IaaS

How an IaaS Provider Can Help With Your Cybersecurity

In today’s world, we cannot overstate the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. Fortunately, your Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider can be a powerful ally in fortifying your cybersecurity defenses.

In this blog, we will explore how IaaS providers like Simple Helix can contribute to enhancing cybersecurity and safeguarding sensitive data.

What Is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) allows you to avoid the drawbacks of on-premises data centers. Instead of investing in and maintaining physical hardware, you can leverage IaaS to access scalable and flexible computing infrastructure from a distance on a pay-as-you-go basis.

While IaaS is about infrastructure, some IaaS providers, like Simple Helix, can provide additional services to help improve your security. Here are some things we can help with:

Enhanced Data Encryption

Simple Helix can help you implement robust encryption mechanisms to secure data both in transit and at rest. These mechanisms ensure that personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data is protected during transfer between servers and storage systems.

Secure Network Configurations

IaaS allows you to establish and manage your network configurations in a secure and controlled environment. With features like Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), users can create isolated networks, enabling secure communication between different components of their infrastructure.

These isolated networks minimize the risk of unauthorized access to your data, a crucial aspect of cybersecurity.

Security Updates and Patch Management

How an IaaS Provider Can Help With Your Cybersecurity

Maintaining up-to-date security measures is a constant battle in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Our team can simplify this process by giving you a team to manage these security updates and patch management for you. We can help you promptly address vulnerabilities, reducing the window of opportunity for potential cyber threats.

Your organization can benefit from the latest security features without the burden of manual updates.

Scalable Security Solutions

IaaS offers scalability, allowing organizations to adjust their infrastructure based on demand. This flexibility extends to cybersecurity solutions. We can help you find options to scale your security measures in tandem with the growth of your digital operations and IaaS needs.

Disaster Recovery and Downtime Prevention

Cybersecurity is not just about preventing threats but also about preparing for potential incidents. Simple Helix’s services facilitate robust disaster recovery and downtime prevention.

With built-in redundancies, backup solutions, and robust protection from natural disasters, you can recover swiftly from potential threats. We can help you ensure minimal disruption to operations. Our backup and recovery solutions contribute to a comprehensive cybersecurity posture.

Some IaaS providers, like Simple Helix, can play a pivotal role in fortifying your cybersecurity measures. In addition to IaaS, we can act as a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) and connect you with other security service providers as needed. From robust encryption and secure network configurations to automated updates and scalable security options, we provide a comprehensive framework for safeguarding sensitive data.

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, leveraging the capabilities of your IaaS provider becomes a strategic imperative for organizations who wish to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of their digital assets. With Simple Helix, you can navigate the complex cybersecurity landscape with confidence, knowing you have a resilient and adaptive infrastructure at your disposal.

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Private Cloud vs. Public Cloud: When to Use Each Option

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Cloud computing and IaaS can mean very different things depending on your provider. Whether you choose a private cloud vs. public cloud provider can impact your data security, opex, and other aspects of your business.

If you’re looking to move to the cloud, you need to make sure you have the right type of cloud for your business needs. We explain more about the differences between private and public cloud solutions below.

Public Cloud: Balancing Cost and Risk

Public clouds store data in a shared environment, meaning your software shares a server with other client organizations. They’re often hosted by large providers like AWS, Azure, or Google. Since a third-party provider takes care of all the infrastructure and equipment, public cloud solutions are very low maintenance.

Public cloud solutions are sometimes less expensive and easier to scale than private clouds. If there is a sudden increase in demand for one of your applications, a large public cloud provider can quickly spin up additional instances of that application.

However, using shared resources comes with security concerns. Large public cloud providers often attract more cyber attacks because they hold more companies’ data. While some public cloud providers have robust security measures, your organization may still need to do more monitoring and data encryption. The shared environment can also create compliance challenges for businesses in regulated industries.

When to Use Public

Public cloud can be a good choice if you’re working with a lot of data that isn’t especially sensitive. Public cloud may be a good choice if:

You have workloads that don’t involve sensitive data
Keeping cost and maintenance down are top priorities
You expect to have sudden spikes in demand
Global reach is more important and some latency is tolerable

Private Cloud: Fortifying Security and Privacy

Private cloud solutions use infrastructure that is solely dedicated to your organization. Your software runs on a server that only serves one organization — your own.

Some organizations create a private cloud using an on-prem data center, which makes them solely responsible for maintenance and upgrades. Others work with a managed private cloud provider, meaning a third party takes care of some of those tasks. Managed private clouds are often more cost-effective than on-prem options since they don’t require any upfront investment and reduce the maintenance burden on your IT team.

Private cloud solutions offer extra shielding from potential security risks, minimizing the possibility of unauthorized access or data leakage. Since physical resources are exclusively dedicated to your organization, your data is more isolated than it would be with a public cloud provider. You get dedicated connections and networking bandwidth, too.

Private cloud providers also tend to offer better customer service. Managed private cloud providers typically emphasize personal attention and responsiveness. When you’re a client of a large public cloud provider, you may be lost in the sea of everyone else.

When to Use Private

Private cloud is a good choice for any organization that is concerned about privacy and security. These include healthcare, finance, and legal organizations, but other industries often use private clouds as well. Businesses that handle proprietary information, confidential documents, or trade secrets tend to lean toward private cloud for the controlled environment it offers.

In summary, private cloud is a good choice if:

Cybersecurity is a concern
You handle sensitive data, proprietary information, confidential documents, or trade secrets
You contract with government bodies that mandate higher security standards (e.g., Defense Industrial Base contractors who must comply with CMMC standards)
You’ve had bad experiences with customer service from large public cloud providers

The fear of data breaches, intellectual property theft, or inadvertent exposure can make public cloud a less desirable option. When privacy and security are your topmost concerns, private cloud is the way to go.

Private Cloud vs. Public Cloud With Simple Helix

In brief, public clouds use shared infrastructure, while private clouds use infrastructure that is solely dedicated to your organization. Public clouds can be more cost-effective, but private clouds are usually the best choice for data security.

The choice between private and public cloud hinges on your organization’s priorities and risk tolerance. At Simple Helix, we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Our experts can help you understand your options, including hybrid solutions.

Whether you’re a privacy-conscious organization or aiming to strike a balance between cost-effectiveness and security, Simple Helix can help you find the right public or private cloud solution. Schedule a consultation to see which cloud options align with your business objectives.

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Why Managed Private Cloud Could Be the Simplest Option For Your Org

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On-prem data centers tend to require a lot of maintenance and expensive hardware upgrades. It’s no surprise that many organizations are looking to move their data to the cloud. Unfortunately, going 100% cloud with a public cloud provider isn’t always possible for technical or security reasons.

Managed private cloud is a great in-between choice for organizations that need to balance access, cost, and security. In this blog, we explain what a managed private cloud is and why it could be the best data management choice for your organization.

What Is Managed Private Cloud?

Managed private cloud is a cloud computing environment that is exclusively dedicated to your organization. It’s hosted and managed by an IaaS provider like the Simple Helix team, which removes the burden of managing hardware and data center operations. At the same time, it can be much more secure than a large public cloud provider.

The great thing about managed private cloud is that it combines the best of all worlds — cost effectiveness, scalability, and security. Since only a limited number of approved users can access the cloud in any way, it’s typically more secure than a public cloud. The private cloud provider also stays on top of security upgrades for you.

Managed private cloud also gives you plenty of flexibility. It’s usually offered in a pay-as-you-go format, so you can quickly scale up or down if your needs change. You only pay for the amount of service you need.

With a private cloud, you get privacy, control, and customization while offloading the complex management and maintenance tasks to a team of specialized professionals.

The Advantages of Managed Private Cloud

Why Managed Private Cloud Could Be the Simplest Option For Your Org

Simple Data Management

With managed private cloud, you can bid farewell to the headaches of HVAC maintenance, hardware operations, and updates. Your provider handles these tasks, allowing your IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives that drive your business forward.

Simplified data management leads to improved efficiency and reduced operational complexities. Your team can focus on what you do best.

Flexibility

Managed private cloud offers the flexibility to quickly shift your IT infrastructure to align with your organization’s changing needs. Whether you need to scale up during peak periods or adapt to changing market dynamics, you have the power to adjust resources according to demand, making you more efficient.

Security

Security remains a top priority for businesses of all sizes. With managed private cloud, you enjoy the benefits of dedicated resources that are not shared with other organizations.

This isolation adds an extra layer of security over public cloud options, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. Moreover, your managed private cloud provider continuously monitors and updates security protocols to stay ahead of potential threats.

Peace of Mind

With your IT infrastructure in the hands of specialized experts, you get more peace of mind. Your provider will take care of monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting at all hours of the day. That means you can redirect your mental energy toward innovation and strategic growth.

Many managed private cloud providers offer 24/7/365 support, meaning you won’t be alone if there are technical challenges. That’s a level of support that few organizations can easily provide for themselves with a small in-house IT team.

Making the Switch From On-Prem to Managed Private Cloud

If your organization is still managing an on-premises infrastructure, transitioning to managed private cloud could be a game-changer. The simplicity, security, and scalability offered by this solution can make your business more efficient than ever.

Here are some additional reasons why you should consider making the switch if your infrastructure is currently on-prem:

Cost Efficiency: Managed private cloud eliminates the need for expensive capital expenditures on hardware upgrades. Predictable monthly fees make budgeting more manageable.
Reduced Downtime: Very few on-prem data centers can keep downtime as low as they’d like. If you choose a provider with a Tier III-equivalent data center, proactive monitoring, and quick issue resolution, you will have minimal downtime and uninterrupted business operations.
Faster Innovation: Freed from routine maintenance tasks, your in-house IT team can dedicate more time to innovation and projects that drive business growth.

Take Your Next Step With Simple Helix

Your team needs consistent, easy access to job-related data, ideally at a low cost. And with cybersecurity threats on the rise, you can’t compromise on security. If streamlining your operations and enhancing security sounds appealing, it’s time to explore the potential of a managed private cloud.

At Simple Helix, we’ll work closely with you to understand your organization’s unique needs. We can develop a tailored solution and guide you through a seamless transition to managed private cloud.

Your organization’s success hinges on efficiency and security. Managed private cloud services from Simple Helix can help with both. Get in touch with us today to see if a managed private cloud makes sense for your org.

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Need Reliable, Secure School IT Services? Use IaaS

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In today’s schools, IT plays a key role in shaping the learning experience. If your school or district’s IT infrastructure isn’t reliable, it can significantly disrupt learning or keep IT staff too busy with repairs to work on other projects.

Many school districts are dependent on old, on-prem IT infrastructure that is difficult to maintain. It’s hard to give students the best learning tools when IT staff are dealing with failing equipment and frequent repairs, but you might not have the budget for expensive new infrastructure. Fortunately, you have another option for school IT services.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) gives you access to reliable infrastructure on a pay-as-you-go basis. Instead of purchasing your own equipment, you consume it from a third party who spreads the costs across several clients. Best of all, you can pay for it on a month-to-month basis instead of asking the school board for a large investment all at once.

With IaaS, you can transition from physical servers to virtual computing without having to go full cloud all at once. The IaaS provider can also help with things like managing the hypervisor environment, licensing, and monitoring. Your district’s IT team can then fully dedicate themselves to student, teacher, and staff needs.

IaaS can pave the way for a brighter future. Here’s how it could help your school community.

1. Reduced Costs, Amplified Resources

Budgetary constraints are a common challenge for schools and districts. IaaS can help by eliminating the need for hefty upfront investments in physical hardware and maintenance. With partially cloud-based infrastructure, schools can shift from capital-intensive expenditures to a cost-effective, pay-as-you-go model.

Using IaaS instead of investing in on-prem infrastructure lets your school reallocate funds toward educational experiences and staffing. You can invest more in innovative programs that will shape the next generation of leaders.

2. Fewer IT Issues, More Time for Education

Need Reliable, Secure School IT Services? Use IaaS

Maintaining older IT infrastructure can be a lot of work for even the most skilled IT teams. More often than not, the IT team also gets involved with troubleshooting HVAC failures, generators not starting, or having to worry if the UPS will carry the load when the power goes out. All this often gets in the way of other IT needs.

With IaaS, your school can offload many of those maintenance tasks to a third party. Your school IT services staff can focus on strategic initiatives that directly impact learning outcomes. The result? An environment where educators and students can use technology to its fullest learning potential.

3. Superior School IT Services for Uninterrupted Learning

IT disruptions often hinder the teaching and learning process. Fortunately, an IaaS provider with a Tier III-equivalent data center can keep disruptions to a minimum.

These providers have extensive backups, redundant systems, and teams of experts who can ensure your systems run smoothly. With an IaaS provider’s assistance, you can offer a reliable and consistent experience to both educators and students, fostering the best possible environment for learning.

4. Future-Proof With Effortless Upgrades or Downsizing

No matter how good your infrastructure is, you will need to upgrade eventually. New security concerns, digital education standards, and tech breakdowns are inevitable. There may be other changes in your IT needs, like an increasing or decreasing number of students to serve.

With IaaS, you can scale up or down your infrastructure access as needed. This means your school or district will only pay for what it needs. You also won’t need to worry about upgrades: your IaaS provider will take care of them for you.

5. Fortified Cybersecurity for Data Protection

Data breaches and cyber threats are on the rise, so it’s important to keep sensitive student and faculty information safe. IaaS providers like Simple Helix have robust, up-to-date cybersecurity measures to safeguard that data.

From multi-factor authentication to encryption to intrusion detection systems, we take every precaution to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. By entrusting your infrastructure to professionals who prioritize cybersecurity, you’re taking a proactive stance in protecting your school community’s personal information.

At Simple Helix, we believe that education has the power to shape the future. By embracing IaaS, you’re not only saving time and money on IT infrastructure, but also creating an IT environment that supports a thriving learning environment. You’ll get more freedom for your IT team and more money to invest in other school priorities.

Simple Helix will be your dedicated partner as you move to IaaS. Let us empower your district to provide the best possible education through IaaS, virtual computing, private cloud, colocation, and other solutions. Get in touch with us today about our IaaS options for schools and districts.

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What Is IaaS? The Quick, Easy Guide to Infrastructure as a Service

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IT infrastructure is often expensive to set up and difficult to change. In today’s world, many organizations are looking for a more flexible and affordable way to meet their IT needs as they adapt to changing demands.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) can be a great way to get around the hassles of regular IT infrastructure. With this service, you don’t need to worry about managing a data center, finding 24/7/365 IT support, or installing overly expensive and time-consuming upgrades. Depending on the IaaS services you choose, you can replace most or all of your on-site hardware.

In this blog post, we will delve into what IaaS is and how it can empower your business. With IaaS’s scalable infrastructure, enhanced IT resources, and cost-effective solutions, you can focus on the work you care about.

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that enables your business to access and manage virtualized computing resources remotely. In other words, you access your IT structure from a third party instead of keeping it on-site.

For many businesses, IaaS is less expensive and more flexible than managing their own infrastructure. When purchasing hardware directly, it takes expertise to properly size the equipment, then maintain that equipment, and then go through a costly hardware refresh when the equipment hits the end of its useful lifecycle.

When you switch to consuming your Infrastructure as a Service, you eliminate the need to predict the future and only pay for your consumption today.

Key Features and Benefits of IaaS

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification

Scalability

IaaS allows businesses to scale their IT resources up or down based on their needs. This scalability enables companies to adapt quickly to changing demands. You can quickly get more computing power when there are seasonal spikes or more resource-intensive projects.

If you’re managing your own IT infrastructure, you have to procure and maintain all the necessary resources yourself. It’s extremely expensive to keep enough hardware to cover 100% of your seasonal spikes or project to then sit idle for the rest of the year. Factor in long lead times for procuring new hardware, sometimes you simply can’t get the resources you need in time to meet demand.

Flexibility

With IaaS, it’s easier to choose and access the specific IT resources you require. Depending on the provider, you can get data storage, networking capabilities, virtual machines, and many other infrastructure components.

The service provider manages the underlying hardware and infrastructure. They can often sell you a wider range of services than you would be able to set up infrastructure for on your own.

Cost-Efficiency

Adopting IaaS eliminates the need for significant upfront investments in physical infrastructure. Instead, you pay for the resources you use on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis.

This cost-effective model allows you to avoid the expenses associated with hardware procurement and infrastructure management. Best of all, you avoid the burden of maintenance and upgrades.

Enhanced Security and Reliability

Most reputable IaaS providers prioritize the security and reliability of their infrastructure. They implement robust security measures, including firewalls, encryption, and data backup solutions. They also tend to have redundant systems and backup capabilities to ensure high availability and minimize downtime.

While you could set up a highly secure data center and redundant systems yourself, it’s a lot more expensive to do on your own. IaaS providers have the advantage of scale – they effectively split the cost of security measures and 24/7/365 support across all the clients using their data centers.

Expert Technical Support

IaaS providers typically offer technical support to help you manage and optimize your infrastructure. You can leverage the knowledge and skills of experienced, specialized professionals without hiring a large team of full-time IT specialists.

Support services often include troubleshooting, system monitoring, and performance optimization. Many IaaS providers provide round-the-clock support that would be hard to get from a single IT professional or small team.

Finding the Right IaaS Provider

What Is IaaS? The Quick, Easy Guide to Infrastructure as a Service

If you’re looking for an IaaS provider, there are several factors you need to consider:

Infrastructure Reliability. The provider should have a robust infrastructure with redundant systems and backup capabilities. These systems help you minimize downtime.

Security Measures. You will want a provider with good security protocols, including data encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits. They should also protect their data center from risks like natural disasters. Compliance with industry standards and regulations is also crucial, especially for businesses handling sensitive data.

Scalability and Flexibility. The provider should be able to scale resources based on your business requirements. Check if they offer a wide range of infrastructure options and allow you to scale up or down your subscription.

Technical Support. Technical support can make all the difference in your IT experience. Ensure your provider offers timely and reliable support, including assistance with infrastructure management and troubleshooting.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution for most businesses’ IT infrastructure needs. By leveraging IaaS, you can focus on your core competencies and leave the challenges of infrastructure management to a trusted service provider.

If you’re ready to harness the power of IaaS for your business, Simple Helix can help. Our Tier III-equivalent data center, colocation, and connectivity options give you a simple yet scalable solution to your IT infrastructure needs.

Our IaaS services include:

Solutions for running virtual machines, containers, simulations, and other computational demands
Cloud backup solution(s) for on-prem, virtual machine, and/or Microsoft Azure/365 environments
NOC (Network Operations Center)
130 available racks inside our 10,000 sq ft data center
30 racks of private colocation with exclusive access available
2N+1 redundant power and cooling systems
4.5 MegaWatts (MW) capacity via five generators with 16,000 gallons of fuel on-site plus fuel cleaning system
Quad chiller units per data hall
Redundant UPS systems with 9 hours of battery backup
Novec 1230 fire suppression with FAST monitoring system
Facility guarded 24/7/365 by armed security guards
Seven physical security zones secured with unique RFID badges, IRIS scanning technology, and traffic-limiting turnstile

Simple Helix helps organizations in a wide range of industries with IaaS, including healthcare, manufacturing, government contracting, and R&D. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how our IaaS services can reduce your costs, add to your capabilities, improve your security, and accelerate your business growth.

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IT budget stretched thin? An MSP can help you get the most out of your IT budget.

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If you’re an IT admin, you’ve probably had times when your budget didn’t stretch quite as far as it used to. Maybe you’ve hit budget caps on specific items like maintenance and support, or maybe you have too many systems that you don’t have enough time to care for.

Managed service providers (MSPs) can help save your IT budget from stretching too thin. With an MSP, you get expert maintenance, IT support, and consulting services on an as-needed basis.

What Are Managed Services?

Most businesses today — whether in government contracting, healthcare, or manufacturing — have at least one service provider that handles some of their technological needs. They may hire someone to create an intranet for employees or to take care of security breaches when hackers attack.

Of these outsourced vendors, an MSP is unique in that it takes on all facets of managing a client’s technology needs. It covers everything — hardware and software, repairs and maintenance, backup plans in case something goes wrong, and more. That leaves your internal staff free to focus on their day-to-day tasks.

Managed services providers offer more than just hands-on technical support, although that is a big part of what they do. Today’s MSPs provide a variety of capabilities to make your business operations more efficient and less expensive. They help you meet your critical operational goals and objectives, protect your data, and stay in compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, PCI, or CMMC.

Why You Should Consider Outsourcing Your IT Services

When you’re in a crunch, it’s tempting to save time and money by trying to do everything yourself. In reality, though, most new business owners have neither the skill nor the expertise to perform IT tasks as efficiently as a dedicated IT company. That leaves them with less time and money in the end for the work that really matters.

Outsourcing your IT services is often a good idea for companies of all sizes and at every stage of growth. Managed service providers can act as an excellent, highly efficient extension of your team.

By hiring an MSP, you can hand off day-to-day maintenance tasks like server and network monitoring, support, and complex software installation and upgrades. This frees up your internal resources to focus on larger initiatives like overall strategy development or business process improvement.

If you’re wondering how outsourcing could help your company, here are just a few benefits to think about:

Higher-level support from certified technicians
Easy budgeting with a flat monthly fee and fewer surprise expenses
24/7 monitoring and support
Minimized downtime
Better security and compliance
Improved focus on maintenance
Proactive security stance and capabilities

MSP vs. an In-House Tech Team

Companies that choose to hire an in-house IT team spend a considerable amount of money on salary, benefits, and space for their employees. On top of that, they must take care of all technology expenses – including computer hardware and software, network equipment, and cyber security updates – by themselves without any outside assistance.

MSPs are able to provide staff, equipment, and infrastructure for less because they do everything at scale. You effectively share the costs of the technology you use with the MSP’s other clients while getting all the same services or more.

Selecting a Managed Services Provider (MSP)

Deciding what type of managed services to use for your company’s needs isn’t a simple process. If you don’t handle it properly, you could end up with more problems than solutions.

Before signing up with any vendor, take some time to evaluate potential partners by asking these three questions:

1) What kind of experience do they have?

2) How do they charge for their services?

3) Are they reputable and trustworthy?

You’re unlikely to regret choosing a provider with a strong reputation, plenty of experience, and a clear fee structure.

Why Simple Helix For MSP?

At Simple Helix, we strive to be a trustworthy, reliable, and effective IT service provider for all kinds of businesses. With years of experience under our belt, we have the skills and resources to help your business become more efficient than ever.

We offer a wide range of managed IT solutions and IaaS services, including:

Office 365 Administration
Managed Workstations
Managed Firewall
Managed Network
Managed Services
Managed Multi-Factor Authentication
Online Training
Encrypted File Sharing
24/7 Support
Strong Security
And more!

We take pride in developing long-term relationships with our clients. We serve you with friendly staff, proactive monitoring, and strategic planning.

Schedule a free IT consultation today to get started on a scalable, secure, and cost-effective IT services plan.

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How Your Company Can Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiency With IaaS

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In today’s world, you need to work efficiently to grow your business. Companies of all sizes are looking for ways to cut costs without reducing their productivity or service quality.

One of the best ways to cut costs and increase efficiency is to use Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). IaaS can help your business grow and quickly scale your technologies with minimal upfront costs.

What Is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, is a cloud computing service model that lets businesses outsource their IT infrastructure. With IaaS, your company can cut costs on servers, storage, networking, desktop virtualization, machine learning, and more. Instead of buying and maintaining your own physical hardware, you can access these resources on-demand through the cloud at a lower cost.

IaaS providers typically offer a variety of services, from basic computing and storage capabilities to more advanced options like load balancing, monitoring, and security. You have the flexibility to choose the services that best fit your needs without investing in expensive hardware.

You can also adjust your usage of IaaS services as your needs change. This flexibility can be especially helpful for startups and small businesses without the resources to purchase and maintain their own infrastructure.

The Benefits of IaaS

IaaS gives you the infrastructure you need to run your applications and services without the need for physical hardware. You don’t need your own data centers, servers, or storage devices. There are many benefits to using IaaS services for most businesses.

Cost Savings

With IaaS, you only pay for the resources you need and use. You can also avoid the high upfront costs of purchasing and maintaining a lot of physical infrastructure. There’s no need to worry about covering expensive hardware upgrades, licensing fees, and maintenance costs on your own.

Here are some ways IaaS can help reduce costs:

No need to buy expensive hardware

When you use IaaS, you don’t need to invest in expensive hardware such as servers, storage, and networking equipment. You won’t have to bear the high upfront costs associated with purchasing and setting up new hardware. Instead, you buy a subscription or pay as you go to use the IaaS provider’s hardware.

No need to maintain IT infrastructure

Another major cost associated with managing your own IT infrastructure is the ongoing maintenance and support you will need. By using IaaS, you can free up your IT staff to focus on more strategic tasks and leave the maintenance and upgrades to the IaaS provider. You can save money on IT staffing costs while keeping your infrastructure up-to-date.

Flexible pricing options

Most IaaS providers offer flexible pricing options that allow you to pay only for the resources you need. You can scale up or down as your business needs change with minimal hassle.

Reduced energy costs

Managing your own IT infrastructure leads to high energy bills, as you need to power and cool the hardware on-premises. With IaaS, you can reduce your energy consumption and save money on utility bills. This is because IaaS providers have economies of scale that allow them to optimize energy usage and reduce overall costs.

Scalability and Flexibility

How Your Company Can Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiency With IaaS

IaaS lets you quickly scale your infrastructure up or down, depending on your needs. During times of increased traffic or usage, you can easily add more resources without having to worry about maintaining and upgrading physical hardware. You can quickly get better performance and faster response times, which means greater efficiency for your business.

Most IaaS service providers can quickly accommodate new applications or services. You can scale without buying and installing expensive new physical hardware. For example, you upgrade your network and storage options to closely fit your new workload and application requirements.

Better Security and Disaster Recovery

IaaS providers usually have more robust security measures in place than small to medium-sized businesses can afford. This means your business can benefit from the latest security technology and updates without having to pay for it by yourself.

Most IaaS providers also have excellent built-in disaster recovery and backup solutions. Your data will be well protected, and you should be able to restore it quickly in the event of an outage or disaster.

Access to the Latest Technology

IaaS providers typically provide the latest technology, including hardware and software updates. They will ensure you always have access to the best and most current infrastructure and technology.

Your provider also may be able to help you with automation tools that streamline some of your IT tasks and reduce manual labor. These tools can include automated backups, load balancing, and scaling. Automating these processes not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error, increasing the reliability of your infrastructure.

Easy Collaboration

With IaaS, you can easily collaborate with other members of your team, regardless of their location. Your IaaS provider’s cloud and connectivity services can keep you working together smoothly. Your team will be able to share resources and access data and applications from anywhere.

IaaS With Simple Helix

IaaS is a flexible and cost-effective option for businesses that want to focus on core competencies instead of IT hassles. With the scalability and reliability of the cloud, you can reduce your operational costs, increase your efficiency, and free up valuable resources to focus on innovation and growth.

Simple Helix is an IaaS provider with all the resources you need to set up, maintain, and scale your IT infrastructure. Our clients benefit from a Tier III-equivalent data center, multiple connectivity options, managed services, and an experienced team of IT specialists. We serve organizations in industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing and R&D.

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Cloud vs. Data Center Security: Which Option Makes Sense For Your Organization?

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Deciding how and where to store your company’s data can be hard. Many tech companies, government contractors, manufacturers, and healthcare organizations deal with a lot of sensitive information. If you choose the wrong storage option, you may end up dealing with more frequent data breaches or access problems.

The IT trend over recent years has shifted towards a “cloud first” strategy. However, there are still many situations where it makes more sense to use other data storage options, like data centers.

What is Data Center Security?

Data center security is the set of physical and digital security measures that keep your critical data safe from threats while it’s housed in a data center. A data center is a physical facility built with specific requirements to enhance reliability and security of networking, computing, and storage resources.

Most data centers have a wide range of security measures, like the following:

Security guards
Photo badge access
Cameras
Cybersecurity measures

In addition, most data centers have a wide range of physical systems to protect the environment, like the following:

Redundant generators
Redundant UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies)
Multiple HVAC systems
Environmental hardening to protect from tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.

At Simple Helix, our data center security measures go above and beyond the above. Call us today to learn more about how we can keep your data secure.

What is Cloud Security?

Cloud security is the set of practices that keep your data secure on a cloud computing provider’s distributed network. If your company uses cloud-based tools and services to work with any important data, you need a cloud security plan.

At Simple Helix, our deployment team works with clients to create a cloud backup solution that meets your security requirements. We also partner with Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) to help customers get more in-depth cybersecurity solutions.

Cloud vs. Data Center Security

Your organization may be at higher risk of large-scale cyber attacks when you keep your data in a cloud environment. While some cloud service providers have plenty of security measures and can handle high-performance workloads, some cannot. Moreover, most cloud service providers will not share their backup, restore, or other business plans to protect your data.

Also, not every application is “cloud ready”. Legacy applications may not support “the cloud” and depend on data centers to remain running.

Ideally, you should talk to a cloud and data center services provider that offers both options to find out if their cloud service or data center is secure enough for your data.

At Simple Helix, we use a variety of practices and technologies to keep our data center and cloud data secure. Our Tier III equivalent Data Center has surveillance and monitoring to keep unwanted visitors out. We partner with Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) to help keep clients’ cloud data secure.

With our data center services, your data is stored in our disaster-protected pods. The facility with the pods is monitored 24/7 with:

Armed security guards
Photo badge access
Fob access tracking
CCTV footage with a 90-day backup
A K4 rated security fence

We can further enhance your cybersecurity with our Network Operations Center (NOC) and Security Operations Center (SOC) services. Our engineering staff will be alerted if threats or other issues arise and resolve them quickly.

Our data center is also designed to a 2N + 1 standard, meaning we can perform routine or scheduled maintenance on one system while two others are up and running without disruptions. We are designed to a tier IV standard for redundancy.

If you need help keeping your data secure, call Simple Helix. We offer both data center and cloud solutions that prioritize your security.

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5 Reasons Why Your MSP Really Needs a Data Center

SH Marketing IaaS, Information Technology Updates, Managed IT 0

For many businesses, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are the go-to source for IT support, infrastructure, and cloud services. They help you maintain reliable, secure access to important data. You may wonder if you really need your MSP to have a data center, though.

When an MSP has a data center, customers like you get more safety, stability, and dependability. The data center protects your business’s mission-critical data.

It’s no wonder that more and more MSPs are adding data center services. For security-minded companies, having a data center can make all the difference when choosing an MSP.

Here are five reasons why your MSP needs a data center.

1) Data Centers Provide Redundant Services.

If your servers are in an office building, they’re probably vulnerable to natural disasters. There’s a chance that they can be damaged by fire, flooding, or other events — maybe not this year, but eventually. You’re basically serving customers over nothing more than prayer.

Having redundant data centers located at different physical locations ensures that your customers will always have seamless access to your services.

2) Data Centers Provide Extra Backup Servers.

The best way to protect your company is to use multi-site backups that store all of your important files in multiple places. Ideally, you can keep your backups at another location, such as a hosted data center.

If one site fails, but you have backup servers elsewhere, you have another place you can pull your data from. So no matter what happens at your primary location, you’ll still be able to access your business files and data.

3) Data Centers Back Up Your Hardware.

5 Reasons Why Your MSP Really Needs a Data Center

A disaster recovery plan is an integral part of any data center. Any business needs a plan for what to do if something goes wrong, whether it’s a fire, theft, or natural disaster.

Even if you don’t have physical servers at your office, you still need to be able to access your data and applications in case there’s an issue with your network. That means having a backup of all that information stored somewhere safe and secure.

If you don’t have a backup in place already, consider setting one up as soon as possible. Make sure you back up your backups, too! The last thing you want is for all that hard work to disappear when something does go wrong.

4) Data Centers Give You Improved Uptime.

Without fail, customers expect 99.999% uptime from their IT providers. It’s so important for managed service providers to maintain robust and reliable data centers.

By outsourcing with an experienced hosting provider, you can get high-quality infrastructure and cloud resources that will help meet your customers’ demand for reliability.

5) A Data Center Can Be Part of Your Disaster Recovery Plan.

As more and more industries move to cloud-based applications, companies of all sizes are at risk of losing critical data should their internet connection fail. A data center gives your company an offsite backup that allows you to keep your business going during an outage.

Plus, many cloud providers offer disaster recovery solutions. If there’s a problem with your account, they can quickly switch to their own data center to restore service. You can keep your customers happy and ensure they stay with you.

Every business relies on IT, and there are many different factors that go into building a reliable, high-quality infrastructure. In today’s world, there are some features that you can only get from an MSP that has its own data center.

MSPs are a great way to make sure you always have a reliable IT department ready to support your business. You won’t need to worry about the overhead of maintaining your own staff. All in all, before entering into an MSP relationship, make sure the MSP offers data center services.

To learn more about how data centers can help your company, check out our guide to data center solutions.

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Looking For Security-Conscious IT Services?

Simple Helix offers a range of managed services, IaaS solutions, connectivity options, and more.

We serve organizations in industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing and R&D. Schedule a consultation with us to learn more.

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What Is a Data Center Solution? A Quick Guide to Products and Services for Data Centers

SH Marketing Auto Dealerships, Government Contracting, Healthcare, IaaS, Information Technology Updates, Manufacturing, Technology Research and Development 0

As your organization collects more and more virtual data, it becomes increasingly hard to maintain it all. You may have a hard time figuring out where to store all the data your organization needs, not to mention how to keep it both safe and accessible.

Government contractors, manufacturers, technology companies, healthcare organizations, and many other organizations tend to generate a lot of sensitive information. If you need a secure way to store a large amount of data, you may benefit from a data center solution.

What are Data Center Solutions?

Data center solution is a term for any equipment or service used to configure, install, and maintain a data center. These solutions can include technical support, IT products like servers and storage systems, and physical equipment such as cooling systems and generators.

Most data center solutions fall into one of four categories: physical data center, cloud, colocation, or a hybrid of two or more of the above. There are advantages and disadvantages to each option.

On-Premises Data Center Solutions

What Is a Data Center Solution? A Quick Guide to Products and Services for Data Centers

On-premises (or on-prem) data center solutions involve storing and managing company data on-site.

Pros:

Your team members can quickly access and control your IT infrastructure.
You may be able to access and work with data faster when the data center is nearby.
Storing data on-site is often cheaper than storing it elsewhere.

Cons:

If all your data is in a single place, there is a single point of failure and limited redundancy. Any problems can lead to an excess risk of data corruption and loss.
You may be reliant on a single source of connectivity. If there is an internet outage, you might not be able to access your data until the issue is resolved.
Your facility will be fully responsible for storing and protecting the data, which may mean paying for extra security and durability precautions at your site. You will likely need 24/7 security, disaster remediation tools, waterless fire suppression systems, and more to protect your data.
Your business will need to hire people with highly specific expertise to maintain and manage your infrastructure.
Your business will need to replace expensive IT infrastructure, including server equipment, as it becomes obsolete over time.

Colocation Solutions

Colocation (colo) data center solutions involve setting up server equipment in a separately-owned data center that was specifically designed for IT infrastructure. These data centers are also called multi-tenant data centers (MTDCs) or colocation centers.

Pros:

Colo data centers tend to be well-protected with highly resilient environments. The facility will likely plan for humidity, fire protection, cooling, redundant power, and other potential concerns. As a result, colocated servers tend to run more efficiently and last longer than on-premises servers.
There is usually 24/7 physical security to make sure only designated people can access your equipment.
Since colo data centers tend to have multiple internet providers and paths running through their facilities, you may be better connected and experience less downtime. If one provider is down, the data center can ensure the equipment switches over to another as a backup.
The data center will be responsible for facility maintenance instead of you, the data owner.

Cons:

Your business will still need to replace expensive IT infrastructure as it becomes obsolete over time.
Your business will still be responsible for equipment maintenance. There are IT experts at colo data centers, but they are only responsible for keeping the facility itself running.
Your data is farther away from your employees, although this can be a pro depending on what you want to do with your data.

Cloud Compute Solutions

Cloud compute solutions keep your data on a cloud computing provider’s distributed network. The cloud is a series of remote servers that maintain and process data on the internet rather than hosting it on a local server or computer

Pros:

Cloud compute solutions are designed to be distributed.
The facility the cloud server is housed in will be taken care of for you.
Your business won’t need to worry about replacing obsolete server equipment.
Cloud storage is very scalable and flexible, so you can easily add more storage, cores, or memory in a pinch.

Cons:

With cloud compute solutions, you are outsourcing your infrastructure.
Your organization may be at higher risk of large-scale attacks, although larger cloud entities tend to be more secure.
You will need a lot of internet bandwidth to work with your data.

Hybrid Solutions

Hybrid data center solutions combine two or more of the solutions we discussed above. For example, you could house employee-facing data in a colocation center while your customer-facing data stays in a mix of private and public cloud servers.

Hybrid solutions also come with advantages and disadvantages, depending on the combination of solutions you choose. We recommend talking to a data center solutions provider to see which option may be right for your needs.

Why Your Business Needs Data Center Solutions

Data center solutions help organizations store sensitive data. If your organization is concerned about keeping data secure, avoiding downtime, or keeping IT infrastructure healthy, you likely need a data center solution.

A data center solutions provider can help you with designing a new data center, setting up and maintaining racks in an existing colo data center, or finding a good cloud compute solution.

Simple Helix Data Center Solutions

To give you an example of what data center solutions can look like in practice, let’s take a look at Simple Helix’s data center solutions.

Simple Helix has a Tier III equivalent, 2N+1 Data Center. Tier III means we can offer 72 hours of protection from power outages without resorting to an outside source, and we must keep uptime at a minimum of 99.982% of the time per annum. 2N+1 means we can have maintenance performed on one system while two others are up and running without disrupting the system.

The facility is designed to be carrier-neutral, which means our clients can enjoy extra resiliency and peace of mind if one carrier is down. The data is stored in disaster-protected pods which we monitor 24/7 with armed security guards, CCTV footage with 90-day backup, photo badge access with fob access tracking throughout the facility, and a K4-rated security fence.

We offer several colocation and cloud options for storage. We use the cloud environment to keep off-site, off-line backups of all your servers and data, including daily Office 365 backups and Endpoint Backups.

We also offer NOC+ services for monitoring networks and ensuring continuous uptime. We include added SOC capabilities with a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that offers a holistic view of your organization’s information security.

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Looking For a Data Center Solution?

Simple Helix offers a wide range of data center services. Schedule a consultation with us today to see if our solutions are right for you.

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