Month: February 2013

For a more cost-efficient, mobile, and manageable IT infrastructure, businesses should switch to a Hosted Desktop environment. Companies with Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDI) don’t need any expensive on-site IT hardware such as servers, storage devices, or advanced networking equipment. On-site IT personnel aren’t required with Hosted Desktops, either. The hardware, personnel, and Hosted Desktops will all be furnished and maintained by the businesses’ Hosting Provider, instead. It only costs an organization a small monthly or yearly fee for this service. Hosted Desktops can be accessed by any authorized user from anywhere with Internet-connected devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Their centralization—with many of them sharing a server with multiple other Hosted Desktops—also makes them easy to secure and manage.

It might seem like a complicated and disruptive process to switch from an IT infrastructure composed of “real” desktop PCs to one composed of Hosted Virtual Desktops, but it isn’t. For one, users don’t have to be trained to use Hosted Desktops, which appear and perform the same as a locally-installed Windows operating system. Secondly, it’s a simple process to migrate to a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from an existing IT infrastructure. Only a few easy and painless steps are required:

1. Find the Hosting Provider with the best Hosted Desktops. A Hosted Desktop has to match or exceed the performance and security of locally-installed operating systems to be effective. Slow-performing Hosted Desktops will lead to user frustration and unproductivity. Data loss will be the inevitable result of insecure Hosted Desktops. Business need to find a Desktop Hosting Provider that can guarantee the speed and security of their products.
2. Determine what files and applications need to be moved from the existing IT infrastructure to the Hosted Desktop Environment. There’s no reason for most businesses not to migrate all of their files and applications to a safe and reliable Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. This isn’t true for all organizations, however. Extra-careful businesses may prefer to keep sensitive files and business-critical applications on-site to comply with data security regulations—even though well-managed VDIs can be as compliant as on-premise IT infrastructures. Organizations with newly-purchased IT hardware or ongoing non-VDI Hosted Solution contracts will still want to make use of these investments. Fortunately, it’s easy to integrate Hosted Desktops with any residual on-site or cloud-based IT assets.
3. Customize the Hosted Desktops Environment. Customizable aspects of a VDI include the total number of unique, persistent Virtual Desktops; the total number of simultaneous users allowed; and the amount of data storage permitted for each Hosted Desktop. Businesses can also add new applications to their VDI at this stage (off-setting the savings of switching to a more cost-effective IT infrastructure by deploying software that they couldn’t previously afford). The flexibility of Hosted Desktop environments allows these variables to be changed at any time during the deployment.
4. Migrate. Configure. Access. The selections in the previous steps have to be finalized and instituted. The files and applications designated for the Hosted Desktops have to be transferred to the servers of the Hosting Provider. The Hosting Company must now build and deploy the Hosted Desktop Environment. This final process should be quick, easy, and non-disruptive. Once the Hosted Desktops have been deployed, they should be accessible from the login page on the website of the Hosting Provider.

IronOrbit—a leader in Desktop Hosting, Application Hosting, and Virtualization Services—makes transferring to a Hosted Desktop Environment as easy and advantageous as possible. We will migrate a business’s data and set up its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for a minimal fee. We also guarantee that the migration won’t be disruptive to a business—the files and applications of its existing IT infrastructure will be accessible to its employees throughout the migration process. IronOrbit provides the fastest and most secure Hosted Desktops on the market thanks to our patented Atomic Speed Technology and Orbital Security System. Businesses pay only a low, flat monthly fee for our Hosted Desktops—with 24x7x365 technical support, around-the-clock monitoring, automated backups, and business continuity planning all included. Additionally, any new customers that sign up between now and the end of March will also receive FREE thin clients and Microsoft Exchange, so get in touch with IronOrbit today!

Managed Hosted Servers are a type of Cloud-Based Infrastructure. Like physical servers, Hosted Servers don’t have inherent end-user functionality in the typical sense. They are “blank canvases” composed of CPUs, RAM, long-term data storage, and bandwidth. A business can use Managed Server Hosting to deliver any number of IT Solutions, including Email, Websites, Applications, and Virtual Desktops. The virtualization of Hosted Servers also lets them host several IT Solutions at one time. A business could fit its deployments of an e-commerce platform and Microsoft Exchange onto a single virtualized server, for example, when without virtualization each Solution would require a dedicated server of its own.

Managed Server Hosting

Managed Server Hosting is the optimal choice for organizations that want to be able to customize, control, and monitor every aspect of their Hosted Servers. Managed Hosting Services work best for companies with highly-unique IT requirements and preferences; businesses that need to satisfy specific data security regulations; or any organization that desires a Hosted Infrastructure with the greatest flexibility, manageability, and freedom.

Not all Hosted Servers are Managed Hosted Servers, of course. Normal Hosted Servers only receive basic support. A Hosting Provider will perform only the tasks needed to ensure that a Hosted Server is functioning, online, and available. With Managed Server Hosting, however, it provides services that enhance the performance, security, and compliance of the Solution without infringing on the privacy or control of the Server’s owner.

IronOrbit, for example, includes the following with our Managed Hosted Servers:

-24x7x365 technical support

-Around-the-clock performance and security monitoring

-Atomic Speed Technology

-Orbital Security (including firewall, IDS/IPS, antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, and content filter)

-Complete, automated data backups

About IronOrbit

IronOrbit is unique among Hosting Providers in including Managed Services with all of our Solutions—such as our Hosted Servers, Virtual Desktops, Hosted Applications, Business Productivity Tools, and VoIP. To simply maintain the functionality and availability of a Hosted Solution isn’t enough for us. At IronOrbit, we set out to optimize our Solutions to be as fast, secure, and reliable as possible, as much as possible. We offer a total of eight types of Managed Hosting Services: Dedicated Servers, Private Cloud Servers, Dedicated Virtual Servers, Hybrid Cloud Hosting, Terminal Server Hosting, Citrix Server Hosting, Web & E-Commerce Hosting, and Compliance Hosting. Sign up for any of them between now and March 31, 2013 and receive Dell Wyse C Class thin clients and Microsoft Exchange for FREE!

It’s a no-brainer to select Hosted QuickBooks over an on-premise version of QuickBooks. The main reasons to go with QuickBooks Hosting that we described in a recent blog post, “A Quick Guide to Using Hosted QuickBooks,” included:

-lower costs

-higher scalability

-better reliability and

-improved manageability.

Users can access their Hosted QuickBooks from anywhere with any Internet-connected end-user device (including laptops, tablets, and smartphones). Administrators will also find it easier to manage and protect a centralized Hosted Solution. Finally, owners and managers will appreciate Hosted QuickBooks’s contribution to their bottom line as it significantly lowers hardware expenses. In short, QuickBooks Hosting benefits an organization from top-to-bottom.

A business that has selected Hosted QuickBooks hasn’t finished the decision-making process, however. It still has to choose between the Hosted QuickBooks offered by the application’s developer (QuickBooks Online from Intuit) and the QuickBooks Hosting offered by a third-party Hosting Provider. To some businesses, first-party hosting might seem like the logical choice: according to this view, a software developer would naturally possess the most in-depth knowledge about its own products; would have an incentive to not host the products in a way that diminished their quality; would always be the first to receive the latest patches and newest versions; and wouldn’t have to cough up any licensing fees to itself.

However, this kind of thinking overlooks the fact that hosting is as much a specialized skill as software development. First-party application providers don’t have the hosting experience necessary to set up, manage, protect, or back up the Solution properly. Their lack of basic hosting proficiency cancels out whatever supposed advantages they have as the software’s developer.

Additional advantages of Hosted QuickBooks

Additional advantages of Hosted QuickBooks over QuickBooks Online include:

–Managed backups. Hosting Providers will protect a business’s QuickBooks backups from data loss and unauthorized access.

–Full functionality. With a Hosting Provider, a company doesn’t have to settle for QuickBooks Online. It can transfer and host any QuickBooks desktop version it wants, including QuickBooks Accountant, QuickBooks Enterprise, QuickBooks Premier, and QuickBooks Pro.

–Advanced multiple-user support. An unlimited number of users can connect to a deployment of Hosted QuickBooks.

–Better security. A business can add security measures to a deployment of QuickBooks Hosting such as antivirus and intrusion detection systems.

With the final decision that a business has to make with Hosted QuickBooks, it needs to find the third-party Hosting Provider that offers it the best flexibility, reliability, and performance. IronOrbit should be the obvious choice in this case. Our patented Atomic Speed Technology and Orbital Security System let us provide the fastest-performing and best-protected QuickBooks Hosting Service available. We also provide free Managed Services with our Financial Application Hosting such as 24x7x365 technical support, around-the-clock security and performance monitoring, automated data backups, and business continuity planning. Never have any issues with slowdown, downtime, or lost data with your Hosted QuickBooks again: sign up with IronOrbit today!

A thin client is a highly-compact and energy-efficient computing device that resembles a small router. Like with a desktop PC, a user needs a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse to be able operate the thin client. Combined with on-site or Cloud-Hosted Servers, thin clients perform equally as well or better than desktop PCs.

Dell Wyse C Class thin client

The Dell Wyse C Class “cloud client computing desktop” is a particularly compact thin client. It is a six pound, 1.3 inch by 6.9 inch by 4.7 inch device with a 1 GHz processor that can be easily mounted on the back of a monitor or on a wall. It can be equipped with a maximum of 2GB RAM and 4GB of flash storage. The device has two PS/2 ports, four USB ports, and a Wi–Fi antenna. It’s compatible with XenDesktop, XenApp, and Microsoft Windows Terminal Server 2003 and 2008. It’s an EnergyStar certified product that draws an average of 7 watts of power, far less than the 50-150 watts of a normal desktop PC. It also comes free with a mouse and keyboard.

Last month, the IronOrbit blog unveiled a promotion giving FREE hardware and software to anyone that signed up for an IronOrbit Cloud Solution between now and March 31, 2013. Businesses, instead of having to choose between a Cloud Migration process and an IT Infrastructure upgrade, could receive both from IronOrbit at no additional cost. Setup, migration, and the promotional hardware and software would all be included in IronOrbit’s low, fixed monthly subscription rate. By making our Cloud Migration process as easy and cost-effective as possible, we’ve caused many skeptical businesses to put aside their misconceptions about switching to a Cloud-based Infrastructure.

With today’s blog post, we intend to make switching to the cloud with IronOrbit even more enticing by revealing the type of hardware that comes free with our Cloud Solutions: the Dell Wyse C Class thin clients mentioned above! The retail price of a Dell Wyse C Class thin client hovers between $250 and $450—but businesses that sign up with IronOrbit in Q1 2013 will get as many of them as they need for free! (Certain restrictions apply. Contact an IronOrbit sales representative for more details.)

About IronOrbit

IronOrbit, a leading Cloud Hosting Provider, offers a comprehensive range of Solutions and Services perfect for organizations with a thin client infrastructure. Our products include Managed Hosted Servers, Hosted Applications, Hosted Virtual Desktops, Hosted QuickBooks, Hosted Microsoft Exchange, and much more. All of our Hosted Solutions are backed by 24x7x365 monitoring, around-the-clock technical support, automated backups, disaster recovery, and our patented Orbital Security System and Atomic Speed Technology. As long as you have Dell Wyse C Class thin clients and IronOrbit as your IT infrastructure, you don’t need anything else!

People naturally want to know more about the Virtual Hosted Desktop these days. According to the IT research firm Gartner, in the near future Hosted Desktops will account for 40% of the total PC market. “Is Desktop Virtualization technology right for my business?” is a question many companies are asking themselves. Misleading advertisements and other misinformation about the Hosted Desktop have made it difficult for organizations to find the answer to this question, unfortunately. To help educate businesses about the actual features and benefits of the technology, we at IronOrbit have set out to debunk some common Virtual Hosted Desktop myths, with this list being the result of our efforts:

1.       It requires extensive training to be able to utilize and/or manage Hosted Desktops.

Not true. Hosted Desktops appear and perform exactly like traditional desktop operating systems. All the applications that work on a locally-installed OS can be integrated with Hosted Virtual Desktops, too. Anyone marginally familiar with a computer will not have to be trained to access and operate the VDI. In addition, administrators of any skill level can manage and monitor a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from a centralized and easy-to-use control panel.

2.       Hosted Desktops aren’t as secure as traditional on-site desktops and servers.

Hosted Desktops are actually more secure than a typical on-site IT infrastructure. The centralization of Virtual Desktops makes them easy to scan for malware and monitor for intrusions or hacking attempts. It’s also simpler to contain and neutralize infections due to the flexibility and maneuverability of Hosted Desktops. Furthermore, the data of Hosted Desktops always remains on the server. Users can be prohibited from transferring files from their Virtual Hosted Desktop to the hard drive of their device.

3.       Hosted Desktops cannot match the performance of locally-installed operating systems.

In fact, Virtual Hosted Desktops match or exceed the performance of on-site workstations and servers. This is because leading Hosted Solutions Providers such as IronOrbit possess state-of-the-art datacenter hardware that they continually maintain, tweak, and upgrade. The majority of businesses don’t have the resources to maintain their IT infrastructure at such a high level. Hosted Desktops don’t require large transfers of data when operating, either. The users send the information from their keyboards and mice to the Virtual Desktop, and the virtual machine responds by sending the images (or real-time video, in a sense) of their actions to their monitor.

4.       The Virtual Desktops of Hosted Solutions Providers are all of equal quality.

IronOrbit shows that this isn’t the case. All of our Hosted Desktops include performance-boosting Atomic Speed Technology, which allows us to deploy applications in under a second. We also package our Virtual Desktops with 24x7x365 monitoring, automated data backups, around-the-clock technical support, business continuity planning, multidimensional security (including firewall, antivirus, and patch management), and—for those that sign up between now and March 31, 2013—FREE thin clients and Microsoft Exchange. All of these extras and support services are included in the low, flat monthly fee that we charge for all of our Private Cloud Solutions.

Now that we’ve provided you with all the true and relevant information about Hosted Desktops, be sure to check back to the IronOrbit blog for all the latest IT news, tips, and deals!

We are all familiar with desktop PCs. But what does it mean when we say desktop virtualization, and why is there so much interest in this technology?

Virtualizing desktop computers is useful for many reasons.

The advent of technology has made it possible to create a virtualized desktop environment powered by Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), the software that enables users to access virtual desktops remotely on a central server.

This means that if you’re a business with more than a hundred computers, you can easily access each of these desktops in one single cluster of servers.

The Virtual Machines (VMs) serve as the host of these virtual desktops and controlled by the management software. VDI makes it possible for you to gain access to your desktop from anywhere at any time with the use of VDI client software. There is no need to install or configure each desktop PC with VDI.

This means that VDI allows enterprises and SMEs to cut their administrative overhead, increase their productivity, diminish IT support costs, gain better security, and experience peace of mind.

The Basic Components of VDI

VDI has three parts – the Connection Broker, the Hypervisor, and the Desktop Pools.

1) Connection Broker: This is a software program that enables users to access desktop instances. It also authenticates users’ information and sends it to the instances. The connection broker also has the ability to monitor active and inactive desktops.

When you attempt to send the connection request to the desktop, you will be provided with an idle desktop instance. The status will show inactive when you disconnect from the server.

2) Hypervisor: The hypervisor is the component that creates a virtualized environment by separating your operating system from the hardware.

After the separation, the hardware is broken down into multiple VMs, which are individually configured as well. These VMs have unique OS, applications, and configuration. Hypervisor lets you experience the advantage of using a separate desktop everytime you access the desktop instance.

3) Desktop Pools: Desktops pools let you configure a group of similar desktops based on a specific function you want to install or enable.

For instance, there are two departments in an office with different needs. Two desktops do not have to copy all applications and configuration. When you create a desktop pool, you can configure the desktop settings according to the department’s specific function.

How does VDI work?

For you to activate VDI, you need to log in to your desktop via the client software.

You will need to wait for the connection broker to accept your request after they authenticate your information. The hypervisor takes over, creating multiple VMs where your virtual desktop will be hosted.

The HA in hypervisors has the option to combine the resources of multiple servers. The process enables the migration of virtual desktops to another server if required.

If you are not using the virtual desktop, the admin has the option to turn it off. This practice lets you accommodate more users.

In full cloning, desktops function independently as they are not linked to the master desktop. Each clone has its own separate disk space.

In linked cloning, all other desktops depend on the virtual disk of the master desktop. It does not use separate disk space, making this type of cloning a space saver. However, for cloned desktops to work, they should be linked to master desktops.

The admin user controls and manages the virtualized desktop environment. They are responsible for setting up policies, creating new pools, provisioning new desktops and managing the desktop pools.

The Benefits of VDI

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure provides businesses with an innovative solution in simplifying management, minimizing the risks involved in managing sensitive data, and optimizing user experiences.

Increased Productivity – There is no need to be chained to your desk to access your data because VDI provides you with data access from anywhere. You do not have to sit for hours to configure your PCs.

Cost Efficient – Another benefit you reap from VDI is the reduced IT support costs, especially on licensing. When you replicate virtual desktop instances, you can also consolidate server storage.

Reduced Administrative Overhead – Managing your multiple desktops in a virtualized environment means you can make updates without being physically present in an office.

Improved Security – VDI only controls the central server, and this capability gives you the option to set data policies for each user.

IT assets are more important than ever for businesses; so many of today’s economy’s processes and tasks are done with the aid of computer hardware and software.

Though undeniably important and helpful to most companies, IT assets can also be difficult to acquire, set up, and manage. As IT hardware and software have developed to become a vital part of most organizations, their costs, complexity, and size have grown to a near-unmanageable extent. Many CIOs and business owners are asking themselves as a result, “How can I maintain my current IT assets while reducing the expense and hassle of acquiring and managing them?” Thankfully, the hosting experts at IronOrbit have come up with an answer for a high-performance, low-footprint IT infrastructure in Hosted Desktops.

A Hosted Desktop is best classified as web-based operating system. It appears and performs the same as a Windows OS installed on the hard drive of an end-user device. The fact that a Virtual Hosted Desktop is housed in the servers of an external hosting company rather than being locally installed is what sets it apart from a traditional operating system or “desktop.”

With the Hosted Desktop, businesses no longer have to acquire or manage expensive on-site hardware such as servers and storage devices—IronOrbit will procure and maintain these at our datacenters. The only on-site hardware required will be a web-enabled end-user device such as a thin client, desktop PC, laptop, ultrabook, tablet, or smartphone. The IronOrbit Hosted Desktop not only removes many of businesses’ on-site hardware requirements, it can even do away with the idea of an “on-site” location altogether by allowing employees to work effectively from home (and save companies thousands in real estate costs). Even at its most basic, however, the Hosted Desktop provides organizations with more mobility and flexibility and frees them from the expenses and hassles of on-site IT hardware.

IronOrbit Hosted Desktops don’t force businesses to sacrifice performance or security for lower costs, either. For example, as a result of our high-powered Atomic Speed Technology, our Hosted Desktops perform as well as locally-installed operating systems or better, allowing users to launch applications in as little as one second. The IronOrbit Virtual Hosted Desktop also supports any Windows-compatible applications, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange, and QuickBooks. In addition, companies actually improve their data security by switching to a Hosted Desktop because of IronOrbit’s Orbital Security System (including firewalls, IPS/IDS, antivirus, spam blockers, content filtering, and file encryption) and 24x7x365 monitoring and technical support. Contact an IronOrbit representative today to get started.

By now you probably know that a hosted desktop may be a great way to keep you and your employees connected to the data and files they need while on the go; but did you know desktop hosting (like other virtualization services) can help keep your business more secure than a traditional desktop infrastructure?

“One of the key benefits of client virtualization is the ability to keep all data behind the firewall in the data center and deploy thin clients to the edge of the network,” according to Jeff Groudan. “Those thin clients, by design, don’t have any local data.”

At IronOrbit, all of our desktop hosting solutions come backed by our exclusive Orbital Security. We designed this integrated security system that combines four different approaches to security in order to deliver the safest hosted desktops on the market.

Physical & Environmental Safety

All of the virtualized solutions we offer are housed in our secure data center facilities. Multi-layered security control procedures (which include Biometric palm readers, closed circuit monitoring, and alarm monitoring) ensure that any breaches to your company’s security will be mitigated. We also provide environmental protection systems such as redundant HVAC cooling systems, fire suppression, and humidity control, so that you can access your hosted desktops without fear of downtime.

Operational Security

Our staff is trained in the latest information and privacy procedures. Access to your private information is restricted to authorized personnel. Password generation, encrypted data storage, and strict procedures for the handling of customer data ensure that the only people accessing your hosted desktop infrastructure are those with permission.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Each night, we utilize our team of technicians use a backup application designed by True Defense that scans for changed files within your dedicated server environment, encrypts the data with up to an AES 256bit encryption algorithm and then sends the changed files offsite to an offsite data center facility. These routine backups ensure that none of your data will be lost in the event of a disaster.

Logical & System Security

Your hosted desktop is protected by Cisco network firewalls, which are designed to protect your desktop and valuable data from attacks from the Internet. We also offer Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Protection Systems that can detect any unauthorized attempts to access your virtual desktop infrastructure.

Two-Factor Authentication

In addition to our exclusive Orbital Security, IronOrbit has partnered with Duo Security to offer Two-Factor Authentication services to our clients. Two-Factor Authentication provided an additional layer of protection for our hosted desktop solutions. When an employee wants to access their hosted desktop, they first enter their username and password like they normally would. Once that is done, their identity is authenticated further (e.g. receiving a call prompting them to press a key to authenticate or downloading a mobile app that generates passcodes). This extra step ensures that only verified users will have access to your company’s hosted desktops.

For more information on our virtual hosted desktops or any of our other hosted solutions, visit our website.

Change can be scary especially when it involves access to everyday, critical files and applications such as QuickBooks. Many businesses mistakenly fear that switching to the cloud will force them to make a lot of adjustments to the way they access and utilize their files and applications. Hosting QuickBooks with IronOrbit eliminates that anxiety because not only does it deliver the same functionality that users are familiar with, but it provides several additional benefits to the on-premise version.

Users of IronOrbit pay a fraction of their usual IT costs; they can access QuickBooks and all of their application and data from anywhere. By hosting QuickBooks, they will own a more powerful and reliable version of the program. In reality, the only major adjustment that companies will face with hosting their QuickBooks with IronOrbit will be getting used to its lower costs, greater availability, and superior performance.

Getting your businesses started with Hosted QuickBooks is simple with IronOrbit.  First, contact an IronOrbit Solutions Expert. Our engineers will design, build, and implement the optimal Hosted QuickBooks depending on each company’s specific requirements and preferences. For businesses with an existing on-site deployment of QuickBooks, we also offer free data migration, software license transfer, and setup services. The switch to Hosted QuickBooks won’t result in any expenses or hassles; everything will be taken care of by IronOrbit personnel with thousands of successful QuickBooks Hosting deployments under their belt.

Getting access to Hosted QuickBooks once it has been implemented by IronOrbit is easy. Users simply to log in to their account via the portal on the IronOrbit website. Once the user is authorized, he or she will be able to access their Hosted QuickBooks from their browser. IronOrbit’s Hosted QuickBooks have all the same features as the traditional desktop versions, so anyone with prior experience with the software should be familiar with it. Those unfamiliar with QuickBooks can consult the user guides of the software’s developer for help or seek help with our technicians who are always available to assist you 24x7x365.

IronOrbit, a leading financial application hosting provider, also offers Hosted Desktops and Managed Hosted Servers. We include with all of our Private Cloud Solutions features such as 24x7x365 technical support, around-the-clock monitoring, a comprehensive Orbital Security System, performance-boosting Atomic Speed Technology, and flat monthly fees. Our QuickBooks Hosting offerings include all versions of QuickBooks Accountant, QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier (including QuickBooks Premier Contractor, QuickBooks Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale, QuickBooks Premier Nonprofit, QuickBooks Premier Retail, and QuickBooks Premier Professional Services), and QuickBooks Enterprise. As a financial application hosting leader, we also provide Peachtree Accounting hosting (or Sage 50 hosting). In addition, we are offering free hardware to anyone signs up for Hosted QuickBooks between now and March 31, 2013. Contact IronOrbit to optimize your accounting software today!