the disruption caused by housing your network within the office is dispensed with, however, the positives don’t stop there. In order to access your network, a security key is provided, in the case of iConnect, our hosted applications product, security is based on an encrypted six digit pass code that changes every 60 seconds, as well as a username, password and PIN. This is also, only available to the authorised individual accessing the system. This self-modifying security system is far more robust than the standard password system found in most offices and is currently being adopted by major high-street banks. The principal is similar to that of the ‘hole in the wall’ card – only much more secure.

It must be remembered that security is not only there to keep people out, it is integral to letting you in! Because the system is Internet based, you are able to access your office network at anytime and from anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to an Internet connection. From a connectivity point of view, hosted applications are more easily accessible than traditional networks and fulfil the need that many business people have for access to their systems whilst on the move.

More mobile

Microsoft has created an alternative to Blackberry which directly meets the need for email-on-the-go and exceeds Blackberry’s ‘off-the-shelf’ functionality and cost-effectiveness in a number of ways. It’s free to Microsoft Exchange customers and it lets you access your Microsoft Outlook contacts, calendar and tasks on the move, something that is available only on more costly corporate versions of Blackberry. You can also access your Outlook inbox over your service provider’s website or from any WAP enabled mobile phone with Outlook Mobile Access. Blackberry also requires more licences to manage and pay for with, which gives a clear advantage to Microsoft’s offering.

In the IT industry, hosted applications are more commonly know as ‘Software As A Service’ or ‘SaaS’.Of all the advantages that ‘SaaS’ has to offer, one of the most important is its ability to expand as an organisation grows. There is no need to buy new servers or licences because scalability is automatically ensured.

In the case of iConnect, this is particularly evident, as companies only use the server space they need. Costs are lower because servers can be used more effectively in this power, storage and security efficient environment. The truth is that most small and medium-sized businesses that own their servers rarely use them to their full potential, so it makes sense that economies of scale are created to ensure the most efficient use of hardware.

As hosted application provision grows within the IT industry, more applications are becoming available. It is even possible to integrate Voice over IP (VoIP) software that will allow users to make telephone calls over their IT systems, always from the same number regardless of where they are in the world – even whilst on the train!

Microsoft’s Hosted Exchange system will also enable voice-based access to email through Outlook. These systems can integrate with Industry leading CRM products and other applications, enabling you to display client details and other pertinent information during a telephone call. Most business executives have viewed this as a pipe dream in the past, but no longer – converged, integrated IT on the move is becoming a reality.

It may be an unintended consequence but another major money-saving aspect of hosted applications is the automatic disaster recovery provision they offer. Hosted applications do away with the need to buy servers and install them in remote, secure sites for business continuity. Instead, they are designed in such a way that business continuity is always ensured in the event of unexpected disruption to an organisation and its employees.

Hosted applications are fundamentally changing the way IT works for enterprise. By allowing companies to focus on their core business, IT systems can remain working quietly in the background where they are meant to be.