Features from Meantime IT

Cloud computing – much more than just pie in the sky

The days of physical hard-drives containing all your data are numbered. With so many mediums used to access information, most of them mobile, accessing data from a single physical source or via a wired network is becoming an increasingly unrealistic option.

Cloud computing – hosting files on the internet rather than on a physical drive – enables users to access information from any device, whether it be a desktop, tablet or mobile, as long as they have an internet connection. The benefits are many.

A complete machine failure – even a multiple machine failure, with every one of your business’s machines destroyed by fire or flood – is no longer a catastrophic loss. Of course, replacing equipment is inconvenient, but rather than spending hours, days or weeks trying to recover lost data, you simply fire up your new laptop, enter your username and password and carry on as before.

When files are shared amongst members of staff, whether they’re in the same office or on different continents, updating is instant. If your sales manager in New York updates a proposal for a client, your operations director in Manchester can see and comment on it instantaneously so instead of emailing multiple versions of one document around several different people, you’re all looking at the same version. Because access to information is managed by password, as soon as you’re happy with your proposal and it’s been signed off, your client can then be given immediate access. So your client in Singapore can see the document that your sales manager in New York finished five minutes previously and you signed off seconds ago.

For multi-device users, the same email history is available on whichever medium you use to access your information. If you look at and respond to an email on your iPhone, the response will appear in the sent box of your PC account and on your tablet; each device will simply access the email server via the cloud and display the same information.

Security

Of course, with sensitive data floating around the ether, security is paramount. At Meantime our security policies are already very stringent, but we’ve developed additional protocols since our move to the cloud. As well as our machines being password protected, there’s an additional layer of security on the hard-drive. Each has its own separate password, so even if a thief managed to bypass the Windows security and unlock the laptop, they wouldn’t be able to gain access to the hard-drive or any of the programs on it. We have several levels of access to information, with permissions given only to those who need direct access to client files, and have set strict time-out limits on browsers.

Our security measures are being evidenced by our current move towards an ISO 27001 accreditation, a move which will provide all our clients with a recognised audit process for complete reassurance and confidence in our systems.

In short, Meantime’s cloud offers real-time, robust, consistent and secure data storage across the business.

Download this guide as a pdf