FAQ

Question: Where will my servers and desktop PCs be physically located?

Answer:

All servers and desktop PCs will be located in one of three highly-secure data center facilities. You will access your software and data via a secure, encrypted Internet connection.

Question: What equipment do I need in my office?

Answer:

You will need equipment to enable secure connectivity to your servers and desktop PCs via the Internet. You will need an Internet connection provided by a local phone or cable company. In addition, your office will have the following:

  • Firewall capable of establishing a site-to-site VPN tunnel with our data center
  • Standard network switch
  • Network-enabled monitors that will connect to the hosted desktops
  • Keyboards, mice and speakers that will plug into the special monitors
  • Printers, scanners and other peripherals

Question: How do I connect to my desktop?

Answer:

There are multiple ways to connect to your cloud-based desktop PC. However, the great thing about our system is that it will look identical and have all of your programs and data no matter how you connect. Here are some of the connection methods:

  • While in the office, you will connect to the hosted desktop using a special network-enabled 19” or 24” LCD monitor
  • When at home, you will download and install a piece of software that will connect to your hosted desktop
  • When traveling or using a laptop, you will go to a web address, log in and be able to access your desktop through a standard web browser
  • When using your iPad or iPhone, you will install a special App that will connect to the hosted desktop

Question: I’ve used Terminal Services and Citrix before and it was slow. Is your system any better?

Answer:

Yes. Our system is designed specifically to overcome the typical challenges of Citrix and Terminal Services. We use a protocol called PC-over-IP, which delivers far superior experience than other technology. You will be able to watch video, listen to music and connect USB devices to your hosted desktop.

Question: Who maintains my servers and desktops?

Answer:

We will be responsible for maintaining your desktops and servers. We will apply security patches when needed, monitor hard drive space usage, run regular backups and otherwise fully manage your cloud-based system.

Question: How do you protect my data?

Answer:

We are very serious about data backup and security. We implement a three-tier backup process:

  • Your cloud-based file server will take a snapshot of the data twice a day and save the copies for two to three weeks. This will allow you to right-click on any file or folder and browse its contents as it was on a previous date.
  • Our sophisticated Storage Area Network system will make a snapshot copy of each of your servers every two hours as well as nightly. The nightly snapshot will be stored for 30 days. This will allow us to restore your server or PC in its entirety if something happens to it.
  • Every two hours the storage system that contains your server will copy all of its data to a remote facility where it will be stored for 30 days. This allows us to safeguard your data in case of a regional disaster.

Question: Can I install my own software on your system?

Answer:

Yes. Since you will have full control of your servers and desktops, you will have the ability to download and install any software you need just like you would do if you had a PC under your desk. You can plug in a USB-based CD-ROM drive into your network-enabled monitor and install software from CDs or download software from the Internet.

Question: Can your other customers access my servers?

Answer:

No. All of your equipment is fully isolated from all other users. You will have your own servers, PCs, firewall zone, VLAN and a set of IPs.

Question: How much bandwidth do I need to use this system?

Answer:

The best practice is to allocate 500kbps per concurrent PC-over-IP desktop connection. For instance, if ten users are working at the same time on their hosted desktops, you should have at least 5mbps of download bandwidth.

Question: What if my Internet connection goes out? Can I still work?

Answer:

Yes. We strongly recommend that you install two Internet lines. One would be your primary fast line and the second would be a fail-over, inexpensive connection. The firewall can then automatically fail over from the primary line to the secondary line when necessary. If both connections go out, which is very unlikely, or the power is out at your office, you will be able to pick up your work exactly as you left it from home or a coffee shop.

Question: Without a PC at my desk, can I still use a scanner or other USB device?

Answer:

Yes. Although you will have no PC at your desk you will have a special network-enabled cloud monitor. These monitors have USB ports and you will be able to plug in USB devices such as scanners and attach them to your hosted desktop PC.

Question: Will my business be significantly disrupted when I move to the cloud?

Answer:

No. Over the years, we have developed and refined a system migration process that results in minimal system downtime. The migration looks something like this:

  • We build your new systems at the data center while you continue using your existing servers and PCs
  • We make a snapshot copy of your data and load it onto the new system
  • We set up a procedure that automatically uploads any changes in data from your existing system to the new one daily
  • You log in remotely and test the new system
  • Once you approve the new setup we schedule a go-live date

Question: Can I keep a copy of my data on a local server as a backup?

Answer:

Yes. If you already own a server we can set up your new system so that it will automatically copy data from your cloud-based system to the local server. This way, you will have an extra copy of your data in addition to the three levels of data backup that we provide.

Question: Will I see a decrease in speed from my current in-house system if I switch to your solution?

Answer:

No. Before any agreement is signed, we make sure that you have adequate Internet service available at your location. If it is available, you will experience as good, and usually much better, performance.

Question: One of my software vendors provides their own hosting service. Isn’t it better for them to host my data instead of you?

Answer:

Not necessarily. If you host with us, all your data belongs to you. At anytime, you can move, copy or delete it. Many software vendors try to lock you into their systems and it is not always easy to extract your data if you decide to switch software packages. Also, while your software vendor may be an expert at hosting their own software, they may not have the expertise to host all of your software and data.

Question: If one of your servers goes down will my operations be interrupted?

Answer:

No. The advantage our cloud-based IT solution is the greater amount of redundancy built into our system. If a server fails, you would experience no downtime, as server operations would automatically transfer to another functional server.

Question: Can I restrict access to sensitive data to a select group of users?

Answer:

Yes. Our solution allows you to set any kind of restrictions you want. Access to information can be controlled through password authorization.

Question: I am concerned about sharing servers with your other customers. Will they be able to see my information?

Answer:

No. Your system is fully isolated from all other users. Your data will only be viewable and accessible by personnel in your organization that you designate.

Question: How much does your system cost? Is it more expensive than an in-house system?

Answer:

The cost depends on the number of servers and users, the amount of data and the number of software licenses you need. We can give you an exact figure once we know more about your requirements. Over a typical three to four year period, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of our solution is always lower than an in-house system.

Question: How long will it take to set up my system?

Answer:

Installation typically takes four to six weeks. We configure all hardware in our data center, take a snapshot of your current data and upload it to the new servers. Then we test the system and ask you to test it as well via a remote connection. Once you are satisfied that everything is working properly, we schedule a go-live date. At this point, a final copy of your data is transferred to the new system.