By Sheldon Williams
Sales & Account Executive and Trainer
Keal Technology
Keal Technology
The ever changing world of data technology has blast into
the atmosphere and in house servers will soon become exhibits in museums. Water
is definitely the new fire and your data is in peril of becoming a victim of flooding.
Paperless initiatives such as scanning, eDocs and eMarketing have increased the
size of your databases leaving in-house servers struggling to keep up. Commissions
being cut by major carriers, government reduction of premiums and the
ever-present threat from direct writers add new challenges to the day-to-day
operations of many brokers. With all this added pressure, do you have time to
monitor back-ups, test those backup, plan & purchase new servers (every 3-5
years), or maintain contracts with local techs? I can bet that the answer is
‘NO’. So, how can we avoid these requirements of your operation? Leave it to
the experts, and the Cloud provides that convenience.
So, what is the cloud you ask? Cloud computing has been
around for quite some time. To simplify the explanation, one can look at Social
Media. For instance, when you log into Facebook, you are accessing a Cloud
environment. All of your contacts,
photos, videos and status updates are stored in a ‘virtual world’. With the use
of any device that can that access the internet, you can log on and gain access
to all that you and your friends have uploaded and stored. This same concept
applies to your professional data. Hosting your data in a Cloud allows you to
access your files, software and data wherever you have internet access.
Safe & Sound
Now that we have the basics down, let’s look deeper into the
benefits of Cloud hosting. With the right provider, back-ups are done
throughout the day which copies your data and keeps it safe from peril. This
data is then stored in multiple servers in different locations for redundancy.
This safety measure increases your security and creates a disaster recovery
plan for you. So, let’s imagine a
flash flood or even a bolt of lightning. With in-house servers, you would rely
on the data based on the last back-up. Typically this can be from the day
before, or even longer. Recreating the lost data can become a make-work project
and let’s face it; no one has time for that! If your office is rendered
unlivable, your business will be at a standstill until everything is back on
track. Time is money, and loss productivity can hurt your bottom line. With a
hosted solution, your business can continue, and all you will need is a
computer with internet access and a phone. Everything you need to operate is
safe & sound, ready for you to log on and get back to work.
Additional Features
Emails are crucial to communication in this day in age. With
the right Cloud provider, you not only have the ability to host your industry
specific software; such as your broker management system; you can also store
your entire Microsoft Office suite, in fact, the Keal Cloud comes with this as
standard. This means your email, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets are also
included in the safety of virtual hosting. Everything is secured in your online
environment and accessible anywhere. This relinquishes your responsibility to
maintain Microsoft licenses, monitor audits and conduct upgrades, giving you
one less headache to worry about. How
about your other necessary software? Yes, they are covered as well. This means
your rating software, 3rd party products and network drives are all
just a ‘www.’ away.
Sounds Too Good to be True?
With the right provider uptime guarantees are put in place
to ensure that if something goes wrong with your ability access to the Cloud,
you will be compensated. You no longer have to call the tech down the road to
take a look at your server, hire an IT expert full time or try to fix it yourself.
With Cloud hosting, you call your main support phone number and you can talk
about your hosting as well as your broker management system.
Not every Cloud is created Equal
What is the Right Provider?
Who do I choose? What am I looking for? There are key differentiators between
cloud providers. The goal is to be able to ask the right questions in order to
determine which one provides the level of security & service that you
require. Here are a few questions to ask:
1.
Where is the data stored?
a.
As a Canadian Broker, you want to know that your
data is stored in Canada. Each country has different privacy laws. Supporting a
Canadian datacenter ensures that your data adheres to the laws of the land.
2.
What is my Uptime Guarantee?
a.
This defines the percentage of time that the
Cloud will be up and running. Call around and compare, you will be surprised with
the difference. (hint this higher the number the better; unlike your golf
score).
3.
What is the cost for hosting 3rd
party software?
a.
Basic Cloud contracts allow for hosting of your
typical software, anything over and above that may incur additional costs.
Ensure to list all your business requirements and obtain a cost for having them
all hosted.
4.
What level of security is offered?
a.
Tier 3 is the minimum that we would recommend,
this is the highest level typically for commercial enterprises. The only higher rating at present is Teir 4,
which is usually deployed by Banks & Governments. It is important to note that all Tier 3’s are
the same. Look into whether the Cloud provider is a certified Tier 3. Have
them provide proof and do your research into the validity of the certification
company.
5.
What can the hosting company do with my data?
a.
Carefully review the contract prior to signing.
Ensure that your data belongs only to you and no one else. ‘Big Data’ is big business, your contract
should not allow your cloud provider to mine your data for statistical purposes
unless you agree with this usage.
6.
What is the level of redundancy protection?
a.
Find out how many data centers are in place to
protect your data if one goes down. Determine how often back-ups are done in a
24 hour time period and what measures are put in place to protect you.
Choosing the RIGHT
Cloud provider is as important as the right security system for your house.
Both protect what is dear to you and the contents being protected are
irreplaceable. For more information on Keals Cloud solutions feel free to view
our short video here http://bit.ly/1Eb7TJJ or contact sales@keal.com.
