Today we're starting a new series where we are posting some of newest pages from our updated web site, www.berkeleylogic.com.

To kick it off, here's a very timely subject: Cloud Computing. -- Vern Keenan

Cloud System Integration

The Cloud refers to any Internet-based service that performs a business or personal information function. Yahoo Mail and Hotmail were among the first cloud-based services introduced in late 1990's.

Today you can use the Internet to run practically your whole business with services ranging from Box for file sharing to Salesforce.com for a sophisticated customer relationship management system.

Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Windows Azure has taken it a step farther by offering pure-platform solutions. Today it is possible to have a new Windows or Linux server up and running on the Internet in less than 10 minutes. With this type of service, one may run any type of application. The only bottleneck will be the speed of your Internet connection.

Small enterprises have mixed feelings about the cloud. On the one hand, it's great to not buy servers and other computer gear for the office. On the other hand, one can worry about the security and performance of data stored on someone else's server.

The reality is that a hybrid system of having some of your data stored in a server in the office, and other data stored in the cloud is the best solution. Berkeley Logic helps you evaluate available cloud-based services and create a hybrid environment tailored to your requirements.

Berkeley Logic integrates the business operations of our customers into the cloud in several key areas of technology.

• Email Migration. As a partner with Google Apps and Microsoft's Office 365, Berkeley Logic helps customers find the best way to move from an in-house email server to a hosted service. Every migration is different, and they vary according to usage patterns.
• Advanced Cloud Backup. Keeping backups at an offsite, professionally-managed data center is becoming the norm in IT best practices. Berkeley Logic works with your existing IT infrastructure to install automatic and continuous backup mechanisms. Plus, we can help you re-architect your existing server setup into a Storage Area Network (SAN) that integrates with advanced backup tools like the Amazon AWS Storage Gateway.
• New Application Deployment. Berkeley Logic can help you create a private cloud that makes your proprietary applications more usable, scalable and safe. When you buy a software product from a vendor who doesn't have a hosted version, Berkeley Logic can use Amazon AWS or Microsoft Windows Azure as a platform for your new software instead of buying a new sever.
• Application Migration. If you have Windows or UNIX applications running in a server you own, you may avoid upgrading that server by migrating the applications to the cloud. Berkeley Logic can take those applications and move them to the cloud, and ensure that all your users still have the same functionality they had before.

If you're thinking about making the leap to cloud computing then give Berkeley Logic a call at 510-228-4500 for a free consultation on what combination of on-premises and cloud-based services would work best for you.