Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery · 2011. 6. 28. · unified communications or online backup, business continuity becomes a main driver for accelerated adoption of cloud solutions.”

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

IN THIS ISSUE: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery p.4

Why Cloud Supports Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery p.6

Cloud Solutions for BC/DR p.10Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

Next>>

22

ch

an

nel

pa

rtn

ers

tOc

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Next>><< Previous

Vol. 1, No. 1— June 2011

w w w. c h a n n e l p a r t n e r s o n l i n e . c o m

OpiniOn3 Editor’s Letter: A Virtual Magazine for a Virtual Future By Khali Henderson This electronic publication enables us to supplement our monthly

print magazine and daily online reporting with targeted coverage on the emerging cloud services opportunity.

4 Blog: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery By Lawrence M. Walsh The only place where both channels showed near parity in

penetration is disaster recovery/backup and professional/consultative services.

FEATURES6 WHY CLOUD SUPPORTS BC/DR By Khali Henderson Cloud solutions, however, represent a new opportunity for companies -- small and large

-- to achieve needed redundancy of not only data but also vital systems, applications and communications without a huge price tag.

10 CLOUD SOLUTIONS FOR BC/DR By Kelly Teal There are a number of cloud solutions that can support a business continuity/disaster recovery

plan. This article covers seven, which can be implemented alone or in concert. Each one has its own set of capabilities as well as a unique set of questions to help uncover the sale.

Cloud Data Storage/Backup/Recovery Cloud Communications (VoIP/UC/Collaboration/Conferencing) Cloud Contact Center/Call Center Cloud Security Cloud Computing Software as a Service Desktop as a Service

CASE STUDY19 Cloud Counters Ice Storms By Kelly Teal Envoy Mortgage’s new hosted VoIP system was successfully tested during Houston’s winter

2011 ice storm.

CONTENTS

<< Previous Next>> 3

edit

Or

's l

ette

r

A Virtual Magazine for a Virtual FutureWelcome to the debut edition of the Channel Partners Cloud Services Digital

Issue. This electronic publication enables us to supplement our monthly print magazine and daily online reporting with targeted coverage on the emerging cloud services opportunity. If you think about it, what could be more appropriate than a virtual magazine for a virtual future?

What’s more, this interactive format also enables us to refer you to other great sources for information on cloud services. With just a click of your mouse, you can read a related article, download a white paper or report, or watch a slide show or webinar.

For this edition, we’ve selected articles that discuss how cloud solutions support business continuity and disaster recovery. BC/DR emerged as a common application of cloud solutions among both IT and telecom channels as part of research done by the new Channel Partners Cloud Convergence Council. This effort acknowledges that the telecom and IT channels are converging in the cloud and intends to provide guidance to both for a smoother transition. The work of the council will be an ongoing part of the Channel Partners Cloud Services Digital Issues. You can read a blog about the research in this issue and access the full study online at www.channelpartnersonline.com.

As always, we would welcome your feedback on the content and the digital issue experience. You can email me at [email protected].

Enjoy!

Khali hendersOnEditor-in-ChiefTwitter: khalihenderson

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIT

IGA

L IS

SUE

C

LOU

D S

ERVI

CES

BC

/DR

JU

NE

2011

| w

ww

.cha

nnel

partn

erso

nlin

e.co

m

Next>><< Previous4

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

BlO

G

The IT and Telephony channels approach their respective customers very differently. The IT channel places value on its technical prowess, where the telephony channel emphasizes services and service delivery. Not surprising that, in the cloud, these two channels are focusing on products and services that best match their core skill sets — except in one place: disaster recovery and backup.

As par t of the launch of the Channel Par tners Cloud Convergence Council, Channel Partners magazine and The 2112 Group surveyed nearly 189 solutions providers, integrators and agents in the IT and telephony channels on their current standing with cloud computing, where they’re finding success and what’s impeding their cloud adoption. Out of 10 common cloud services, the only place where both channels showed near parity in penetration is disaster recovery/backup and professional/consultative services.

Disaster recovery dominates the channel offerings, as one in four solutions providers in both channel segments offer or represent a cloud-based solution. The service is more pronounced in the IT channel, of which 43 percent offer it as a service. In the telephony channel, 34 percent of companies offer backup services.

What’s more interesting is the demand for cloud services. One in four end-users asks their solutions provider for cloud-based disaster recovery and backup services. Again, the proportion of end-users seeking this service from IT solutions providers is higher, but at least one-third of the telephony channel’s customers are asking for the service by name.

By Lawrence M. Walsh

Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery?

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Editor's Letter p.3 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Editor's Letter p.3 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6

5

Analysts and prognosticators can talk all they want about the cost savings, flexibility and scalability of cloud computing services, but applications such as collaboration, business analytics, email and voice are useless without redundancy, retention and recoverability. It’s an issue that affects platforms in both channels. The problem with all disaster recovery applications is that they’re insurance: You don’t need them until something goes wrong — making them a cost center, not a profit center. Moving disaster recovery into the cloud is the means for greater efficiency and scalability, as well as cost savings.

This is also a point of potential collaboration between the two channels, both of which are quite divergent on the other common cloud applications, namely security, collaboration/file sharing, business applications, productivity software and telephony/voice. Disaster recovery and backup mean different things to each of these services, but the technical implementations are essentially the same. Collaborative teaming between the two channels could produce disaster recovery services with greater scalability, easier management and consolidated costs.

In some respects, disasters — and the tools to recover from disaster — could be the catalyst for drawing the IT and telephony channels together.

Lawrence M. Walsh is CEO and pres ident o f The 2112 Group, a technology business advisory service that specializes in optimizing indirect channels and partner relationships, and principal blogger at Channelnomics. He’s also the executive director of the Channel Vanguard Council and moderator of the Channel Partners Cloud Conference Council. He is the former publisher of Channel Insider and editor of VARBusiness Magazine. You can reach him at [email protected].

MOREinFO

SliDE ShOw:

Top 5 Cloud Services

BlOG:

Cloud Convergence Council Blog

wEB SiTES:

Cloud Convergence Council Channelnomics The 2112 Group

Analysts and

prognosticators can

talk all they want

about the cost

savings, flexibility and

scalability of cloud

computing services,

but applications such

as collaboration,

business analytics,

email and voice

are useless without

redundancy, retention

and recoverability.

BlO

GC

HA

NN

EL P

ART

NER

S D

ITIG

AL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Blog: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery p.4 ■ Cloud Solutions for BC/DR p.10

6

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

6

Fea

tur

e

headlInes abouT devasTaTIng tsunamis and tornados are stark reminders to businesses about the need for disaster recovery measures. The threats to business continuity typically are less dramatic, although nonetheless debilitating. From server crashes to snow days, stuff just happens to interrupt business as usual.

The costs of these interruptions can be significant. (An oft-cited 2004 Gartner report puts the average cost of downtime at $42,000 per hour.) But preventing them also has come at a high cost, leaving many well-intended businesses vulnerable. Cloud solutions, however, represent a new opportunity for companies — small and large — to achieve needed redundancy of not only data but also vital systems, applications and communications without a huge price tag.

“Business continuity lies at the core of cloud service delivery,” said Jim Safran, president for GreenAppx, a software as a service (SaaS) provider. “So be it desktop security, corporate message, unified communications or online backup, business continuity becomes a main driver for accelerated adoption of cloud solutions.”

Cloud’s inherent business continuity characteristics include:

physical diversity (off the customers’ premises)

geographical diversity (out of the state or region)

enterprise-class platforms (high availability)

redundant facilities (mirrored data centers with power backup and diverse carrier connections)

automated functions (not dependent on users)

professionally managed and monitored (in-house IT staff not required)

accessibility (authorized users can tap into functionality during a crisis via the Internet)

scalability (to grow or shrink in function and cost as needs change)

security (both physical and network)

Why Cloud Supports BC/DR

By Khali Henderson

<< Previous Next>>

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Blog: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery p.4 ■ Cloud Solutions for BC/DR p.10

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

7

Fea

tur

e

All of these advantages are delivered in a pay-per-use model, e.g., without upfront capital investments or ongoing investments in system maintenance or staff.

That last point — security — may have given most businesses pause as recently as 18 months ago but that’s changing, said Jeff Uphues, vice president of sales and marketing for Cbeyond Cloud Services, a division of communications provider Cbeyond Inc. “Now, it’s almost the opposite [concern] — my data is not as safe on my premises as it is in the cloud,” he said.

Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO for master agency Terrapin Solutions, said his experience is similar. “People are realizing that keeping their critical data at their own site is not a smart business practice and the cloud affords the ability to put data in multiple places and replicate it across multiple locations.”

Indeed, experts stress that the cloud service providers typically operate out of SAS 70 certified data centers where they are backed up and replicated at other data centers in the event of an outage at the primary location.

But it’s not just data that companies are looking to move to the cloud. It’s their applications and their communications.

“If the problem is loss of power, loss of data access, loss of Internet access, then they need it to be somewhere else than their primary business location,” said Fred White, director of product marketing for Cbeyond Cloud Services.

“When core business functions are untethered from a fixed location, they can more easily be diverted in the case of major, or

“When core

business functions

are untethered from

a fixed location,

they can more easily

be diverted in the

case of major, or

even comparatively

minor, interruptions

or spikes.”

—CosmoCom’s Kevin Simms

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Blog: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery p.4 ■ Cloud Solutions for BC/DR p.10

8

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e even comparatively minor, interruptions or spikes,” said Kevin Simms, director of marketing for CosmoCom, a provider of hosted contact center solutions.

To Simms’ point, not all events that threaten business continuity are necessarily disasters. Call centers, for example, often can benefit from the ability to scale up quickly to respond to a sudden increase in calls due to a successful marketing campaign.

“No answer or a constant busy signal can damage a brand and turn off a customer forever,” added Paul Jarman, CEO for inContact, a hosted contact center provider.

With that in mind, there are a number of questions that channel partners can ask prospects to uncover opportunities to pitch cloud solutions in support of BC/DR. Here are some:

Have you had unplanned downtime in the last 12-18 months?

What is your current BC/DR strategy?

How much will it cost if your systems fail? (Check out this Downtime Calculator)

How will downtime impact your brand?

What applications are in use and which are mission critical (i.e., cannot be interrupted)?

For each application, what is your Recovery Point Objective (RPO) — the amount of data you can afford to lose?

For each application, what is your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) — the amount of time you can afford to be down?

A significant focus of the conversation is gauging the expense of downtime. A business can determine what an hour, two hours or a day or more will cost in terms of productivity and sales. “If it’s a minor blip and not that big a deal, then it’s probably not important to invest in a BC/DR solution,” said Terrapin Solutions’ Pryfogle. But if the impact is bigger, it’s time to use the cloud. Not doing so “is far more costly than the investment it takes to protect yourself,” he said.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Blog: Channels Converge on Cloud Disaster Recovery p.4 ■ Cloud Solutions for BC/DR p.10

9

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

The conversation also can become much more specific if you are talking about data backup and recovery, call center requirements or security (see related story on Page 10).

Don Douglas, president and CEO for master agency Liquid Networx, said starting with the prospect’s current plan makes sense. “In the SMB space this should be a huge value to businesses that have never spent much time or money addressing these issues,” he said. However, he cautioned that speaking with IT staff at larger corporations requires a greater depth of knowledge. “It would be very easy to get in way over your head if you do not have proper training, experience and certifications to perform this type of analysis or make these types of recommendations,” Douglas said.

Fortunately, many of the cloud services providers of fer team-selling arrangements wherein sales engineers are able to consult with the prospect in greater detail about the systems supporting the cloud solution.

As part of that consultation, it’s important to create a disaster recovery plan, said Joe Corvaia, vice president of solution engineering at Broadview Networks. “You can distribute applications … into the cloud and have ubiquity in how you access them, but lacking a plan for how your organization reacts and operates under these conditions will render many of these strategies useless or fragmented at best,” he said.

—Additional reporting by Kelly Teal

“Business continuity lies at the core of cloud service delivery.”

—GreenAppX's Jim Safran

MOREinFO

ARTiClES:

Is DR Pie in the Sky for Today’s Clouds?

BC/DR Basics for Agents

TOOlS:

Downtime Cost Calculator

SOURCES:

Broadview Networks Inc. Cbeyond Inc. CosmoCom GreenAppX inContact Inc. Liquid Networx RapidScale Inc. Terrapin Solutions Virtuon Inc. XO Communications Inc.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

Cloud Solutions for BC/DR

By Kelly Teal

10

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

Cloud Data Storage/ Backup/Recovery

Data storage, backup and recovery are such critical aspects of a business continuity/disaster recovery strategy that, without them as a foundation, “a BC/DR plan cannot be realized,” said Forrest Blair, CEO of Virtuon Inc. Putting these functions in the cloud enables companies to get back to business more quickly in the event of a technical or natural disaster.

That’s because even companies that think they are being proactive about backing up their data usually aren’t, said Jeff Uphues, vice president of sales and marketing for Cbeyond Inc. For instance, he said, “A lot of people are embracing backup but a lot aren’t starting to go to recovery,” he said. And without the cloud, a backup strategy by itself takes time to carry out. To restore data from tapes, a company may have to buy and deploy a whole new server and then reload an operating system and the related applications. All that work, even with backed-up data on hand, means a business still can “be out of commission for two weeks,” Uphues said.

With the cloud, however, backup restoration takes place much faster — minutes or hours, rather than days or weeks. For this to happen, a business must store its information in a secure, off-site data center and ensure there’s enough virtual storage at employees’ disposal. Then, a company can manage and restore its data wherever there’s an Internet connection. “There is no need to be directly connected to your LAN,” said Jim Safran, president of GreenAppX.

inThiSARTiClE

There are a number of cloud solutions that can support a business continuity/disaster recovery plan. here are a few:

ClOUD BC/DR SOlUTiOnS

Cloud Data Storage/ Backup/Recovery

Cloud Communications (VoIP/UC/Collaboration/Conferencing)

Cloud Contact Center/Call Center

Cloud Security

Cloud Computing

Software as a Service

Desktop as a Service These can be implemented

alone or in concert. Each one has its own set of capabilities as well as a unique set of questions to help uncover the sale.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for Cloud Data Storage/Backup/Recovery

For partners, then, the key is to open clients’ eyes to the value of a cloud BC/DR strategy. “Helping them measure the cost of lost data is important,” said Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO of Terrapin Solutions. Do that by asking fear-probing questions. Here are some examples:

How do you back up data today?

Which data have been backed up?

Where do you back up data — locally or to a repository in the cloud that all employees at all locations can access?

If you use devices such as tape storage, is there enough memory available?

How would you recover files on backup devices if there was a fire or flood?

How are you ensuring mobile workers’ laptops are backed up consistently?

What’s the cost to your business if one of those laptops is stolen?

What is your storage growth rate?

Are you storing inactive data on high-performance drives?

The good news is, 38 percent of SMBs plan to buy some form of backup service from a channel partner in the next two years, according to a March 2011 study conducted by Forrester Consulting for cloud backup and recovery software provider Asigra Inc. They are aware that cloud storage/backup/recovery saves money and protects data that employees tend not to back up. SMBs also are drawn to service and support offered by cloud providers, the study found.

11

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

Cloud VoIP/UC/ Collaboration/Conferencing

All businesses need their communica-tions systems working reliably or they risk unhappy customers and lost sales. One way to help ensure such continuity is to run all network intelligence — phone, unified communications and collaboration platforms — in the cloud. This wasn’t possible until IP telephony matured into a solid TDM alternative. Still, not all companies take advantage of cloud communications yet, and they probably should. “If the PBX is the central aspect of your communications and it can’t talk to the outside world, you’re dead in the water,” said Jeff Uphues, vice president of sales and marketing for Cbeyond.

The solution to that problem is to move communications infrastructure to the cloud. This way, employees still use desktop phones, but they’re IP-based. This allows IT staff to route all communications through a secure, off-site data center that keeps functionality in redundant servers. Then, if or when a business’s Internet network goes down, with the correct programming, phone, UC and conferencing systems keep running. Inbound calls will redirect and route as needed. For instance, calls can be forwarded to mobile handsets and even to VoIP clients on smartphones. Plus, workers can pick up their phones, leave the office and plug the phone in wherever there’s broadband. That way, UC and collaboration features continue to be accessible as well.

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

12

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for Cloud Communications

To help customers decide whether to put their VoIP/UC/collaboration in the cloud, ask some questions, including:

Is your existing phone hardware near end-of-life?

Has your business ever experienced downtime of your voice communications?

What is the cost of downtime per employee for your voice communications?

Do you have a strategy for continuing to serve customers in the case of a “voice impacting” event?

If yes, can you describe the process and how intensive it is to invoke?

Does your company have the capital to buy new premises-based equipment? What about an opex budget?

Can you remotely manage your phone system?

Can your traveling employees send and receive calls from one phone number from any location?

<< Previous Next>>

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

13

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

eCloud Contact Center/Call CenterThe role of a cloud-based contact center as a facet of BC/DR

comes into play when a company needs someone else to handle its calls during a catastrophe or when a business already runs an inbound call center and requires a safety net. As such, more than 20 percent of contact centers surveyed in a May 2011 Noble Systems poll said they would lose all of their customer data and proprietary information if a catastrophe hit their buildings. The cloud, however, offers alternatives to the on-premises model and allows SMBs and enterprises to turn to a third party during a disaster.

To ensure BC/DR, companies with call centers should look for several features from a cloud contact center provider. First, make certain there are geographically redundant data centers. “In the event of natural or any other disruption to services at one data center, the calls in progress automatically fail-over to the other data center,” said Paul Jarman, CEO of inContact. “That means there is no disruption to service, and the impacting event shouldn’t have any influence on the backup data center nearly 1,500 miles away.”

Next, the cloud contact center company should offer guaranteed uptime of 99.99 percent. At that rate, there should be little to no call interruption. Then, consider scalability. If an end-user can add or delete ports as needed, that company won’t overpay for minutes or struggle to keep up with inbound calls during peak times. Finally, the cloud contact center provider should have flexible routing, so calls can go anywhere, “with just a few clicks of the mouse,” Jarman said. Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO of Terrapin Solutions, agreed. “It’s in the cloud that I can redirect that traffic in seconds. And if you’re not doing that, you’re running tremendous risk,” he said.

Businesses that take large volumes of inbound calls also should be able to keep their agents independent of the actual work location, said Kevin Simms, director of marketing for CosmoCom. For example, this past winter, during the snowstorms that pounded the southeast, one CosmoCom customer made simple configuration changes to its call-delivery system and had its agents work from home. Operations — including call monitoring and recording — continued normally.

Next>><< Previous Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

14

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

eUncovering Sales Opportunities for Cloud Contact Center/Call Center

To examine a potential client’s BC/DR preparedness for a contact center situation, ask the following questions:

How easily could you change your call routing in the event of an emergency?

Do you have more that one location that takes inbound phone calls?

How do you route calls between your call center locations today?

If you were to lose connectivity to your main call center, where would those calls go?

Do you support or want to support remote or home-based agents?

If you have a call center BC/DR plan, how does that technology support remote supervision, recording, reporting and CRM integration?

Cloud SecurityCloud security, too, supports a BC/DR play when implemented properly. “Without

a cloud security strategy, customers are required to have redundant Internet links at headquarters, with redundant security hardware platforms and a failover strategy for terminating remote location DR/BC IPSEC tunnels,” said Michael Toplisek, chief marketing officer of XO Communications. With the cloud, however, the need for such a bulky approach is eliminated. “By locking down access into your network at the cloud, you eliminate the need for a security BC/DR plan at each location,” Toplisek added.

At that point, a company will want to look for several features from the data center where its data are housed. First, check that the data center is physically secure — identification is required for entry, employees have passed background checks. Also verify that it complies with regulations and meets strict standards such as SAS 70 Type II. Third, make sure data are encrypted and protected from viruses, spam and phishing any time an employee is connected to the Internet. Finally, being able to click and restore file backups “makes cloud a flexible and viable option for many security-conscious businesses,” said Joe Corvaia, vice president of solution engineering at Broadview Networks.

The overall key is for a user to be certain its cloud is engineered securely, said Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO of Terrapin Solutions. When that is the case, all security functions — from firewall to Web and content filtering to remote access — are performed from one repository, rather than from multiple on-site portals or devices. End-users further don’t have to manage these features, since the cloud provider can do that for them.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

15

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for Cloud Security Here are some questions partners can pose to customers considering cloud

security as part of a BC/DR plan:

How do you manage network security today?

Are you concerned about data integrity in transit or at rest?

Are you concerned about meeting regulatory requirements?

Have you had a malicious attack on your network?

Do your users remotely access internal files and drives on the network?

How do you secure your company’s Internet-connected computers?

How are updates or virus definitions pushed out to those machines?

Are you paying for and running separate virus and firewall applications?

Can you describe the last time you had a virus infection in your network?

How disruptive was that? How did it affect employee productivity?

Cloud ComputingCloud computing generally is defined as infrastructure-as-a-service, or putting the

functionality of on-premises infrastructure into the cloud. IaaS offers secure, managed infrastructure so clients’ data and applications are always available. As part of a BC/DR plan, then, cloud computing is a linchpin.

Opting for cloud computing means a business doesn’t have to invest in “massive, upfront capital outlays,” said Fred White, director of product marketing for Cbeyond’s cloud services division. It further means companies don’t need to install and maintain redundant sets of hardware and software.

William Hiatt, co-founder and CTO of RapidScale, agreed. IaaS is “ideal” for disaster recovery, he said. “It eliminates the need of procuring, installing and maintaining a redundant set of hardware and software in a secondary location,” he explained.

Further, when a customer buys an operating system-agnostic cloud computing platform, any operating system or application can be restored from the cloud. Look for providers that offer strong service level agreements, which guarantee uptime and availability.

The benefits of IaaS are numerous. Companies save money on servers, maintenance costs, and are able to pay for cloud computing on a month-to-month basis.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

16

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for Cloud Computing

How much does it cost you to maintain equipment and software at more than one location?

What would it cost to lose that equipment and software?

Do you need to trim IT staffing expenses?

Do you need to shift more capital expenditures to the operating expense budget?

Would you be interested in a platform that simplifies disaster recovery procedures and makes operations more highly available?

Software-as-a-ServiceSoftware-as-a-service, or SaaS, is another way to assure

business continuity and disaster recovery by delivering applications and databases via the Internet during an emergency. These range from basic office productivity applications — such as email, word processing and spreadsheets — to more complex enterprise resource planning applications. Among the most popular applications to move to the cloud is customer relationship management such as Salesforce.com.

“SaaS is all about accessibility,” said Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO of Terrapin Solutions.

For example, remote workers can get to the same programs and information their on-site colleagues use. At the same time, IT staff members don’t have to oversee application updates or backup — that all takes place in the cloud. And if the worst happens and a flood, fire or other disaster razes a facility, company information will remain untouched and reachable because it’s stored in a data center hundreds or thousands of miles away.

There is one aspect to SaaS that seems to keep some companies from adopting it, and that’s functionality. Some programs scale down their utility for the cloud, to avoid performance hiccups.

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

17

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

QuickBooks serves as a prime example. A typical QuickBooks installation in the cloud is missing 30-40 percent of the local server’s functionality. But some SaaS providers have gotten around that problem by putting an entire QuickBooks server into a private dedicated cloud environment. “It has all the advantages of cloud and SaaS without giving up any of the utility of the applications,” said Pryfogle, whose company now boasts 15,000 business applications certified to run in the cloud with full functionality. In the event of a disaster, then, a company may continue to use whole programs from disparate locations.

SaaS promises to become a lucrative revenue stream for channel partners. Between 2010 and 2015, worldwide SaaS sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23 percent, according to Infonetics Research.

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for SaaSHere are some questions partners can pose to customers considering

SaaS as part of a BC/DR plan:

What is the impact of a hard drive crash?

If you lost access to applications, what would be the cost to your business?

Have you been told you can’t run the application in the cloud?

Do you have a failover for your mail server?

How would you collaborate with your employees, customers and vendors in the event of a fire or a flood?

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.6 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

18

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

Fea

tur

e

MOREinFO

ARTiClES:

Selling VoIP As A Disaster Recovery Solution

What You Need To Know To Sell SaaS

SOURCES:

Broadview Networks Inc. Cbeyond Inc. CosmoCom GreenAppX inContact Inc. Liquid Networx RapidScale Inc. Terrapin Solutions Virtuon Inc. XO Communications Inc.

Desktop-as-a-ServiceDesktop-as-a-service, or DaaS, puts applications that

otherwise would run on a local workstation or laptop in the cloud; that way, if the workstation or laptop crashes or is wiped out in a flood or fire, data are not lost. Instead, an employee would just connect to the company from a different computer and be up and running with no data loss. DaaS also boasts built-in redundancy and lower administrative costs, appealing factors for companies’ IT staffs.

“IT maintains control over the desktop since it runs in the data center and is served up to the remote user,” said Forrest Blair, CEO of Vir tuon Inc. “Upgrades, patches and reconfigurations can be accomplished from a central location.”

The need to replace PCs less often — not just the need to consider BC/DR — is another selling point for DaaS. In other words, many companies buy new PCs and laptops every three to five years. But there are ways around such expense, namely by installing $200 thin clients and streaming the desktop from the cloud. The refresh cycle is then extended to seven to 10 years. “DaaS is a way to protect yourself from technology obsolescence,” said Andrew Pryfogle, president and CEO of Terrapin Solutions.

Uncovering Sales Opportunities for DaaSHere are some questions to prompt clients to think about

DaaS from a BC/DR perspective:

How are your remote users’ computers being backed up?

What is your desktop refresh cycle?

Are security, compliance and privacy at the desktop concerns?

Do you have a lot of turnover or lost or damaged desktops or laptops?

—Additional reporting by Khali Henderson

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.10 ■ Channel Partner Contacts p.21

19

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

ca

se s

tud

y

envoy MorTgage is a multilocation retail mor tgage house headquar tered in hurricane-prone Houston, Texas. In 2010, the company, which employs about 600 people, wrote about $1.8 billion in real estate loans.

The Challenge. Envoy Mortgage was running an older version of Cisco Systems Inc.’s CallManager IP telephony software that was quickly nearing the end of its life. A new phone system was in order but Envoy executives knew they also needed a platform that would withstand Houston’s intemperate weather — hurricane season in particular. At that time, Envoy had little in the way of a disaster recovery or business continuity plan.

The Solution. Envoy’s IT staff consulted with cloud services master agency Terrapin Solutions about its options. Terrapin recommended hosted VoIP provisioned through Virginia-based iCore Networks, a managed networking firm that specializes in voice over private Internet. Envoy liked being able to do a larger-than-typical hosted VoIP installation of more than 300 seats and, for business continuity purposes, take advantage of iCore’s two data centers. Plus, iCore contains some additional appealing disaster recovery features for Envoy. For example, employees can work from almost anywhere outside of the office by configuring their cell phones, smartphones or laptops to act like their desk phones. With an Internet connection, workers also can access their online information — from a Microsoft Exchange server, for example — from anywhere. That way, they can continue to do the projects they would handle in the office.

Envoy further liked that iCore would manage voice and data quality of service, thanks in part to its native support for Cisco Systems Inc. phones and infrastructure. “The only thing I have to do is send [employees] a phone,” said Mark James, director of IT for Envoy Mortgage.

To that point, Envoy chose Cisco’s 7940 IP desktop phone to replace the old models, but also installed the IP blue softphone, which also works with Cisco’s gear and iCore’s services. That way, if Envoy employees aren’t able to get to a desk phone, the softphone is available.

Cloud Counters Ice Storms

By Kelly Teal

<< Previous Next>>

Next>><< Previous

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Why Cloud Supports BC/DR p.10 ■ Channel Partner Contacts p.21

In addition, most of Envoy’s internal applications are stored on the Web, so employees just need to be able to reach the Internet to do their jobs.

“From a disaster recovery perspective, about the only thing [we] have to make sure of is that the network has a clear path to the vendor supporting the hosted VoIP,” said James.

The Results. Envoy Mortgage got the first taste of its disaster recovery capabilities in February 2011, when Houston was socked by a freak ice storm that lasted several days. The National Weather Service reported up to a quarter-inch of ice had hit the 2.1 million-population region. Driving was dangerous — more than 100 car accidents were reported in just one day and getting anywhere was almost impossible since public safety officials were forced to close the overpasses on the freeway system, essentially shutting down transportation. But Envoy Mortgage continued to operate as if nothing had happened.

“We knew the storm was coming so we had folks take their phones home, and they were up and running [during] the ice storm,” said James. Not only did the affected employees stay safe but Envoy’s IT staff didn’t have to worry about the company’s servers being endangered by the weather, since they are hosted elsewhere.

The ice storm provided “a great test” of Envoy’s new disaster recovery plan, James said.But Envoy Mortgage is seeing other benefits from its move to hosted VoIP. Long-

distance expenses have dropped by at least 15 percent, James said, and performing adds/moves/changes has become simple. James either changes the information in an iCore Web portal or has iCore do it for him. That capability also has saved Envoy about another $4,000 in IT staff costs. In addition, Envoy still receives call detail reports with its hosted VoIP system and is preparing to bolt on call center and call recording components. Finally, Envoy was able to shift its communications from a capital expenditure budget to operational expense, a big benefit in the midst of the United States’ housing bust.

Meantime, Terrapin continues to beef up Envoy’s hosted VoIP installation. So far, the cloud services master agency has put six more Envoy locations on hosted VoIP and is adding a call center in India for the mortgage house’s business continuity strategy.

“wE knEw ThE

STORM wAS

COMinG SO wE

hAD FOlkS TAkE

ThEiR phOnES

hOME, AnD

ThEY wERE Up

AnD RUnninG

[DURinG] ThE iCE

STORM.”

—Envoy Mortgage’s Mark James

20

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIG

ITAL

ISSU

E

CLO

UD

SER

VIC

ES B

C/D

R J

UN

E 20

11|

ww

w.c

hann

elpa

rtner

sonl

ine.

com

ca

se s

tud

y

MOREinFO

CASE STUDY:

iland Treats Home Health Care Company’s BC/DR Needs

ARTiClES:

iCore Networks Signs Terrapin Solutions

wEBSiTES:

Terrapin Solutions iCore Networks

<< Previous Next>>

IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents p. 2 ■ Editor's Letter p. 3 ■ Case Study: Cloud Counters Ice Storm p.19

About Channel Partners For more than two decades, Channel Partners has been the leader in providing news and analysis to indirect sales channels serving the communications industry. It is the unrivaled resource for resellers, aggregators, agents, brokers, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and dealers that provide network-based communications and computing services, associated CPE and applications as well as managed and professional services. Channel Partners is the official media of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo.

21

CH

AN

NEL

PA

RTN

ERS

DIT

IGA

L IS

SUE

C

LOU

D S

ERVI

CES

BC

/DR

JU

NE

2011

| w

ww

.cha

nnel

partn

erso

nlin

e.co

mch

an

nel

pa

rtn

ers

cO

nta

cts

EDITORIALEditor-in-ChiEfKhali henderson – [email protected], ext. 1678

SEnior EditorKelly M. teal – [email protected], ext. 1020

MAnAGinG Editor Buffy Jones naylor – [email protected], ext. 1043

onlinE MAnAGinG EditorCraig Galbraith – [email protected], ext. 1124

BuSinESS & rEGulAtory Editor Josh long – [email protected], ext. 1104

ContriButinG EditorS tim McElligott – [email protected], ext. 1254tara Seals – [email protected], ext. 1005

ContriButorSlawrence M. Walsh

sALEs/mARkETIng

Group puBliShErLarry Lannon • [email protected], ext. 1424

ASSoCiAtE puBliShEr Susan Kostbar • [email protected], ext. 1402

dirECtor of ChAnnEl pArtnErS EvEnt SAlESStacy Whitley • [email protected], ext. 1075

SAlES ASSoCiAtE Andrew Masayestewa • [email protected], ext. 1061

ClASSifiEd ACCount EXECutivEMaria Guerrero • [email protected], ext. 1250

AudiEnCE MArKEtinG dirECtor John Muehling • [email protected], ext. 1095

MArKEtinG MAnAGEr Marly Little • [email protected], ext. 1288

fulfillMEnt MAnAGEr david hurley • [email protected], ext. 1091

Subscription Customer Service • 800-581-1811List Rental • 480-990-1101 ext. 2081Reprints • 480-990-1101 ext. 1170

PRODucTIOn

EXECutivE dirECtor, produCtion danielle dunlapEXECutivE dirECtor, Art dolly AhlesAdvErtiSinG Art dirECtor Matt Courter AdvErtiSinG produCtion MAnAGEr leez May

ChiEf EXECutivE offiCEr John Siefert

EXECutivE viCE prESidEnt/Cfo Kelly ridley ControllEr Michelle landis

viCE prESidEnt, huMAn rESourCES heather Wood

PubLIshED by VIRgO PubLIshIng, LLcp.o. Box 40079, phoenix, AZ 85067-0079 tel. 480-990-1101 • Fax 480-990-0819Website: www.vpico.com

www.channelpartnersonline.com

Co-Produced by:

Formerly

Thank you to our Phase I Cloud Convergence Council Sponsors:

The Channel Partners Cloud Convergence Council

Delivering the tools and resources you need to take the next steps in the cloud.

For the past several months, the Channel Partners Cloud Convergence Council – a group of IT and telecom thought leader – has studied the issue of channel convergence in the cloud. From its studies the Council has produced a collection of premium content designed to clear the air about the cloud and provide tools for your next steps.

Visit the Cloud Convergence Council home page at

www.channelpartnersonline.com/cloud-convergence-councilfor exclusive reports, whitepapers, whiteboard videos, image galleries, slide shows

and more, all focused on the issue of cloud convergence.

Free special report explores:• The Advent of Cloud, Coming of Cloud Convergence • The Impact of Cloud Computing on the Channel • Channel Needs in the Cloud • Unresolved Channel Cloud Issues

Download your copy today!

CHANNEL PARTNERS | CHANNEL CONVERGENCE AND EVOLUTION THROUGH CLOUD SERVICES | WWW.CHANNELPARTNERSONLINE.COM 1

Channel Convergenceand Evolution Through

Cloud ServicesA Report from the Channel Partners

Cloud Convergence Council

A collaborative project of Channel Partners and The 2112 Group

Formerly

Phase II of the Cloud Convergence Council is now forming! To reserve your spot today, contact Susan Pienkos-Kostbar,

480.675.8102, [email protected].

Next>><< Previous