Cloud Computing / Hosted Services

Simplify Your IT Infrastructure with Hosted IT Services

Overview
Alliance Technologies cloud computing services enable remote delivery and management of IT infrastructure-related services. By combining our expertise in network management and virtualization with a state-of-the-art hosting facility, Alliance Technologies is equipped to change the way businesses receive IT services. Moving your computing infrastructure to the cloud is easy.
 
Services & Benefits
Through our cloud environment Alliance Technologies can provide remote server hosting through the use of virtualized machines. Virtual server hosting can save businesses time and money because they don't have to buy or manage servers. They can simply rent the resources which can easily be scaled up or down as their business needs change. Because the infrastructure is housed within an offsite location, it can provide enhanced backup and disaster recovery options as well.
 
With Alliance Technologies cloud computing services, your business can enjoy these key business benefits:
 
Simplicity:
  • You don’t have to build or manage your own servers/hardware, data center or any of the associated infrastructure.
Cost Savings:
  • Subscription-based pricing provides less upfront cash outlay compared with buying your own equipment.
  • It creates a fixed expense, which is great for budgeting
  • Leverages the economies of scale associated with a cloud environment that pools resources.
Expertise:
  • Alliance Technologies cloud computing services can provide your business with a professionally managed IT infrastructure. You gain access to certified virtualization experts since Alliance Technologies is a VMware authorized cloud provider with certified VMware professionals.

Solutions:

  • Hosted Virtual Desktops
  • Hosted Virtual Servers
  • Hosted Exchange Email
  • Online Backup and Disaster Recovery
  • Hosted VoIP
Our Process
Our approach is to first assess your company's needs. We then plan and design a cloud computing solution that takes advantage of virtualization and provide installation, management and training. We can take a business with numerous onsite servers, to a more capable virtualized system with far fewer servers and streamline disaster recovery.
 
About the Data Center
Our cloud platform is hosted in a state-of-the-art data center. Here are the key features of that make it a great place to host our cloud and your hardware:
  • Controlled access building
  • Redundant diesel backup generators
  • Redundant data connectivity based on Iowa Network Services (INS) fiber
  • Halon FM-200 fire protection
  • SOC 2 level certification: standards for security, availability, processing integrity & confidentiality/privacy
  • Carrier class scalability
Ready to move to the cloud? Just want to learn more? Contact us today to talk to one of our cloud experts about all your questions and concerns!
 
Need more convincing? Check out our customer success story or read our recent newsletter article about the weighing the pros and cons of the cloud. 

Customer Success

Cloud Computing Project Highlights: YMCA of Greater Des Moines
 
Click the image below to read a case study about a business that handles all its infrastructure in the cloud:

 

Customer Success

Cloud Computing Project Highlights: Cloud Computing Solution for Mark J. Becker & Associates

The following write up and audio clips are from an interview with Mark Becker, President, Mark J. Becker & Associates (MJB&A). Contact: 800-821-5463, www.mjbaconsulting.com.

About MJB&A
Mark J. Becker & Associates (MJB&A) is an independent employee benefits consulting firm focusing on group benefit plans for employers in Iowa and surrounding states. MJB&A employs a full-time staff of 5 people and is located in Johnston, Iowa. MJB&A has converted their IT infrastructure to Alliance Technologies' hosted "cloud" service.

Before Moving to the “Cloud”
Prior to implementing a hosted solution, MJB&A’s IT environment consisted of a mix of 13 computing devices (PCs and laptops), an on-site server with various software packages such as Microsoft Office and Goldmine (CRM).

As their technology became outdated, they were looking at large capital expenditures for replacing old hardware (server and computers), upgrading software applications and migrating Operating Systems from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Before moving to the cloud, MJB&A analyzed how much of their staff’s time was lost due to IT support issues and downtime on a yearly basis. They determined they were losing about 200-250 hours per year, which equated to approximately $30,000 - $50,000 in potential lost revenue per year. By transitioning to the cloud and moving their IT resources off-site, MJB&A figures to gain back a lot of this lost productivity.

 Mark Becker, MJB&A
“The primary driver for us was cost – it was unsustainable for us to exhaust that much time and money for an office of 5 people.”

“The biggest thing we'll gain from moving to the cloud is recovery of our time. Not having to spend our own time on IT issues is a big benefit.”

Audio clips of Mark’s Interview are available at the bottom of this page.

After Moving to the “Cloud”
Today MJB&A has access to their server resources and critical business applications through the cloud, this includes:

•    Microsoft Exchange for Email and shared calendar
•    Microsoft Dynamics CRM
•    Access Time and Billing database
•    Microsoft Office applications
•    File sharing and printing

MJB&A employees are able to connect remotely to their individual hosted workstation from any Internet-connected device. This new method of accessing and sharing information has provided the following benefits:

•    Improved remote accessibility. Connecting directly to a cloud desktop is much smoother than their previous VPN connection.
•    Longer life out of aging computers. Because data and applications are hosted in the cloud and not on workstations, MJB&A can extend the life of their old machines.
•    No capital expense to buy a new physical server. “Renting” space in the cloud takes the place of buying a new server.
•    Managed backup service – no more on-site tape backups to deal with.
•    Increased data security as their new environment is hosted in a data center.
•    No more time spent on-site taking care of PC and server maintenance and upgrades.

Mark Becker, MJB&A
“We now pay a fixed monthly fee per user and have access to all of the IT resources and support we need.”

“Another benefit of running out of the cloud is that we’re always on the latest version of everything and don’t have to maintain or update applications anymore.”

Audio clips of Mark’s Interview are available at the bottom of this page.