IT budget items ranging from software licensing and maintenance fees to onsite server investments and support costs put a financial strain on many small to midsized businesses. Most significantly, companies in almost every sector suffer from endless customization efforts for enterprise level software roll-outs that are often only partially successful.

However, given the clear advantages now available through Software as A Service (SaaS), cloud computing and other virtualization platforms it is no mystery why approaches to building IT network architectures have been changing. Organizations are reexamining their bottom line and in doing so, reconsidering whether there remains any need to maintain expensive onsite network servers at all.

Understandably, many of those hesitant to fully embrace cloud storage strategies and application virtualization platforms are the IT Consultants, System Integrators, Network Administrators and CIO's equipped with the keys to reigniting the power of their client's IT architecture and investment.

Indeed, the idea of managing all data in the cloud can seem like a daunting task, involving redesigning a company's entire network architecture so that it remains integrated and secure while replacing client-server applications, migrating or converting legacy data into more accessible and virtualized applications and purchasing SaaS subscriptions to replace more expensive and traditionally inflexible licensed software suites and back-end components.

All of these changes fundamentally affect the way server administration and user management is handled. Strong IT leadership is a core element of the transitioning process, yet it takes on more of a consultative role once a company has moved toward the cloud. IT administrators must maintain consistency and security over their new cloud networks design and continue to be cautious.

Consultants and in-house IT departments owe it to their employers and fellow employees to keep their information as accurate, secure and accessible as possible and to eliminate waste wherever possible, even if it means more servers go away and roles change. In pure cloud based architecture, IT resources are purposely shifted away from most hardware maintenance duties and toward governance, guardianship and development of the client's network and data.

In cloud based architecture, instead of working on server cooling issues, doing manual backups or finding documents, IT skills are better utilized to focus on more pertinent long term company issues and goals.

CLOUD OPTIONS AVAILABLE AND IN USE

Increasingly, IT departments that once delayed SaaS adoption for their clients and employers are now becoming enthusiastic users. As more private and public cloud options become available, they are encouraging their end-users and corporate executives to take advantage of SaaS, as well as a growing array of cloud computing alternatives to achieve their corporate objectives. Most companies today already use cloud computing for online banking, managing payroll and keeping track of customers and sales. Indeed, cloud computing and SaaS offerings are used for everything from ERM to CRM and even ECM.

COMPANY E-MAIL Organizations can successfully host their Microsoft Exchange or other e-mail management client such as Gmail instead of having it served locally. There is absolutely no need to constantly upgrade and virtualize on premise servers just to keep up with the size of your e-mail repositories. IT Administrators and Consultants can manage your Exchange server just as effectively when they're working remotely and rely on datacenters with better security, affordability and responsible policy enforcement.

HUMAN RESOURCES / PAYROLL Companies such as ADP now offer robust on-line systems which enable firms to manage payroll and allow employees to receive paperless payment stubs, request time off and keep track of sick days and benefits.

INTRANET / EXTRANET Services such as those provided by Ning.com provide a very flexible and thrifty solution for both a company intranet and service catalog. With a hosted suite of Web 2.0 technologies such as Wiki's and new social networking tools, a company can adequately distribute materials to its employees, encourage collaboration and even expand company presence and branding over the internet.

ACCOUNTING / FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT QuickBooks Online is becoming a preferred tool for small to midsized business accounting needs. Management of company finances, including invoice tracking, customer management, budgeting and time tracking can all be accomplished through this SaaS offering.

MARKETING / SALES / CUSTOMER SERVICE Software as a Service was not coined by Salesforce.com but they've done a great service to companies worldwide by offering Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software that lets companies pay for monthly subscriptions instead of getting locked into long term contracts with inferior CRM software.

THE MISSING LINK IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

The trend toward Software as a Service and the growing desire to reduce enterprise reliance on onsite servers is reflected in the success of companies such as Salesforce and others. However, transforming a company's entire on-site network of servers into a complete cloud based solution still requires a viable and important component, specifically a proper records and document management tool to maintain the vast reservoir of an organization's unstructured data in the form of documents, proposals and email.

Companies seem to have few issues in adopting a hosted CRM solution like Salesforce or managing payroll through an online ADP tool. However, when it comes to Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and vital documents and records, there is some hesitancy to move away from desktop applications and onto browser based systems. Clearly, the barrier to adoption of ECM has as much to do with the type of application as it does with concerns about data being hosted offsite.

DEFINING SAVINGS & MAKING THE CASE TO MANAGEMENT

The SaaS model already has a reputation for helping companies avoid the huge capital investments, risks, ongoing costs and limited ROI associated with onsite legacy applications and data storage. Additionally, in the cloud, a company's vendors assume more responsibly and can respond more attentively to a customer's needs. Many would argue that on-premise network architectures are inherently wasteful because often 80% of server capacity and 65% of storage capacity goes unused.

In respect to security, despite concerns about data encroachment and privacy issues, cases of corporate data encroachment are far less common within a SaaS environment than in a traditional onsite solution. The vision of a public cloud is no longer frightening decision makers because it now makes sense from a security standpoint.

It is also ironic to note that the cloud based approach to building an IT network has never been promoted or championed from a resource management perspective or touted as a major green solution by the environmental movement itself. Imagine a world in which server and computing power for entire office buildings is consolidated to conserve electricity while still providing its tenants with the speed, independence and reliability they've come to expect? What a lovely possibility.

To learn more about Centric's Enterprise Content Management suite or to request Case Studies, White Papers or to discover more benefits about cloud computing and virtualization, please visit http://www.centricecm.com.