If you are a journalist, please feel free to contact any member of the Node4 press office if you need information, photos or would like to request an interview. We will do our best to help you.
Node4 Press Office: Megan Adams email or Tel: +44(0)203 3579740
Cloud computing makes affordable platform for Virtualised Desktop Infrastructure
A new generation of tech savvy workers is ushering in the evolution of the desktop to allow for BYOD to become commonplace among companies. Bring your own device is the growing trend among employees looking to gain access to their workplace networks on their own devices, as they look to use their personal laptops and tablets at their desk, through the use of a virtual desktop infrastructure.
Andy Chrismas, Node4 Cloud Sales Manager said, “The new generation is demanding a dual persona for both their devices and desktops, with the ability to access workplace documents and perform all of the workplace tasks, while in an instant gaining access to personal files and photos and social media material.
“Recent technological advancements such as VMWare’s Horizon Suite are unlocking the ability for mobile devices to gain access to all of the workplace applications, enabling the transfer from workplace desktop to personal device seamlessly. New entrants to the workplace are now accustomed to the ‘always on, always connected’ style of work and therefore need platforms that facilitate that much easier. This style of working, and indeed the technology that enables it to be carried out, are becoming a standard workplace option that forward thinking companies can’t afford to ignore. Workers require flexibility and BYOD as a part of providing that.”
This BYOD phenomenon is facilitated by the cloud, a platform now being widely adopted in business. As mobility and 24 hour accessibility become increasingly important in business, the cloud and BYOD are an inevitable part of business practice development.
However, BYOD can exacerbate existing problems that may be in place. Andy continued, “I have heard BYOD referred to as Bring Your Own Disaster! The problem is that many companies are buying one size fits all cloud systems, without fully understanding the capabilities and specificities of the cloud.”
Security is one of the major issues concerning those dealing with an increased desire for BYOD accessibility, particularly the management of data and risks of unknown third party access via mobile apps and transferring data via consumer based solutions with no policies or understanding where your corporate data is. However, these can easily be avoided through a conscientious approach that acknowledges the value of data to a company and puts in the adequate safeguards. According to Node4, companies need a supported transfer onto the cloud and onto BYOD access to avoid such solutions being taken on before an IT system is sufficiently compatible.
Andy continued “Node4 make a consultation period a requirement before installing cloud for a company. We need to make sure that the cloud environment we install for them enhances their business and helps them grow. Our tailored systems allow the ease of transition that will see work transfer fluidly between personal devices and workplace devices, facilitating the adoption of BYOD and allowing advancements to drive growth.”
Node4’s method of an assessment is to ensure a company understands what cloud based service means to them, highlighting the key areas of improvement and cost savings.
While cloud services are gaining universal recognition as the future of business IT, there are significant pitfalls when looking to transfer onto a cloud.
Even among technology experts, the understanding of cloud computing can be less than extensive. While the principles behind the technology are widely grasped, perhaps less understood are the specific benefits the technology can have for a company, and how different these benefits can be.
According to Andy Chrismas, Cloud Sales Manager at data centre and communication specialist Node4, a consultation period should be embarked upon by companies looking to make the transition into the cloud.
He said, “There are so many companies offering a website where a few clicks can set up a self service cloud. Although this process might be work for a single workload or small amount of resource, when you are looking to take advantage of a cloud environment with multiple applications, this becomes more complex. When backup, disaster recovery, security and reporting are involved in a cloud infrastructure spanning multiple locations, a simple website can’t give you these solutions. This is where you will need to take the more bespoke approach with the assistance of experts.
“The beauty of the cloud is its adaptability and fluidity, which allow benefits to companies of every size and type. However, a one size fits all cloud will inhibit the benefits offered by the bespoke service Node4 offers.”
Node4’s n4Cloud service stands apart as a compelling offering due to its assessment phases, which ensure a business and its aspirations are fully understood before engagement. Once this information is gathered through an initial consultation, Node4 then undertakes a technical analysis to understand the existing capabilities of the company, as well as impact and risk analysis for a new system. They can then return with a cloud that is designed with specific relevance to the business, allowing progress and growth in line with the company vision.
Andy continued, “Some companies run into trouble when adopting the cloud because they overlook the important steps that enable a smooth transition to the creating of a virtual infrastructure. Any resulting teething problems are unnecessary and are borne out of a badly planned move to the cloud. The understanding we build among customers allows a bespoke service that guarantees IT is used as a strategic part of the business rather than a cost centre. Users of the n4Cloud buy a service rather than a product. Our service integrates the transition to the cloud with the progression of the company, meaning it will offer new horizons and opportunities, rather than being an inconvenient process without tangible practical benefits.”
A Milton-Keynes based company that provides Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) software solutions to blue chip companies has incorporated a back up solution, otherwise known as redundancy, into its business offering and now also has greater bandwidth thanks to Node4.
Ostara Systems Ltd, providing a hosted solution, wanted to own its equipment and not be fully-dependent on a service provider. In colocating with data centre and communications specialist Node4, Ostara now has a secure and robust environment, and redundancy systems within its offering. Node4 has added to Ostara’s services through the provision of services via its data centre in Northampton which is within close proximity to Ostara’s office. Furthermore, Node4’s Tier 3 classification is a major advantage for Ostara, given that most of its clients require it.
The solution provided by Node4 has also made cost savings for Ostara as regular maintenance on its own of its infrastructure was becoming time-consuming and costly.
Steve Sartain, Development Director at Ostara Systems Ltd said, “Since joining Node4, I’ve found the technical expertise to be of a very high standard. Node4 can prove an excellence beyond what we can economically and practically do ourselves, and there are no hidden veils. For example, trying to connect a 50 megabyte pipe to the internet and maintaining it would be more expensive in terms of the lack of economies of scale if we were to connect and maintain it ourselves. With Node4’s technical expertise, you are given confidence and security and this confidence comes from having conversations with people with technical skills- people who know what they’re talking about! ”
Neil Harrison, CEO at Ostara Systems Ltd said, “We expect to remain with Node4 in the long term because we believe that it has the space and the ability to assist us as we expand. Node4 is also a very customer-centric company. The assistance we’ve had has been very positive, very fast and we’ve always felt taken care of. ”
Paul Bryce, Business Development Director at Node4 said, “Node4 is delighted to have provided Ostara with a secure and resilient environment from which to run its hosted solution and there is room available if it wants to incorporate more rack space in future. We have a very good working relationship with Ostara.”
A UK technology company providing leisure management software and other technical services to the health clubs and leisure centre markets has improved its efficiency and been able to deliver substantial year-on-year growth since partnering with Node4.
York-based Legend Club Management Systems Ltd partnered with Node4 because it was rapidly acquiring new business and wanted to expand its footprint in the data centre space in line with its high level of investment in infrastructure. Data centre and communications specialist Node4, with its advanced facilities and high level of customer service was able to offer Legend a suitable colocation solution through which it could run its cloud based services on increased capacity with greater bandwidth and resilience. Legend’s systems and applications are now housed in three of Node4’s data centres. The company has also incorporated a disaster recovery solution.
Sean Maguire, Managing Director at Legend Management Systems Ltd, said, “When we visited Node4’s Leeds data centre, our first impression was of a specialist hosting company which placed a high priority on innovation because it was immediately clear this was a purpose built environment with excellent capacity and fail over measures. Being a large new centre, there was also space for growth – important for our future expansion needs. Moreover, the UPS and backup generators were of the highest specification I’d seen. Being ISO27001 accredited was important, and with Node4’s competitive rates, it was impossible to say ‘no’.”
“Since we began working with Node4, we have grown at an incredible rate of well over 20% year-on-year for three years. Joining forces with Node4 has allowed us to act with confidence when dealing with large opportunities, knowing that we absolutely have the capacity in our data centre partner to grow without limits. We now have the ability to add a significant footprint and cross data centre capacity to our offering. We can also focus on a lot of other work we need to do and can sleep comfortably at night knowing that our customer systems are secure and running in a high availability environment! Last but not least, we have always received excellent support from Node4 in the two-and-a-half years we have been with the company.”
Paul Bryce, Business Development Director at Node4, said, “By sharing the volume of its infrastructure with Node4, Legend has become more agile. Our aim is to facilitate operations for our customers and we are pleased that Legend has entrusted us with the handling of their systems.”
An international technology company has seen greater efficiency in its business operations and improved bandwidth for voice calls thanks to a new solution implemented by Node4.
10ZiG Technology Ltd, with its head office in Arizona, USA and European headquarters in Leicester, UK, employed the services of data centre and communication solutions specialist, Node4, as it was looking for better connectivity between its US and UK offices. The move allows the company to provide an improved level of service to its customers.
With 10ZiG Technology’s backend systems, and finance and shipping applications based in its US headquarters, the European headquarters require access to its US head office. 10ZiG Technology, prior to switching to services provided by Node4, struggled with varied levels of service particularly during peak times. 10ZiG needed to improve the situation.
Node4 helped to transform the way they operate by installing an enhanced internet connection using Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM). They also provided 10ZiG with a SIP link that enables them to make voice calls through a reliable SIP trunk.
The solution provided by Node4 made cost savings for 10ZiG who previously had to pay a monthly fee and extra charges for mobile phone usage in the office. It has also given the company greater bandwidth, which empowers them to operate much more efficiently, and ultimately offer a greater level of service to its customers.
Kevin Greenway, Managing Director UK of 10ZiG Technology’s UK office, said, “10ZiG has been able to make cost savings, thanks to Node4’s transfer of our systems to a managed circuit. We often had to use mobiles to call our customers, partners and resellers because of the varying levels of quality experienced when using our analogue and VoIP systems.
“We now make calls internally through our Xorcom IP-PBX using the Node4 SIPlink service, in addition to utilising an FMC application on company mobile phones to further reduce costs to our mobile provider. We have also terminated our legacy trunk-lines to further reduce costs and balance the costs of switching to a managed circuit with the Node4 SIPlink service.
We’ve probably broken even in terms of what we were paying previously, towards line rental and mobile charges. We now have full control over our voice calls and a much better level of service for our customers and staff improving productivity and efficiency.”
Richard Buxton, Voice Services Manager at Node4, said, “Our aim is to support our clients in any way we can to enable them to become more efficient and in this case, 10ZiG Technology is now able to do more than it was previously able to do- with systems that facilitate a higher level of customer service and allow for cost reductions in the long-term. Going forward, we would be looking to provide additional services for 10ZiG Technology to make it an even more productive and profitable global business in an increasingly competitive market. For example, we could offer the company hosting and colocation solutions in future. We’ve now got the connectivity in place to the site with SIP connection that’s scalable, and that’s a start. As 10ZiG continues its growth, we’ll be able to offer more advanced solutions.”
