As buzz surrounding cloud computing reaches a fever pitch, it’s important to understand not just how cloud computing works, but how cloud computing can work for your company. If you’re considering a move from a dedicated server to a cloud server, consider the following:

A cloud server is a virtualized server that leverages shared computing and storage resources, while a dedicated server is a physical server that is only allocated to one customer. New cloud servers can be provisioned very quickly; in fact, once ReliaCloud customers are registered, they can whip up a server in as little as 60 seconds.

Customers pay for cloud servers based on hourly utilization, and there are no set-up fees. When purchasing dedicated servers, customers sign a long-term contract, pay set-up fees, and typically have to wait days for the server to be installed.

Finally, cloud servers include features such as firewall security, high availability, and load balancing, which are only available to dedicated server customers who buy specialized hardware.

That was the sound of small business owners across the country taking a flying leap onto the cloud after reading Byron Acohido’s recent USA Today article. The cloud has appealed to increasingly broader circles over the past year, and now Acohido makes a strong case for the cloud as a tool for small businesses.

“Most small-business owners don’t realize this yet, but a mother lode of technology that can free precious cash and manpower is available to them as in no other time in history,” Acohido writes. “Small firms typically buy basic clerical and accounting software in shrink-wrap boxes and run them on a company computer. The owner, or a harried employee, invariably gets pressed into service as resident tech expert. Today, they can tap into a swelling portfolio of business applications residing in far-off computer servers. These programs come down from the Internet cloud.”

The inherent flexibility of cloud computing is what makes it so applicable and appealing to businesses of all sizes. Find out how the cloud can flex to fit your business!

The Open Group recently published a white paper on how the development of cloud computing is comparable with the emergence of the mainframe, the minicomputer, the microprocessor, and even the Internet.

The white paper pays particular attention to the potential return on investment awaiting cloud participants, concluding that cloud computing can provide many advantages over conventional approaches to IT provisioning – which can translate into significant improvements in ROI.

At a basic level, cloud computing prevents over- and under-provisioning of resources, allowing customers to receive the level of service appropriate for their business. The ability to increase performance while decreasing costs is one of the primary reasons businesses consider joining the cloud. But what makes cloud computing particularly exciting is that cloud computing’s potential effect on business is not just incremental improvement, but disruptive transformation through new operating models.

To learn more about the impact and ROI cloud computing can have for your business, contact ReliaCloud today.

Our CTO, Jason Baker, recently wrote an article for Data Center Knowledge on how to evaluate cloud computing providers. With new providers popping up every month, it can be difficult to know who to trust your information to. Jason focused on five main categories that need to be considered:

• Price
• Performance
• Security/Assurance
• Service Level Agreements
• Support

Read the article for yourself to find out how each of these categories plays into the big decision.

We are proud to announce the release of our cloud computing channel program – a reseller program centered on our enterprise-class Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud computing offering. Why resell cloud? Read on for my top 5 reasons:

• The annual projected growth rate for IT cloud services revenue for the next 3 years is a whopping 26% – over six times the rate of traditional IT offerings!
• ReliaCloud makes the reseller process easy – providing a suite of tools that supports the resale process.
• Value Added Resellers (VARs) have the ability to bundle ReliaCloud with their existing technical offerings to deliver a combined solution.
• ReliaCloud partners receive best-in-class sales and marketing support, including marketing collateral, video tutorials, and cooperative marketing funds.
• As a partner, you will be provided direct access to a dedicated channel manager – an aspect of customer service that is difficult to find in a cloud provider!

Learn more about our cloud partner programs by contacting us today.

I ran across another interesting article the other day – this one by the BBC, stating that  cloud computing has come out from behind the clouds to shine in the mainstream business world. Tim Weber, Business Editor for the BBC news website, interviewed many people in both the business and information technology sectors. He cites five key reasons the cloud has attracted a growing fan base:

• Cheap: Your IT provider will host services for multiple companies; sharing complex infrastructure is cost-efficient and you pay only for what you actually use.
• Quick: The most basic cloud services work out of the box. For more complex software and database solutions, Cloud computing allows you to skip the hardware procurement and capital expenditure phase—it’s perfect for start-ups.
• Up-to-date: Most providers constantly update their software offering, adding new features as they become available.
• Scalable: If your business is growing fast or has seasonal spikes, you can go large quickly because cloud systems are built to cope with sharp increases in workload.
• Mobile: Cloud services are designed to be used from a distance, so if you have a mobile workforce, your staff will have access to most of your systems on the go.

Upon searching for up-and-coming cloud computing news, I ran across a new book with a title so long that I couldn’t help but read more: Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution: How Cloud Computing is Transforming Business and Why You Can’t Be Left Behind. The author, Charles Babcock, is a recognized expert in the business side of computing and information technology. In fact, he is an editor for Information Week magazine and blogger at Plug Into The Cloud.

While I haven’t had time to read it for myself, I did find a very informative review on the book. James E. Gaskin of IT World highlights Babcock’s assertion that cloud computing is a practical option. Babcock believes this is due in part to cloud servers’ ability to increase efficiency by reducing over-provisioning of a company’s own data centers.

If you are debating whether or not to believe the claims that cloud computing may actually benefit your company, you might consider checking this book out for yourself. Gaskin informs us that the book praises high bandwidth availability and relatively low cost of today’s cloud servers. Ultimately, Babcock’s book asserts that companies who aren’t already considering cloud computing should get up to speed or risk being left in the dust.

Thank you to all who attended our webinar on partnering with ReliaCloud! We appreciate your interest in our cloud partner program.

You can find the slidedeck from today’s webinar below. Be sure to check out our other upcoming events as well!

Cloud Lab ‘10 (formerly known as Cloud Slam) is having their annual global virtual cloud computing event from April 19-23, 2010. You will be able to network with peers, get up-to-speed on cloud computing, and view hands-on virtual labs.

This is the second year that this virtual conference has taken place. 2000 registrants from 80 different countries are anticipated to listen in throughout the course of five days. With over 65 different keynotes, labs, and sessions, you’re sure to find quite a few topics that spark your interest.

ReliaCloud has lined up a few of our experts to spread their knowledge of cloud computing during the event as well. Jason Baker, CTO for ReliaCloud, will speak on regional clouds on April 19th at 5:00pm CST. Al Afflitto (Channel Manager) and Johnny Hatch (Product Manager) will be hosting a session regarding our new Partner Program on April 21st at 3:00pm CST.

It’s not too late to register! With the purchase of one ticket, you will gain access to tune in and out throughout the course of the five days.

P.S.  We have two free tickets available for the event.  If you’re interested, I’ll make them available to the first two people that express their interest by commenting on this post.

Interested in Internet Marketing, including social media and search engine optimization? If so, you won’t want to miss the GetListed Local University event on May 13th in Edina, Minnesota. Two identical half-day seminars will be held with the aim to teach Minnesota businesses the best practices on:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Local Search (Google LBC and Maps, Bing Local)
• Social Media (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter)
• Web Analytics

ReliaCloud, a national cloud computing provider, is proud to sponsor this can’t-miss event. With experts from Google and Bing there to help you bring qualified web traffic to your business, how could you afford NOT to go? Head on over and register today – but hurry, there are only 200 seats available per session!