High-tech IT solutions

Business leaders should have their heads in the clouds as soon as possible, according to leading technology experts.

Bahrain-based Incarnate ICT Middle East is leading the way by providing a high-tech solution to the computing challenges facing local companies with the latest Epicor 9 technology.

James Norwood, senior vice president product marketing for Epicor Software Corporation, said: "The global crisis has highlighted the evolving nature of resource ownership. Concepts such as virtualisation and outsourcing, which have become highly popular in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, show that organisations can enjoy numerous benefits from shifting parts of their IT activities into the 'cloud'."

The technology - cloud computing - should help corporate houses, industries involved in manufacturing, distribution and retail, organisations like financial services, governments and educational institutes as well as small and medium businesses to reduce their IT infrastructure costs.

But what is cloud computing? In the simplest of terms, it is IT-as-a-service. Instead of building your own IT infrastructure to host databases or software, a third party hosts them in its large server farms.

Your company has access to its data and software over the internet (which in most IT diagrams is shown as a cloud). In other words: information technology becomes a utility, consumed like electricity, water, or even outsourced HR or payroll services.

Chuck Hollis, a chief technology officer at a leading information management company, suggested in a recent BBC interview that this 'is the year to get your cloud strategy together'.

Bear in mind, cloud computing is not new. Most of us are using the cloud already, through services like Hotmail, Flickr, Blogger and Facebook. It's business that has been slow in the take-up.

Cloud fans claim five key benefits -

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.

Scaleable: 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.

l 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.

Mr Norwood added: "The goal here is not just to make their IT infrastructures leaner but to gain access to even more resources on the Web with the added incentive of little to no additional overhead.

"Interested Middle Eastern users should keep in mind, though, that Cloud Computing is still in its infancy and is not for everyone. It's very important to explore options into the technology with established ICT experts."

Epicor Software (www.epicor.com) is a global leader delivering business software solutions to industry with 20,000 customers in over 150 countries. Worldwide headquarters are located in the US state of California, with offices and affiliates around the world, including local partners in the Middle East.

Incarnate ICT, its partner in Bahrain and India, has built an impressive record in delivering result-oriented business solutions in both countries.

For more details, contact Sanjay Dani of Incarnate ICT Middle East on 36331602.