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The Value of Co-location for Business Continuity

Colocation

As COVID-19 changes how we do business now and in the future; co-location of IT equipment to a data center is proving to be more valuable than ever.

Co-location is a service where organizations take their existing onsite servers and move them into a data center that offers an environment optimized for technology. In fact data centers are the same facilities that house equipment that make “cloud” computing possible. A data center offers physical security, cooling and backup power generation along with a host of other resources that can be too expensive for one organization to afford on their own.

In a time when many organizations need to keep employees safe by having them work from home, support and care of on-site IT servers can pose technical and personnel challenges. IT infrastructure is the backbone of almost every organization working hard to keep people safe while also keeping them employed and the business running.

Co-location provides the safest possible environment for the servers that run a business. Data centers have redundant connectivity to ensure not only high capacity bandwidth to the internet but higher degrees of reliability. Co-location is also a great intermediate step for organizations on their way to becoming fully cloud-based where they get maximum redundancy while eliminating capital expenditures.

Making the Shift to Co-location

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for connectivity to high speed internet at a time when computing loads where shifting substantially under circumstances where downtime was not an option.

The need for reliable systems to power business continuity has never been more vital with stay at home orders and a work happening in such a distributed environment. Man-made and natural disasters, from cyber security threats to tornadoes and hurricanes, won’t stop in the face of a global pandemic. Ensuring that critical data and application access continues is vital for your business.

A move to co-location provides the best environment and resources to power that the systems that drive your operations.

Moving Forward

Businesses are going to be assessing the lessons of COVID-19 and adapting. Several assumptions have been shattered as a result: not only that many functions can be done with a remote workforce, but also the vulnerability of IT systems kept in-house. on must ensure that disruptions are minimized or eliminated and there are proven plans in place to minimize IT personnel exposure. By making a transition from your on-premise IT infrastructure to Brush Mountain Data Center, you have access to remote hands.

This also gives you on-site operational support to handle any server maintenance, virtualization or expansion needs, and troubleshooting of critical data center equipment. By removing the need to have your personnel physically working on-premise, or coming to BMDC facilities by leveraging these services, you can keep people safe and maintain control of mission-critical infrastructure.

Colocation is proving to be more valuable than ever, and by leveraging BMDC, your business can plan for safety while planning for the future.

Contact us to learn more.

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Now Available: Ransomware Readiness Training

Now Available: Ransomware Readiness Training

Responding to the rampant problem of ransomware, we are now offering “Ransomware Readiness” training sessions for just $99. Each session can accommodate up to 30 people, enabling organizations to quickly train employees.  During this session we will teach your staff how ransomware works, some common approaches and traps, how to recognize likely ransomware content and what to do when these threats are encountered. The intent is to make training available without taking employees out of the office.

How Ransomware Training Helps Reduce Your Risk

Ransomware is a rapidly growing problem that cripples organizations of all sizes on a daily basis. The damage can shut an organization down. If operations can’t be restarted quick enough, they never recover.

With ransomware, very employee is a potential vector. The best IT security investments cannot stop the unwitting action of an uneducated employee.

“We’ve seen the impact of ransomware not only in high profile headlines, but right here in central and southwestern Virginia. Organizations have been partially or fully crippled for weeks, creating unbelievable damage and rapidly escalating insurance claims. Yet we’re not seeing training for employees. That is an easy first step to reduce risk.” says Eric Thompson, Director of the Brush Mountain Data Center.

Our  “Ransomware Readiness” training is an easy to understand one-hour session for up to 30 people. (The fee is per session, not per person.) The training can be delivered on-site, or via web video conference. It teaches how malware works, shows examples of what to look for, and action steps for handling suspicious activity.

Additionally, for a limited time, schools, municipalities and non-profits within Virginia can receive this training for free.

REQUEST RANSOMWARE TRAINING

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Power Your Growth with Data Center & Cloud Services

It’s unusual to find a cloud computing center in an office park. Yet, we’ve been innovating and growing our Brush Mountain Data Center.  Brush Mountain Data Center (BMDC) has its primary location on the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center campus where it   provides cloud computing, cloud data backup services and server rack rental (co-location).

While some organizations have quickly adopted cloud computing and data center services, many others can and should,  once they understand what is possible.  In the past, data centers and cloud computing was the domain of very large organizations with lots of resources.  Now, data centers like Brush Mountain are bringing the benefits to organizations of all sizes.  Small and resource constrained organizations, hyper-growth mode organizations, these are all great candidates for data center services.  After all, the name of the game is cost effective agility.

Embracing data center services enables scalable access to computing and data storage resources, without the cost of hardware, software, staffing or up to date expertise.  

How?  Here are some of the common business drivers our clients are seeing:

Local Connection to Many Clouds 

BMDC is itself connected to several of the market leading cloud service companies. This enables us to move and scale computing resources as needed. It also enables us to accommodate certification requirements.

A Better Environment for Computing

BMDC provides a secure facility optimized for IT equipment. It has redundant power, internet and cloud service connections. If one service goes offline, services are not interrupted as they would be in an office suite. You get all the benefits of a data center, but at a fractional cost.

Flexible Resources to Help You Grow 

Most organizations are looking to grow.  For some it is top-line growth, others bottom line growth. Both benefit from innovation and flexibility made possible by cloud services. Computing and storage are needed to power that growth. BMDC can provide the compute and storage you need via a scalable model. Another bonus: these services bill monthly as an expense, freeing up working capital.

Focus on Growth – Not Complexity

BMDC services ensure that IT uptime and reliability are the last thing you have to worry about.

We Make It Easy

We can extend existing IT, connecting cloud-based functions into your on-premise systems. Or, for those not wanting any overhead, we can provide full-service compute, data protection and services. Perfect for remotes and startups who need IT but less overhead.

  • FlxCloud Infrastructure as a Service provides fast, reliable computing power that can scale to meet your growth.
  • FlxStore Backup as a Service protects your valuable data.
  • FlxPro Managed IT Services are available to fill gaps in your IT support needs.
  • FlxTalk services will provide reliable cloud-based managed phone services.

Want to learn more? The next step is easy. Let’s have a conversation about your particular needs. The information is free, and we have conversations that can range from non-technical business objectives to technical conversations.

CONTACT ME

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Introducing FlxStore: Our flexible range of Managed Data Storage Services

Natural disasters, equipment failures, and even human error can cause significant data loss. Can your organization survive that reality?

The statistics are staggering. For organizations who experience a significant outage or data loss, 90% will fail within 2 years. 43% will not even reopen for business. Your data is a vital asset, and managing backup and proactively planning for disaster recovery is vital.

We now offer our FlxStore Managed Data Backup Services. This flexible suite of backup and disaster recovery services are designed to support a wide range of needs and budgets.

Now we have an expanded range of data backup services to ensure that your data is backed up automatically and supervised by our staff so you can focus on your core business needs.  Because our data center is based at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center ensure you that your data is locally accessible to you – with unbelievable bandwidth & redundancy.  We take care of your data, and you never have to worry about it.

How can our FlxStore services help you?

  • Gain peace of mind
  • Proactive preparation for business disruption or data loss
  • Reduce IT workload
  • Decrease cost and complexity
  • Predictable data storage expense
  • Scalable plans to meet your needs
  • Secure protection of your data
  • Available geo-diversity for existing storage systems
  • Local service & support
  • Extremely fast data restoration when you need it

If you are ready to make data backup and business continuity easier, contact us.  We’ll help you find the right mix of data protection services for your needs and budget.

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Top Questions You Should Be Asking Your Potential Cloud Provider

Making the decision to start moving some of your IT functions into a cloud like our FlxCloud offering can raise
questions.  We’ve compiled some of the best questions we get, along with answers from our Chief Technology Officer.Top_questions_to_ask_your_Cloud_Provider_pdf

>Download the full article

As always, for more information about how we can help your business extend your network services into the cloud,
contact us!  Brush Mountain Data Center makes it easy to leverage the benefits of cloud services with support from
local people you already know and trust.

>Contact us

 

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5 (Great) Reasons to Leverage Regional Cloud Services

eGuide_cover2When people first hear about a “regional data center” – they have some very predictable questions, like:

  • What’s a regional cloud provider like Brush Mountain?
  • What are the benefits for my business?
  • How is it different from services from national providers?

All great questions!  To help explain the benefits of a regional provider like Brush Mountain Data Center, we’ve assembled this quick e-Guide: Top 5 Reasons to Leverage Regional Cloud Services

 

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CTO David Carter’s interview with Syncsort: “Regional Data Centers: Also on Big Data’s Front Lines”

David Carter, CTO

David Carter, CTO

Recently our Chief Technology Officer David Carter was interviewed by the team at Syncsort about the challenges and opportunities faced by Regional Data Centers like Brush Mountain.

In this interview, David candidly covers a variety of subjects including:

  • What are the top pricing questions from prospective clients?
  • What are the advantages of a Regional Data Center for SMB clients?
  • The impact of Software Defined Networking?

>Read the full article

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Latest trends in Cloud Adoption

The move to the cloud is happening in organizations large and small.

The explosion in use of cloud services is continuing according to the latest research from the Cloud Industry Forum, a body dedicated to supporting cloud providers. In June 2014, 250 senior IT and business decision-makers took part in a poll conducted by Vanson Bourne to understand their use of cloud services and the impact on their business strategies.

What does the survey reveal?  We’ve summarized their key findings:

Infographic: Growth of the Cloud

So how can your business make the transition to the cloud without losing your bearings or negatively impacting your operations?  Brush Mountain Data Center’s FLxCloud services bring you the benefits of “cloud compute on demand” with local advice and expertise from the staff at Advanced Logic Industries.

Be sure to check out our upcoming half day workshop “Migrating to the Cloud: Strategies for Success” on October 30th.  Workshop details and registration

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Introducing FLxCloud: Flexible Cloud Computing With Control & Choices.

Reaching out to touch a futuristic touchscreenContributed by: Kaitlyn Kicia

 

Technology has become pervasive in our work and personal lives.  Today the IT systems that run even a modest sized organization have become incredibly specialized and complex.  There is an underlying expectation that all these digital services should ‘just work.’

With this expectation, a complex tangle of technology support pressures fall on the shoulders of the IT support staff.  Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible for 1 or 2 people to be technology “jacks of all trades”.

This increase in IT complexity and expectations gave our management team an idea: to offer a new service at Brush Mountain Data Center called FLxCloud that would allow organizations to shift the burden of IT support complexity and resources to a more cost efficient and flexible option.

FLxCloud is not a “one size fits all” cloud service. Instead, it encompasses both the ability to both rent cloud-based IT resources on demand and leverage ALI’s IT support services to fill in any expertise gaps or resource shortfalls. Even better, it gives you the ability to allocate and control your cloud.  These are benefits you aren’t going to find from the big cloud providers.

Need to shift your IT resources around?  No problem.  FLxCloud gives you security, flexibility and responsiveness in one predictably priced service.

For example, say you have a project that needs to spin up quickly, but you don’t have the IT infrastructure and extra IT personnel in place.  Or it might be a situation where you are not ready to commit to buying more IT infrastructure.   With FLxCloud you quickly have our Data Center at your service.  We securely set up access to all the IT horsepower and storage you need via the cloud, backed by as much or as little of our IT staff’s services as you would like.

The advantages are easy to see.  With FLxCloud, your organization can focus its time and expertise on the innovations and services that make you unique.

Want to learn more about FLxCloud for your organization? Contact us today!

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Join us at our Open House December 10th!

The Benefits of Cloud + Local IT Support

December 10, 2013
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Lunch Provided, RSVP please

 

Ready to leverage the benefits of the Cloud without sacrificing local IT support?

The ALI team has been busily upgrading our Brush Mountain Data Center: from infrastructure to services. Brush Mountain now offers the best of both worlds – unparallelled virtual infrastructure for Cloud computing; and options for local IT support from Advanced Logic. It’s the first hybrid data center of its kind in the region!

Now Brush Mountain offers:

  • Robust enterprise-class data center services
  • Scalable Local IT Support Services from ALI
  • NEW! FLxCloud virtual infrastructure
  • Disaster preparedness & recovery services
  • Co-location & Backup Services

To celebrate the upgrades we’ve made and our new FLXCloud service, we’re hosting an Open House Luncheon on December 10th from 11:30 – 1:00. Our leadership team will be on hand to talk about our new services, answer questions and you can come see the Data Center for yourself.

>RSVP today to join us!

>Learn more about how BMDC can benefit organizations of ALL sizes

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