The Money Savings in Multi-Tenancy: Backup as a Service

a person using a laptop on a wooden table

Money Savings

Data backup as a third-party service is one of the most common data recovery elements for new and growing businesses. This isn’t just because using third parties to handle administrative matters and business tasks not related to your central product is becoming more and more popular as a business practice; it’s because cloud-based storage and data recovery can be complicated, and the risks of making a mistake and not backing up everything pose too high a cost. But one of the most valuable aspects of getting storage as a service is that you’re paying for the services you need instead of an oversized infrastructure. This means money savings for you and your organization.

How does multi-tenancy equal money savings on data storage?

Imagine the typical downtown office space. A small company might rent part of a floor, while a middle or growing business might rent a whole floor and, provided business is good, add another to their rental agreement. Even if that company keeps growing and adding floors full of salespeople and customer support reps, it will be a long time before they take up the whole building. They wouldn’t buy the building and then slowly start to fill part of it up; they’ll just keep renting what they need and then evaluate their options once the company gets large enough for them to reconsider.

Data storage is the exact same situation. While you’re a small or mid-sized company, you don’t need a whole storage array of servers and data recovery systems. You just need a small part of one, and even as the size of your data grows, it will be a long time before your provider has to dedicate an entire array just for your company. While data backup as a service does cost a monthly ‘rent,’ that rent is only for the services you need instead of an entire over-sized infrastructure for services you don’t.

Data backup keeps companies safe, and more and more businesses rely on data backup to keep their businesses thriving. Data backup as a service does that even better by giving your company access to resources and storage options without the high upfront costs and required know-how of DIY data storage. Find a plan that works best for your business with Bluwater Technologies here.

What Are Managed Services And Why Do I Need Them?

a man sitting at a desk in an office

As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate. From sales to marketing, nearly every aspect of your company will need your involvement at some level or another. That doesn’t mean you should take on everything yourself, as your IT functions require more expertise than the average person has. Therefore, you need managed services to provide you with a level of support that will keep you competitive-here’s why.

Managed Services

What are Managed Services?

Generally speaking, managed services refer to specific IT operations that are performed by a third-party service provider such as Bluwater Technologies. These services are overseen by our professional staff members, who take on the responsibility of monitoring and troubleshooting them on your behalf. This frees you up to manage your other day-to-day operations and guarantees you will have someone available to take care of problems when and where they arise.

What is Included?

Managed services are customized for each business and are provided on a subscription basis. Thus, you only pay for the services you need. Managed services can include things such as:

  • Running backups
  • Security patches
  • Software updates
  • Data recovery
  • Network maintenance
  • Network and server support

Benefits

In addition to cost savings, there are a few other benefits:

  • More time to focus on growing your business
  • No need to learn new IT skills
  • Continuous, ongoing support 24/7
  • Ensuring continuity for your business in case of a disaster
  • You maintain full visibility and control and will never have to wonder what your managed services provider is up to

The success of your business largely depends on your ability to remain functional at all times. A managed services provider is the most cost-effective way to maintain the continuity of operations, which is why we invite you to contact us today to get started.

IT Consulting: Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

a man sitting in front of a computer monitor

As a small business owner, whether or not you consider yourself or members of your staff to be tech-savvy, determining what specific technology your business requires can be difficult without IT consulting. Seeking out professional advice in order to optimize the productivity of your business will have a positive effect on your profits, time management, and peace of mind. Bluwater Technologies can customize solutions for you in order to remedy numerous common IT problems that face small businesses.

IT Consulting Is Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

  • IT Analysis. A team of qualified experts will evaluate the IT system your business currently has in place. They will take note of any weaknesses it may have. They will also have design suggestions for a more appropriate IT system to meet your needs.
  • IT Installation. After the initial analysis and creation of your tailored IT system, trusted vendor partnerships are utilized for its installation. Only the finest quality of work and professionalism are displayed during your IT installation. Thus, putting your mind at ease and ensuring your full confidence in this branch of your business.
  • Technology Direction. Security threats are a serious threat to small business technology. Once any such threats are diagnosed, we will make recommendations. These will eliminate any dangers that could potentially threaten the livelihood of your business.

When such an integral portion of a business is left to chance it can cause many headaches for small business owners on a daily basis. Enlisting Bluwater’s services will allow you to get back to running your business in a more efficient and productive manner. To learn more about how the variety of IT consulting services we have available can increase your business’s likelihood of success contact us today.

Computer Tip of the Day: Hard Drive Defragmentation

an open laptop computer sitting on top of a table

Defragmenting your hard drive is a bit like changing the oil in your car. It’s not something you do everyday but it keeps your system running smoothly and efficiently. It also takes time and is an annoying part of maintaining a well optimized PC.

When files are stored on your traditional mechanical hard drive (HHD), the file data is written on spinning platters of silicon in a near linear fashion.

This means that as you download and install programs on your drive those programs are stored sequentially on the drive.

However, if you delete a file or uninstall a program, that space is now free to be written to and your operating system will break new files up and write them in whatever free space is available. This is called file fragmentation.

Since your hard drive has to physically spin to each sector to read the fragmented file, this causes huge performance issues, causing programs to start slowly and sometimes resulting in freezing and crashing.

Defragmenting your HDD effectively combines fragmented files and programs into one continuous block. Then, combines all the free space on the drive to one area.

If you have a newer laptop or high-end PC, you may have an SSD instead of an HHD. Solid state drives do not have spinning platters and therefore do not benefit from defragmentation. Attempting to defragment an SSD can actually harm the drive. This is because SSD cells can only be written to a limited number of times.

Contact us to learn how we can manage your IT infrastructure.

Value from Managed Services

an empty office with people working at their desks

Giving responsibility for your IT operations to a managed services provider is a big step, and you want to get the most value out of it. If you make the right choices when setting up management and in the ongoing relationship, you can get the most effective use of your equipment and software, whether you keep them on site or use remote systems.

Step 1

The first step is to choose a provider that understands your technology. Select one with a proven record of reliability, one whose expertise includes the machines, operating systems, and software that you use. Whatever your application is, it’s vital to have an MSP that understands security issues and doesn’t neglect them for the sake of convenience.

Make sure to understand the scope of your agreement. How much is the provider promising to do? Are you getting 24-hour support? Is there a guaranteed turnaround time for getting systems back up? Whether you need the highest support level or a more economical option, you need to know what to expect.

Step 2

Once the arrangement is in place, ongoing communication is important. Let the provider know when your needs change. If you learn about new tech that might help your business, ask what they think about it and whether they can support it. You’ll learn something about it, even if you end up choosing a different option.

Even when you use an MSP, you’ve probably got employees whose expertise and responsibilities include IT. As a senior manager, you need to know what the MSP is doing, but you shouldn’t let your in-house people feel they’re in an adversarial position. Let them communicate freely with the provider so that they’re on top of all the issues and can make useful recommendations to you.

At Bluwater Technologies, we can provide managed IT services that will meet all your business’s goals. Please contact us for more information.