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Offering Clarity to the Cloud
If you are considering moving your business into the Cloud or more into the Cloud, the good news is that there is more choice available than ever before. The problem with more choice is that it becomes less and less clear what is important and what can be ignored.
Our first article this month gives links to two white papers we developed which may help - the one explains some of the jargon used in the sector and the other outlines the key factors to consider when reviewing potential Cloud suppliers.
A lot of people are concerned about the security of the Cloud. Given that Online50 take security so seriously (some have said 'too seriously') we thought we would remind you of some of the measures we take to protect to protect the data of our customers.
Finally, if you are already an Online50 user and you send out invoices by post, it is possible we could help to save you money.
Thank you for your interest in Online50.
Clearing The Confusion Around Cloud
Confused By Cloud Terminology?
The Cloud has become a fashionable term attracting a lot of attention in the media of late. You could be excused for being throroughly confused by all the jargon.
As each IT supplier has aligned themselves to this fashionable term, the terminology has become more and more hazy. As the fog has settled it has become almost impossible for normal people (non IT specialists) to understand the distinctions.
Having offered software over the Internet for more than 10 years, Rob is well placed to bring some clarity and to bust some of the jargon.
>>Read our jargon buster
How Do I Choose Between All The Cloud Providers?
With everyone jumping on the band wagon it can be difficult to know how best to select the best Cloud provider to partner with. Price is almost always the worst criteria - you get what you pay for - and remember, they hold all your financial and other company data.
Below is a link to a white paper which outlines some of the criteria that would be important to consider before making the decision.
>>How to Select a Cloud Provider
If you would like to talk about your Cloud requirement further, call the Online50 Business Development team on 0800 195 0835.
Information Security: A High Priority - Reason 5 to Choose Online50
Many people just assume that moving data into the 'Cloud' will be safe. We are regularly approached by business owners who have used a cheap competitor and lost sometimes years of financial records. The cost of recapturing everything is substantial. They saved a few pounds but ended up spending thousands.
At Online50 we take our responsibilities for the data entrusted to us very seriously. We are accredited to the international standard for Information Security — ISO 27001 — which requires ongoing independent audits to ensure that every aspect of our operations is being run to the highest possible standards. Information security covers the availability, integrity and confidentiality of your data.
Online50 owns the servers, the code and is an official ISP. Every year our entire operation is audited (including our internal administration, office premises and data centre security and even our HR policies and procedures).
Entrusting your data to a company which is not independently audited to the ISO 27001 standard could represent a risk to the survival of your business, not just your data.
Hint
If a company offers just software and hosts it on another company's servers, it is possible to only include their own operations (ie: the software) in their ISO 27001 audit. Because Online50 own and operate everything required to provide our services our scope of operations is broader than any of our competitors and all of it is included in our audit.
Your security taken seriously - another sound reason to choose Online50.
>>Read a more detailed description of the Online50 information security protocols
If You Post Out More Than 25 Invoices - Consider Adding Office
If you send invoices by post, from 1 May 2012 your postage costs are going to be almost 25% higher. One customer told us recently that this would significantly impact on their profit margin. This customer was actively looking for different ways to send out invoices.
Add Office To Online50 and Save
Did you know that by adding Office to your Online50 hosted desktop, you could send out your invoices by email directly from Sage?
Did You Know: PDF Invoices on Your Company Letterhead
Most Online50 users already have the Universal Printer Driver. Packaged with the UPD is the Ambition PDF Writer. With surprising ease you can:
- Add your company letterhead easily to the outgoing invoice
- Save the invoice as a pdf in a specific folder and
- Email the invoice to the client.
If you send out more than 25 invoices each month, the saving you make on the postage will cover the cost of adding Microsoft Office. Why not call 0800 195 0835 to discuss your options.
