We just wanted to write a quick blog entry today to let everyone know how much it meant to us to have such a great turnout at our open house last week. In all, we had over 100 people show up, including the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, to whom we are extremely grateful for the wonderful ribbon cutting ceremony. We were truly honored and overwhelmed by everyone’s attendance.

If you were able to come to our event, you know that cloud85 is coming very soon. It’s been in the works for some time and we’re just around the corner from being able to offer a Cloud solution to everyone. In the meantime, check out www.cloud85.com. Some thoughts on cloud85 to get you excited:

- On Demand: Need a new server this afternoon? With cloud85 image templates, your next server is available in minutes.
- Elasticity: You will be able to grow your cloud85 server’s storage and computing power on the fly.
- Customization: cloud85 servers will fit your unique needs when configured by our expert staff.
- Integration: We can tie your current network to cloud85 for an instant performance and reliability boost.
- Wise Investment: With no upfront cost, cloud85 servers are pay as you go. Don’t buy your next server.
- Less Waiting: If problems were to arise, we’ll bring you back up in minutes with cloud85 vs. days with a traditional server.

Check out our latest video for Cloud85!

http://youtu.be/aewtwNB29rE

The following content found in the Cisco 2010 Annual Security Report.

Mobile Security – Are You Ready?

The “bears” may be changing their hunting patterns, but cybercriminals are still very much in the research and development phase with their methods of snaring victims using mobile devices. Over the past two years, there have been a number of phishing scams, mostly regional in focus, targeting individuals or select groups—such as customers of local banks or credit unions. And Apple’s products, including iPhones, iPads, and the iTunes media service, have all been recent targets.

As for the Apple iPhone, users of the newly released iOS 4 have benefitted from more than 60 patches designed to fix security vulnerabilities, including an exploit that allowed third-party applications (“apps”) to access information on an iPhone user’s location without permission. However, many users are undermining the security of their smartphones and other devices, including iPads and iTouch devices, by “jailbreaking” them. Discussed in previous Cisco security reports, jailbreaking is a process that allows users to unlock the iOS, thereby removing Apple-imposed limitations on what apps they can download and from where.

In July 2010, the U.S. Library of Congress added jailbreaking to its list of actions that do not violate copyright protections—leaving iPhone users free to unlock their devices and download applications not authorized by Apple. Only a week after the ruling, JailbreakMe 2.0, the one-click, mobile, Safari-based iPhone jailbreak utility, was unveiled. The new tool makes it easier than ever for users to jailbreak their phones; in the past, some advanced technical skill was required.  The advent of this tool also revealed a significant security flaw in the iOS 4 (which Apple has since patched) that could leave iPhone users with jailbroken phones more susceptible to hackers who could gain access to root privileges and essentially take control of the devices.

Since the Library of Congress lifted the threat of legal liability from Apple customers looking to unlock their devices, more than a million users have jailbroken their iPhones, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based privacy rights organization that petitioned the library. And users are finding ample opportunity to download unofficial iPhone apps, including those from a market called Cydia, which provides access to “Installous” from Hackulous, an app that offers free, pirated versions of thousands of apps available through the iTunes store.

Meanwhile, many users are avoiding the hassle of jailbreaking their iPhones and instead are fully embracing the open architecture of the Google Android smartphone operating system. In fact, market share for the Android OS expanded significantly during 2010, and the opensource operating system is proving to be a significant, competitive threat to the Apple iPhone (both operating systems are still trailing Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS, however, in terms of popularity by numbers).

“Three years ago, there was no Android. Now, there are only a few major handset manufacturers that aren’t developing devices based on Android,” says Cisco threat research manager Scott Olechowski. “The growth of this platform will be exponential. From smartphones and tablet PCs to cars and refrigerators, we will see billions of devices, including a massive number in the enterprise, relying on this platform within the next few years. The relative youth of the Android OS, including its apps and ecosystem, combined with the sheer number of users will make this a very attractive platform for exploitation.”

85Under is in the process of expanding our office.  When all is said and done, we’ll have about twice the space that we’ve been using and everything will be updated and improved.  You’ll love the look of our new office!

Thanks to Williams Construction, American Glass and Pinnacle Sign for helping us with our major facelift!

85Under is getting ready to launch its Cloud85 offering – hosted cloud solutions for your business.

But why should you think about a cloud for your business? You’ll get the skinny on it in this post. But first, let’s take a look at the 3 basic models of a Cloud:

1) A private cloud is a set of computing resources that is dedicated to an organization, usually on-premises.
2) A hosted private cloud has a dedicated infrastructure that’s hosted by a third-party but is inaccessible to other customers.
3) A public cloud involves computing resources hosted externally but shared with other organizations and dynamically provisioned and billed on a utility basis – pay for what you use as you use it.

What are some of the benefits of a Cloud?

1) Lower cost. Companies can save significantly. Chances are, your hardware is more than you really need.  Cloud gives you the ability to access a portion of one of 85Under’s cloud servers and basically only pay for what you use – nothing more, nothing less.
2) Better user experience. Driving to work is so last year.  With cloud communication tech, you can provide your users a place to work wherever they are – whether they’re at home, at the workplace or on the road.  All with consistent software and tools so there’s no learning curve.
3) React more quickly and efficiently to new business requirements.  If you’ve ever been the victim of a slowed (or even halted) work environment because of a software update or upgrade, you’ll know power of this.  When 85Under manages your cloud server, leave that stuff to us – we’ll get you up-to-date for all your users in far less time than it would take to bring a score of desktops up to speed.

A Channel Insider article points to a July 2010 Gartner report projecting that cloud-based email and collaboration services will see 10% penetration of the enterprise email and messaging market by 2012 and will near 65% penetration by 2020.

Will you be one of the first to get in on everything Cloud85 has to offer?

Some of this content taken from Nathan Eddy, “Majority of Enterprises to Use Cloud-Based E-Mail by 2020, Report Says,” Channel Insider, September 2, 2010, http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Cloud-Computing/Majority-of-Enterprises-to-Use-CloudBased-Email-by-2020-Report-Says-102790/

We at 85Under count it a privilege to be nominated to attend Microsoft’s Hosting Summit 2011 event from March 29-31, 2011.  This exclusive invitation-only event is for key decision-makers from the hosting industry. Top-level executives from leading companies across the globe will be there to share ideas and network with one another.  We are excited about gaining an in-depth knowledge of Microsoft’s vision for the hosting industry and their strategy for a growing partnership with hosting providers. The Web is constantly expanding and evolving – events like these help us to stay on the cutting edge of how to create, optimize, and grow the next generation Web. As one of our customers, you’ll be partnering with us as we innovate within our business as well as yours.

85Under is an Underground Data Center located in Springfield, MO.

85Under has teamed up with Microsoft to design, build, deploy, and test our private cloud computing platform.  This is a very exciting process for our company and we look forward to offering existing and new clients the many benefits of cloud. We have several customers using cloud85 in pre-release and these early adopters are realizing the many benefits of cloud computing.

Our brand, cloud85 (www.cloud85.com) promises to offer an empowering set of services. Here are a few take-aways and be sure to check back for updates.

Rapid Deployment – provision a server in a matter of minutes, install applications and conduct business. e.g. Accounting software like Quickbooks. 

Elasticity – Increase and decrease resource use with a few clicks through self-service, automation, and private cloud infrastructure.

Private – extensive options for a truly private and secure cloud computing environment. VPN, SSL, VLAN to your LAN.

Additional information regarding the above capabilities along with more options will be written in blog form (www.85under.com/news) as well as in web content (www.cloud85.com).

In my opinion, cloud computing will be the greatest achievement in I.T. since the advent of the Internet. I would also submit that the ROI impact on business will be nothing short of brilliant!

Video Link:

Microsoft CIO speaks about benefit of cloud computing

85Under is an Underground Data Center located in Springfield, Missouri. cloud85 is our newest service offering, coming sometime in the second quarter of 2011.

author: Greg Clift – President at 85Under

Social media sites have become a popular business tool, and many businesses use sites such as Facebook to increase their business. Facebook announced on April 21, 2010 their collaboration with Microsoft to launch Docs.com. Users will be able to create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or Powerpoint presentations right on Facebook or even upload their own documents from their computers to Facebook. Users can then share and collaborate online rather than composing, editing, saving, attaching to an email, and the reverse over and over again. The risks of using the wrong version or sending off viruses are gone. While Google has been offering Google Docs for some time now, they have received some criticism for what their applications can and can’t do. Microsoft could be hoping to move in take Google’s place. Docs.com is currently limited to only accepted users because it is still only offered in the beta version. Here are some of the features that Docs.com offers:

The Basics

The programs can be used online even if you don’t have Microsoft Office on your computer. If you do have Office, you can download documents from Docs.com, edit them on your computer, and save the recent version back on Facebook. While it is a very basic version of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, it offers enough of the features that have made Office popular. Once you have saved your document online, you can allow your friends viewing and editing rights.

Some Advantages

• Because it is stored on the cloud, you can access your document from any computer. If you are in Paris and you need a document, you no longer have to wait for your office to open it and email or fax it to you.
• Once you have posted your document and granted editing and viewing rights, you and your friends can post comments and discuss the document.
• Microsoft’s Docs.com allows you to work offline with your document if you temporarily don’t have an Internet connection.
• Real-time editing is not available.
• More complicated features such as being able to take tables from an Excel file and insert them into a Word document aren’t currently available.
• Docs.com will only allow you to upload documents in the Office format.
• Because it is still in the beta testing stages, it still has a lot of kinks to work out. Some testers have said that it caused their browser to crash whenever they tried to make changes to a document, and some others said that downloading a document was very slow.

Some Disadvantages

Because Docs.com is still in its infancy, it will probably go through several more transformations before Microsoft releases a final version. On the one hand, their current limitations could possibly cost them in their obvious competition with Google Docs, but on the other hand, Microsoft has a reputation for quality software that many consumers will gladly choose over a competitor. Another burning issue will be how well Microsoft and Facebook can secure these documents saved on the cloud-an issue that Google has already had its hands full with for some time. The decisions that Microsoft makes regarding their final version will determine their future in cloud computing.

85Under – Underground Data Center located in Springfield, Mo

Collocation – Dedicated Servers – Online Backups – Disaster Recovery – SaaS – Cloud85

What is Cloud Computing?

You can’t look at any technical section of a newspaper or website these days without reading about “cloud computing.” The term seems to be popping up everywhere. So, what exactly is cloud computing? A simplistic definition is computing on the Internet. It allows users the ability to access everything on the Internet, from software to their stored data, without having to store anything on their actual computer. The user only needs a computer with a web browser in order to access the cloud.

What is So Great About Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing has the potential to allow small businesses or businesses on a budget the ability to have high quality computing at a lower cost. Business owners no longer need to invest in expensive IT equipment or pay an entire IT staff that would normally be required in order to keep a computer system running. Storing data on the cloud would help reduce IT costs while still allowing businesses to grow.

What Security Problems Does Cloud Computing Needs to Address?

Cloud computing is such a new technology that many of the kinks have not even been completely realized much less worked out to a satisfactory level. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into what potential security and privacy concerns cloud computing could have for consumers. Some of these concerns are:

• If you store your valuable business documents on the cloud and the cloud goes down, will it be coming back up with all of your important documents in tact.
• It is also important to know that the company with whom you are storing your important information is financially stable and will not suddenly disappear taking all of your valuable information with it.
• Where is your company located and where will your data physically be stored? If your data is stored in another country, is that country required to comply with the same security standards that you would expect from your home country.
• Who is in charge of storing and managing your data? It is important to know that the people managing your data have the proper security clearance and credentials, and that they are handling it securely and not using it improperly for their own financial gain.
• How secure is the login? Would hackers be able to easily gain access to your data?
• Is your data encrypted so that others cannot easily view it?
• Is the cloud storage company willing to undergo a certification process and willing to comply with certain security standards?

At this point, it is unknown how providers plan to resolve these issues, but whatever the solutions they will be critical to the future of cloud computing. Cloud computing has so much to offer businesses from flexibility to growth potential to tremendous cost savings. If the confidential data stored in the cloud isn’t secure, the only thing cloud computing will be able to offer businesses is a giant headache.

Content by Managed Services Provider University

85Under – Underground Data Center located in Springfield, Mo

Collocation – Dedicated Servers – Online Backups – Disaster Recovery – SaaS – Cloud85

Email is an important and necessary part of your business. It provides an economical and instant means of communicating with staff, customers, and vendors – that’s both simple to use and enables increased efficiency. An email policy is required to protect this necessary business tool.

An email policy is a legal document that details your organization’s definition of acceptable use for the company email system. It should indicate who emails can be received from or sent to, as well as outline what constitutes appropriate content for work emails.

In additional, having a company email policy will:

Protect the Organization from Liabilities: When all employees read and sign an email policy, it proves they are aware and agree to the information contained in that policy. Should an email be sent that is not considered appropriate content according to the email policy, the employee, not the business, would bear the brunt of liability for any damages or suits brought as a result of their sending an inappropriate email.

Promote a Professional Environment: If email is used only in a professional manner in the workplace, you can be sure that embarrassing mistakes will not occur. For example, if staff are using work email to communicate with friends, the content in those emails are likely to be sloppy, unprofessional, and informal. If those emails accidentally get sent to clients or other professionals – the company image may become damaged. If an email policy does not allow for personal use of the work email system, your staff will remain in a professional mindset and eliminate the potential of personal emails going out to customers.

Increase Productivity: Email tends to be a distraction for employees who are using it for non-professional reasons. If an email policy prohibits the use of work email for personal use, your employees will stay on task more and avoid the distractions that come from sending and receiving personal emails during work hours.

Establish Systems for Email: If the email policy outlines appropriate content for an email sent during work hours over the company email system, it can also help establish systems to ensure all staff members are contributing to the brand or image of the company. Have each staff member use a template for email responses and set up signature lines that appear in all outgoing emails to further establish the company’s professionalism and image in the eyes of individuals who may receive email from your staff. Setting guidelines for content and use of email creates a single, comprehensive image of the company that helps keep the organization aligned with its mission.

An email policy is a document that provides your business with certain legal protections involving misuse of the email system by employees. Because it is a legal document, many businesses elect to have a lawyer draw up the email policy, or at the very least, review the policy before it is implemented within the organization. Having a lawyer review or prepare an email policy may seem like an unnecessary upfront cost, but has the potential to save you in legal fees in the future.

Content by Managed Services Provider University