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While many business owners insist on abiding by the policy that it’s important to handle the bulk of their operations in-house, more forward-thinking organizations understand the value of outsourcing specialized tasks to third parties that have a particular area of expertise. This is especially true when it comes to the upkeep of today’s technology. Yet not all third-party maintenance providers offer the same set of services, nor do they all take the same approach to customer … [Read more...]

If you've played a game on PC lately, you know one of the biggest questions to ask is: “will this work on my PC?” Every PC game has a list of system requirements that must be fulfilled before the game will actually work on that system. In a way, a software-defined data center isn't much different; it has a certain roster of requirements, though not quite so cut-and-dried as a PC game's list. There's a lot to consider, so here's a look at what you should keep in mind when planning a … [Read more...]

Increasingly, businesses are coming around to the thought of owning a data center. As such, there are a lot of options in the data center space, and one of the latest—and least understood—is the modular data center. Getting a better handle on what it is, and what it isn't, can be a huge help in determining if this technology is the right one for your business.What You Should Know About the Modular Data CenterA modular data center, much as the name suggests, is a data center that's … [Read more...]

One of the greatest disconnects between IT and the C-suite is the issue of return on investment (ROI). Sometimes it's not so easy to boil down “if we don't do this all our computers will die and we'll be out of work” into a statement of profit and expense, but without that insight, the C-suite can't go forward. So for those times, here are points to consider in making that conversion from “we must do this” to “this is the bottom line impact.”What to Consider … [Read more...]

These days, the term “outsourcing” often comes with a hefty negative connotation. Yet when used correctly and appropriately, it can offer not only cost savings, but access to great new opportunities. Outsourcing may have spent a lot of time being PR poison, but there are ways to prosper from this concept without cratering a business in the process.The Benefits of Outsourcing ITThere are times when outsourcing just makes sense over any other alternative, including handling projects … [Read more...]

Demand for data has been frantically expanding for years, and it shows no sign of stopping. In response to that frantically expanding demand, we found ourselves building entire data centers to handle it all. As the cloud took over, the need for on-premise data centers started to fall off, and growth is actually declining. So what's the ultimate future of the on-premise data center?The On-Premise Data Center Yet to BeWhat does the future hold for the on-premise data center to come? It's a strange … [Read more...]

If you're weighing the pros and cons of handling your hardware maintenance in-house versus outsourcing it, this useful infographic can help you make up your mind. … [Read more...]

These days, it's almost unthinkable to not have some kind of cloud storage capability. That wasn't always so, however; when it got started, there were plenty who thought cloud storage was an open invitation to have your information stolen. To get a look at where it all started—and maybe get some insight into the future—let's run down the history of cloud storage.Cloud Storage in the BeginningBack in the earliest days of the computer, storage was mainly a local affair. Basic hard … [Read more...]

Ransomware is easily one of the most insidious new threats the IT security landscape faces today. No longer content to simply copy data, hackers use ransomware to seize control of that data and forbid its use to anyone who doesn't pay up. Even then, the data may be lost along with the ransom payment. Protecting against ransomware, however, can be a simple matter, and it all comes back to data center hardware maintenance.How Does Data Center Hardware Maintenance Protect Against Ransomware?The … [Read more...]

Big iron. It's a phrase to conjure within the IT market because, in many respects, it's where IT got its start. The days of the “big iron” mainframe may seem like they're gone for good, thanks to networks and the ubiquity of the PC, but they're making a comeback thanks to the cloud market. In fact, the growth of the mainframe and cloud markets can mean great things for those who want to optimize IT operations.The Mainframe and Cloud Markets Team up to Optimize IT OperationsSo what … [Read more...]