The IT Needs of Enterprises

[Notes: Journalists are invited to quote and use information from the backgrounder below, but please ensure all comment is attributed to Darren Metherell, Enterprise Sales Manager, Claranet Limited.]

Information technology is constantly evolving, so enterprises demand the most up-to-date networks to give them an edge over their competitors. Large enterprises’ IT departments must constantly ensure that the speed, security and availability of their networks is optimised. But with today’s increasingly complicated business-critical applications, such as broadband telephony and Internet video conferencing, IT departments are faced with more technology choices than ever before.

The bigger the enterprise, the bigger its IT needs are likely to be. Ironically, the very technology that is supposed to empower enterprises and speed up their businesses often only serve to slow them down. The complexity of managing and integrating a whole host of different systems can leave companies focused on IT rather than on their core business.

The world of communications is already highly complicated, it will inevitably become more so. Enterprises will therefore find it increasingly difficult to cope with the myriad of different technologies available.

That is why more and more enterprises are turning to a Managed Services Provider (MSP) to handle their hosting, connectivity and applications. By outsourcing to an MSP like Claranet, enterprises can hand over some or all of the day-to-day running of their IT infrastructure. By having experts manage their networks, enterprises can relieve the strain on overworked IT departments while saving time and money without sacrificing speed or security. This allows IT staff to focus on strategic projects, rather than on routine tasks like trouble-shooting and maintenance.

Towards zero downtime

Downtime is always bad for any business, but for a large enterprise it is unacceptable. Not only does it lead to lost revenues; it has an extremely negative impact on the company’s professional image. Networks must be ‘always on’ so that staff and customers can have constant access to an enterprise’s website, services and internal applications.

As enterprises and their networks expand, so the possible points of failure and the consequences of such failure increase. An enterprise needs to have an IT infrastructure that will keep pace with the company’s growth. Keeping on top of ever-evolving technology, while maintaining security and network resilience can be a real headache for even the largest business’ IT department. If, for example, traffic levels should unexpectedly rise, or should new applications need to be installed, an enterprise’s host must be able to react instantly to cope with the demand.

A Managed Service Provider like Claranet can provide enterprises with dedicated account personnel who fully manage all aspects of a company’s IT, including all security, technical, billing and general account issues. An experienced MSP will provide contingency plans, including back-up power supplies and other fail-safes, to ensure that network downtime is kept to an absolute minimum. Companies that experience high traffic levels are supplied with bandwidth ‘bursting’, which protects the network from unexpected traffic surges.

A good MSP will utilise Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) technologies which allow for the creation of bespoke, geographically-diverse networks. By providing fully redundant servers, load balancers and firewalls in multiple datacentres, network service providers like Claranet eliminate single points of failure. In the event of catastrophic failure, web traffic is transparently routed to the back-up datacentre, allowing enterprises to continue to function.

Data and disaster

The loss or corruption of data can be catastrophic for enterprises. Whether it is lost through natural disasters, terrorist attacks or simple negligence, the result is the same – chaos within the affected organisation and a devastating blow to the business’s reputation. But in the fast-moving world of big business, anything that prevents an enterprise’s staff from connecting to their employer’s network has a detrimental effect on that company’s business.

Every business is different and has different needs. The one-size-fits-all approach to disaster mitigation simply will not provide large enterprises with the data recovery and back-up services that suit their individual needs.

A Managed Services Provider like Claranet can design and tailor a system to protect enterprises’ current and future data. Daily incremental back-ups of specified data should be taken with weekly full back-ups and stored for at least a month. By safeguarding all customer data, an enterprise’s MSP guarantees business continuity in the event of disaster.

To keep staff working when they can’t get into the office, Claranet provide leading technical solutions for remote access using SSL VPNs: virtual private networks utilising secure sockets layer (SSL) security protocols. SSL VPNs allow workers and partners to connect safely through the Internet to shared network resources. Staff can thus work from home securely. By outsourcing to experts like Claranet, enterprises can ensure peace-of-mind that they are fully protected in the event of disaster.

Convergence

Convergence is the future of enterprises’ communications. Businesses are increasingly seeking to converge voice, data and video over a single network to simplify and streamline their communications. Converged networks deliver a competitive edge by implementing new and advanced applications and services, and enhanced forms of collaboration.

The problem facing enterprises is that they have traditionally invested in multiple communication infrastructures – separate telephone, data and video networks – which are unable to cope with the demands of next-generation applications such as Internet telephony and video conferencing.

Claranet can help enterprises to understand, align, implement and manage a fully converged communications system that matches current and future business requirements.

Storage

Corporate data is an enterprise’s most valuable asset. In spite of the value and sensitivity of this data, many large companies have weak or even non-existent policies for managing their data storage. Individual departments often determine the way in which an enterprise’s documents, spreadsheets, emails and databases are stored. Data often ends up duplicated or inconsistent. This leads to confusion, data loss and higher maintenance and data management costs when accessing and sharing this valuable information.

A Managed Services Provider like Claranet implement data management policies that maximise the accessibility, usability and security of data while also reducing the costs of managing it. As all enterprises are different, Claranet offers wide ranges of managed hosting services, from single server systems to bespoke, complex hosting environments in multiple datacentres. Enterprises that off-load their storage problem to outside experts benefit from hands-on monitoring, where trained technicians are available 24/7/365.

Security

In the modern networking environment every aspect of an enterprise’s network, from routers and switches to remote users, are potential areas of security vulnerability. As networks become more complex, they become increasingly vulnerable to external attacks. Enterprises, with so much more to lose than small businesses, must ensure that all their security hardware and software are kept as up-to-date as possible.

Managed Services Providers can use broadband to their customers’ advantage by using the Internet to find and download security software updates automatically. Virtual Private Networks, which use the most robust encryption technology available, allow staff to access data securely from different locations. Network providers like Claranet take a holistic approach to network protection to make sure that business critical services are always available and prevent downtime from external threats.

A complete IT solution

By outsourcing to experts, enterprises can ensure that their security, availability and storage needs are satisfied. By outsourcing to a Managed Services Provider like Claranet, enterprises ensure that they are not only provided with the most secure, reliable networks; they also have the reassurance of a team of experts dedicated to maintaining those networks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Claranet provides low-maintenance, simple-to-use platforms while managing the minutiae of day-to-day operations. This reduces the time and money that enterprises devote to IT, leaving them free to concentrate on their core business.

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Notes to editors:

Journalists are invited to quote and use information from the backgrounder below but please ensure all comment is attributed to Marino Zini, Head of Managed Services, Claranet Limited.

For further editorial information or to arrange an interview please email the Claranet press office or telephone 020 7609 1900.

About Claranet:

Claranet was established in 1996 as a dial-up Internet access provider in the UK. The company's sustained profitability has resulted in continuous reinvestment, transforming Claranet into a multi-national managed service provider.

Today Claranet provides flexible and tailored network infrastructure that performs to the requirements of its 300,000 customers across six European countries and the US.

Claranet customers have confidence in their connectivity. Customers are served by experienced, innovative and dependable technicians.
Claranet commits to the highest standard of service level agreement.

URL: www.uk.clara.net