Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics AX For Your Company?

Top reasons to select Microsoft Dynamics AX for your company
Here are just some of the great reasons to consider running Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 for your business:

Market Leading Product - top ranked by the leading third party analyst for mid-size companies of $50M - $1B in revenue, global operations and 5 - 1,000 employees.

Fits Your People - the role tailored Microsoft Dynamics AX user interface is already familiar to your people with its Microsoft Outlook 'look and feel' which makes it both the solution users want to use and the one that actually gets used. It includes productivity features to auto-populate fields and seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office products (including Outlook, Office, Windows, SharePoint, SQL Server).

Fits Your Business Requirements - Advanced, full-function, pre-integrated, role-based, workflow-enabled, end-to-end business process management/ ERP software capabilities. Provides robust functionality and highly-configurable to meet your changing needs. Wide range of Microsoft certified ISV add-on modules also available.

Fits Your Existing Systems - Runs on your Microsoft IT platform. Open/extensible to integrate with your other/future applications. Easy to get data in and out.

Low Total Cost of Ownership - Leverages your current Microsoft computing platform investment. Flexible and extensible to meet unique and changing future requirements. Easy for business users to operate and maintain (without reliance on internal IT or outside contractors/ consultants).

Rapid Implementation Time/ Time to Value - High-level planning guideline is 2-3 elapsed months for typical project duration; includes requirements definition, design/configuration, training and user acceptance test before deployment. Scope, client stakeholder availability and deployment method drive actual project duration.

Advanced Technology - Available web-portal interface for non-core licensed users. Windows optimized client/server application for core users provides the rich client interface power users prefer. Open APIs (web services) to integrate with your other applications and import/export data from the system.

Highly Scalable to Grow with Your Business - Benchmarked to support over 16,000 concurrent users.

Microsoft's Sustained Commitment to Product Innovation - Long-term Microsoft commitment to the Dynamics AX product development road map. Deep end-to-end integration and backward compatibility with other Microsoft platform products. 30+ year track record of Microsoft convergent product innovation powered by a $9 Billion+ R&D spend - more than Oracle's, SAP's, Google's, and Apple's 2009 R&D spend combined!

Power of Choice - Supports your changing business needs with flexible software + services license and deployment options. 'Buy' a one-time, upfront, perpetual license to own or 'rent' on a monthly subscription basis. Option to upgrade from Dynamics AX Business Essentials to the Advanced Management edition when/if needed. Option to credit your Dynamics GP license toward a new Dynamics AX license when/if desired. On-premises or partner hosted software deployment options and the ability to move between.

Low Risk/Proven Solution - Microsoft is the world's largest software provider (with '09 revenue of $60 Billion+); here today and tomorrow to serve your changing needs. Dynamics AX trusted by over 12,000 companies. Microsoft has the longest product version support cycle in the industry (10 years). Massive R&D positions your organization to draft behind a colossal wake of ongoing convergent technology innovation. As a genuine Microsoft Product, it is your lowest risk solution option.

When you compare all the factors, Microsoft Dynamics AX is one of the best ERP software solution options for most mid-size companies.

Searching for a reliable SAP provider that provides Sap Business One Cloud for your company? Contact Alenu IT today at +(65) 6884 5030 or email to connect@alenu-it.com. A SAP article by www.dougleschan.com

Small Business ERP Software - Can it Help Drive Our New Economy?

The 2010 G20 and G8 conferences held in Toronto in June are now behind us. Business leaders from around the world have returned home from Canada with a renewed determination to somehow repair their damaged economies. Just how long that determination will truly last or how it will play out, not just Canada, but in all nations, will be determined by the efforts of the people of each country. Business leaders all over the world need to proceed at unprecedented levels of increased efficiency and productivity as well as exercising a keen sense of innovation. To do what is required, having high quality and timely information along with an increased ability to see and grasp the new opportunities as they arise is an absolute must.

Opportunities are the fuel of entrepreneurs. They love opportunities!
With just a short explanation it isn't difficult to get most people to understand why Entrepreneurs are the catalyst of every business. More difficult for most people to grasp is the fact that true entrepreneurs have a never ending passion for continually developing their personal entrepreneurial skills, simply by exercising them. Entrepreneurs have in them what drives businesses to grow. As a result, they are not only essential to the start-up of companies but also the continued existence of companies.

Small businesses become big businesses because new opportunities are recognized, tried, and the more promising ones get taken into the marketplace. The faster this cycle takes place, the faster the businesses grow.

This is why advancing on new opportunities as well as being efficient and productive does astounding things for the development and stabilization of national economies. When businesses grow, so do the economies of the nation grow. Enhancing the efficiency and productivity of existing business processes has never been more critical in North America than it is to-day.

To be truly successful, let there be no doubt, we must get back to both. When they work together, they present a very powerful combination. While achieving productivity and efficiency means we will ultimately get more for less, corporate productivity and efficiency must never be achieved at the sacrifice of others, nor should it ever present any kind of a sacrifice to our fragile environment - not in any nation. Striving for productivity and efficiency should always be included as an objective to be met in returning to a greener planet.

We also have to change how we position ourselves as individuals and what we each will expect from our efforts. It does not mean we need to become lesser citizens or expect a lot less. In fact, just the opposite is true.

Those people who produce more and are more efficient while giving more of themselves, they will receive more. The opportunity to succeed has never been greater than it is to-day. Small Business ERP Software that can help SMB businesses in this new economy is also available, designed to help SMB business leaders do what has to be done.

The unERP, due to its unique workflow design and length of data retention, does all of these things admirably and it is simple, easy to use and affordable.

For those who are prepared for change, know they need change, are the driving the force to create change, they are the ones in control of their position, and the ones most apt to achieve their expectations. In other words, our future as individuals and as a nation is still very much within our control and we can still be where and what we want to be as individuals, companies and as a country, regardless of where we live.

To me, this is truly great news! I believe it will be small business that pulls us through - in a truly wonderful way. We all will be much richer for it. Small business ERP software is essential to a growing economy.

Sourcing for SAP Business One Cloud, contact Alenu Group Now! at (65) 6884 5030

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Setting Up A Cloud Based Phone System?

Most call center owners and large scale entrepreneurs must be familiar with cloud based phone systems. It's an advanced voice calling service that is delivered via internet. The cloud here refers to an internet based phone system which connects different numbers together. Sometimes several such interconnections are made using a single phone network. It has been one of the most wanted features since past couple of years, ever since the BPO culture invaded different countries. Previously businessmen were dependent on PSTN or public switched telephone networks that made use of copper wires for transmission of voice data however after the introduction of VoIP system and cloud based phone system, this system was soon replaced by these advanced plans.
The main focus of cloud telephony is to deliver intercontinental voice calls over the internet (so as to save money), to route inbound calls to extension numbers or customer representatives working in different departments under same company or to offer other important applications including voicemails, reminder alerts, multiple callings and call recording.You can avail other benefits like linking your online customer database containing thousands of numbers, with your telephones. The system automatically calls your clients and responds to their queries. You can conduct voice conferencing, hide your caller ID or forward incoming calls to remote locations. The downsides of cloud based phone system are that you require a stable online network which can work at a high speed, as required by your phone system.
Most businesses fail to succeed because of their cruddy networks. Secondly, you also need to have proper equipment in order to establish your setup. You've to make sure that you've carefully installed subpar wiring, the software and hardware are properly configured according to system requirements and internal firewalls are arranged to ensure security. Although cloud based phone system have several benefits for large scale businessmen and offer power, reliable and business oriented features at reduced rates, the quality of call might have to suffer because of over consumption of bandwidth and long distance calling. In order to resolve these problems many brands that were initial creators of PBX boxes, kept on updating their conventional PBX systems by adding new and much advanced features to their list. It has resolved some issues nevertheless; this system needs several other modifications before reaching perfection in every aspect.Most business owners must be familiar with the term cloud telephony. It's a fast growing sector under cloud computing market.

Seeking for SAP business one cloud, contact Alenu IT Today! at (65) 6884 5030

How to Achieve Business Flexibility With Cloud Economics

The beginning of internet revolution, so called the Web 2.0 revolution, did not promise anything sophisticated to begin with, but it seemed to just have revolved over time with people realizing the almost limitless possibilities that it can offer. To name one, communication has never been so cheap, fast, and accessible with the internet. The world has gone smaller indeed, and people can get feedback from the other side of the world at an eye's blink. Along with these drivers of change, pressures are lurking around the corners of the walls of businesses and organizations from all industries. Responding to these changes needs to be proactive and not reactive, and the smarter organizations know how to look at the pros and cons of the available technologies for cloud economics that promise the benefits of reliability, security, and flexibility.

We are transitioning from a point where we were just getting used to the power of modern Internet communication, also known as the Web 2.0 revolution, to an age where we will expect an almost instantaneous distribution and assimilation of knowledge. The new age will make it far simpler to communicate with each other, individually and collectively and for organizations to access and utilize important and strategic data. People are beginning to understand the options available to them and to understand how they can access and manipulate data in the "cloud" without having to rely on complex, expensive and difficult to maintain internal systems. As they explore this new world, they want to know how cloud economics can benefit them and whether they should buy into the concept of a cloud economy, or not.

The great recession certainly gave corporate decision-makers cause for concern and made them think even longer and harder about capital purchases than ever before. In many respects, this hastened the arrival of the cloud economy, as cloud computing offers the typical organization many economies of scale. It was not always easy to get access to credit lines in order for companies to be able to purchase additional capitalization on equipment and decision-makers have always considered leasing access to this information and data using the new age cloud computing. As we enter the second decade of the new millennium the lessons learned by the great recession are likely to linger. This is indeed likely to hasten the arrival of the cloud economy, as cash flow issues and limited availability of funds for expansion determine a way forward.

When information technology issues are handled in house, the organization must be sure that it has employees able to operate and handle the hardware and software products needed. The employees must be in a fairly constant state of training to ensure that the organization does not miss out on any important updates, strategically. In-house applications are even very heavy on resource consumption which can unreasonably drain out any organization's resources in no time. As an alternative for some organizations, one option is to choose using the services of an external organization as an integral part of a managed services solution. In this case, the company will need to purchase a set contract with the company, as a managed services company itself must of course meet the demands of its own internal costing structure.

The beauty of cloud computing and the point at which cloud economics really starts to drive the message home is that it is ultimately flexible and scalable. In the old world, a company that envisaged a major project with a huge uptake in server use would have to budget, receive and install capacity ahead of time, with associated capital costs and depreciation issues. Should a company wish to use a managed external service, it should allocate budget for operating costs consequent of that company's pricing. While it would not have to go through the process of budgeting and configuration, it would have to pay direct costs to the management company in place. Cloud economics wins big here, as the cost to access the server capacity as and when needed for the project in question is minuscule by comparison. The company does not have to budget and plan, but simply requests the capacity as and when it is needed.

It's not difficult to imagine how cloud economics can represent a smarter alternative, due to its accessibility, reliability, flexibility and manageability. The client can be much leaner and fitter if it does not have to worry about internal scaling, maintenance, development and training of personnel. Cloud economics can help the organization to become much more nimble and able to take advantage of opportunities as they arise in its marketplace.

Looking for SAP business one cloud, contact Alenu Group Today! at (65) 6884 5030

SAP Business One Manufacturing Implementation Highlights For Executives

SAP B1 is coming, and we expect high volume of new licenses sales, installations, integrations, customizations and demand for SAP BO custom reporting, especially with the release of version 2007. We already tried to give you various modules demo and presentation in our previous publications, now is the turn for SAP Business One Production and MRP modules. As SB1 is relatively new ERP application for small and mid-size businesses, you should be aware about licensing schema: it is all-in-one license for named user and CRM only license for Sales person. Let's begin:

1. MRP Wizard. It fits to small companies, where you are not the experts in heavy manufacturing and Material Resource Planning. For each item, participating in manufacturing as child or parent item, you should setup the vendor, lead time, minimal quantity to order, stock levels and MRP wizard will be able to either recommend or create (after your approval) purchase orders for components and production orders for finished goods (also referred as parent items). Backflush functionality is supported

2. Production Orders. Here, besides standard functionality for manufacturing modules we would like to mention a feature, which is relatively innovative: disassembly production order. Yes, if you got return from the customer who ordered the finished goods item and then cancelled the order, you can disassemble it and place original components back to your inventory shelves and bins

3. Discrete Manufacturing. If your small business has attributes of so-called discrete manufacturing (typical counterpart is process manufacturing, where you do not exactly know the amount of incoming components and resulting number of finished goods, especially in food industry), then SB1 is the option you would like to research and see the demo

4. Customization and Integration options. We recommend you to consider first SB1 Workbench, which allows you to integrate Excel files to SAP Business One objects and if you need advanced programming and modified import logic - then SB1 SDK or Software Development Kit, where you or your SB1 consultant alters the standard ERP logic through C# or VB.Net programming

Seeking for SAP business one cloud, call Alenu Group Now! at (65) 6884 5030.

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Put Cloud-Based Services to Work for Your Small Business

As a small business owner, you may be wondering if cloud-based services are the right choice for you. Consider the benefits and evaluate whether it would be smart for you to move your business to the cloud.
To better understand cloud computing, we can swap the word "cloud" for the word "Internet." Cloud-based services are just internet-based services. Instead of using a local server or personal computer to store and manage your data, you use the services of remote servers and software that are hosted on the Internet.
Probably the biggest appeal is that this service allows users, with the proper credentials, to access their data from any location, as long as they have access to a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. As a small-business owner, you are no longer limited to one document saved on one computer back in your home office. Whether you are working in the office, at home, across the country, or on the other side of the world, you can have instant access to your data. Because data is constantly updated, you always have real-time information at your fingertips.
This type of computing offers web-based data storage, data backup, file sharing, and productivity tools, which allows businesses to be more competitive with larger companies in many ways. Using this type of storage, small businesses can be more effective and agile in managing and accessing their data, while at the same time saving some money.
For companies with employees working from different locations, cloud computing allows employees to work together more efficiently. In addition, internet-based computing allows businesses to reach out and work effectively with clients or vendors in other locations. It used to be that only much larger businesses had these kinds of powerful resources available to them.
With internet-based computing, owners can save money as their need for physical computer storage, power requirements, and software updates decrease. And as a small business owner, you won't be forever playing catch-up in trying to purchase the latest, greatest software and applications - they will be readily available to you in the cloud.
There are some upfront costs to moving to the cloud. However, many business owners believe the benefits outweigh the costs with increased efficiency and improved operations.
There are still security concerns to be considered for any computer user who takes advantage of internet-based applications. Experts recommend that business owners and users avoid accessing their cloud-based data from public Wi-Fi to reduce the security concerns.
No one has a crystal ball that predicts the future, but many in the information technology industry suggest that the popularity of cloud-based services will continue to grow as time passes.

Seeking for SAP business one cloud, call Alenu Group Today! at (65) 6884 5030

SAP Business One Implementation Scenarios- Rentals

SAP B1 gets its ERP and small business MRP market share in US, especially with the release of SB1 version 2007A. In this small publication we would like to give you practical highlights on deploying SAP Business One in Rentals business, where you rent your serialized item and then service it while contract is active, incurring cost, such as spare parts and replacement, labor hours and expenses either covered by warranty or billable to the customer. SB1 is targeted for small and medium size businesses, and we expect it to get good ground in Chicagoland distribution hub related small assembly and shipping businesses

1. How service contact is realized in SAP Business One. You associate your inventory serialized item with service contract. Here serial or manufacturing number is auxiliary feature, not required, but we recommend to serialize rented items. Please, note that you can add more item to the rental contract, see next paragraph

2. How to allocate additional items to the service contract. What you do is create service call document, and there switch to Expense tab, Expenses Detail, create new document and select the type on the document options - transferred to technician. In the Transferred to Technician document select warehouse from where to transfer and destination warehouse - to where to transfer
3. How to return items upon the contract expiration. The same way as in paragraph 3, create return from technician document

4. Customer Vendor Consolidation, this feature is new and introduced in SAP B1 2007. Look at Business Partners - reconciliation and check multiple BPs. Here you can select your Business partner, who is customer (with its customer ID) and vendor (with its vendor ID) and reconcile all customer and vendor outstanding documents with single either payment from customer or credit memo or payment to vendor. Customer Vendor Consolidation functionality is typically separate module for such competitors, as Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains, for example, so take your advantage

Looking for SAP business one cloud, reach us Alenu IT Today! at (65) 6884 5030.

A marketing article by Dougles Chan - Search Engine Guru - Best SEO companies in Singapore and globally. Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for more information on how to make your website to be the top in Google.

What Exactly is Cloud Storage?

A generational shift happened ever since Cloud applications/storage/compute emerged on the IT road map. Cloud storage has 3 traits. To begin with the storage service must be over a network. Next the storage pool must allow for easy scalability without downtime. Last and not least the storage pool must be easy to manage especially when scaled.

Cloud storage is a normal extension of Software-as-a-Service and online applications like SalesForce and Cloud computing have received huge popularity due to initiatives of Google, Amazon and VMware. The Wikipedia has defined the the cloud computing architecture as follows:
"The architecture behind cloud computing is a massive network of "cloud servers" interconnected as if in a grid running in parallel, sometimes using the technique of virtualization to maximize the utilization of the computing power available per server." 

With the advent of Amazon S3, the concept of Cloud migrated to a storage function. In a cloud storage scenario numerous commodity hardware devices are coupled together by software to build a pool of storage.

So cloud storage is not just a storage rental available online. It's more about architecture, performance, and scaling where you add standard hardware from your preferred commodity storage vendor, and get shared access through a standard network.

Cloud storage is loosely coupled and the nodes do not need to communicate with each other to facilitate supercomputers writing in parallel to the same file spread across multiple nodes. Being loosely-coupled allows fine performance for multiple copies of a single file across multiple nodes or multiple files and offers huge scalability.

Are you wondering which good instances are for cloud solutions to fill in? Well, some of the good examples of Cloud Storage include File Archiving, Digital content distribution & serving, streaming media or backup, video surveillance, and archival storage.

The Cloud Storage is here to stay and certainly holds great promise in times of recessionary economy where corporations can buy storage gigabyte at a time in contrast to complete systems and yet get all the benefits of latest technology.

Seeking for SAP business one cloud, call Alenu IT Today! at (65) 6884 5030

SAP Hosting: A Concierge to the Cloud

Why A Partner Certified in Hosting Application Is The Best Way To Get to the Cloud

It seems that nowadays everybody is switching over their business to the cloud. And why shouldn't they? Being able to connect to the cloud has many potential competitive advantages for your business, especially for your SAP applications. With a hosting service connecting you to the cloud, you don't have to worry about in-house data storage or upkeep. You also don't have to deal with any hiccups in your business' day-to-day operations.

One of the biggest advantages to SAP hosting is the flexibility that it provides. SAP hosting provides scalable solutions so that you don't have to be tied down by constraints on growth. Simply put, SAP hosting services are your concierge to the cloud.

Hold on now, before you start sprinting towards the cloud you should know that there are several things you should check on before being sure an SAP host is the right fit for your business.

About SAP Hosting Certified Partners

One of the easiest ways to narrow down your search is by being certain that you are selecting a SAP certified hosting partner. SAP only certifies hosting services that meet the highest standard for security, customer support, and quality of service. In fact, SAP has only certified 15 firms to provide SAP hosting services in the United States. If you don't choose a certified managed service then you're just asking to risk the security and sustainability of your business' data.

Choosing a certified SAP hosting partner is a great start but you want to make sure that the hosting service can provide the support your business needs. That means the hosting provider actually works with you to find the best setup for your data. If the hosting service is too big, your business' needs could get lost in the noise. On the other hand, if the managed services provided are small in scope, the hosting provider may not be able to keep up with the specific needs of your business.

Like I mentioned earlier, flexibility is another benefit of having a hosting service connect you to the cloud. When you combine a state of the art data center with great customer support you get an SAP hosting partner willing and able to work with you as your business grows. The best aspect of the cloud is its limitless potential for expanding alongside your business. With the cloud, you don't need to buy-in to large premiums for unnecessarily powerful data servers when your business doesn't have the need for it yet. As well, you don't have to worry about constantly upgrading your application every time your business grows past the limitations of your equipment.

The business world is making its way on over to the cloud. Business' stuck with outdated in-house data storage won't have the ability to compete. So really if you want to be competitive, it isn't a question of when you should switch over to the cloud, it's a question of how; the best way is with a certified SAP hosting partner with you to help you chart your path.

To learn more about SAP Business One Cloud.

SAP Business One Alternative Consulting

If your implementation was screwed up and you got a feeling that you need second opinion then this publication is for you. Let's think about possible reasons and discuss the options. 

FAQ is the key word to launch your homework and let's organize this publication as questions and answers. 

Please note that this paper is not intended as technical one. It is not for programmers as it is designed for IT directors and business owners:

Q. Our implementation went €South' and at this point we are looking for second opinion. We contacted several consulting firms in the area and they indicated that interest is very low as software is already sold and they cannot expect software margins. The problem was customization and programming in Software Development Kit where we got buggy add-on?

A. Sorry to hear that. At the same time we have to note that local consulting organizations have to stick to certain business model where software licenses sale is key element together with initial generic implementation. Customization might be not their strong point. They might be in the position where modification is only needed to a fraction of their clientele and running programming department might be too risky. In your situation we would recommend to appeal to nationwide consulting organizations who are interested in doing software development.

Q. We understand that local consulting firms might lack programming experience. We tried to hire local programmer but he indicated that he has to come through learning curve in order t.o help us customize the system?

A. Well, learning curve might be a way to go but we believe that it is easier to appeal to remote support. Nationwide consulting firms typically have so-called €Software Development Factory'. Connection method is via web sessions.

Q. We hired programmer who convinced us that he will do the job of integration via SQL Stored Procedures. The results were multiple data corruptions in production company. Could you help us with taking it over?

A. Business One has three tiers architecture including application server. If you need custom integration then programming should be done in Microsoft Visual Studio with SDK code samples in C# or VB. Direct data feeding via SQL stored procedures doesn't validate business logic and this is why it is not recommended.

Q. Our problem was not successful data migration from old Great Plains DOS. Consultants spent numerous hours trying to find out how to export historical sales orders or at least connect to GPA via ODBC?

A. We described ODBC connection options to GPA in several articles and please find them via internet search if you need details. You need DDF files in order to connect. We recommend Pervasive SQL Control center as data export tool.

Q. We are multinational company and for us SAP B1 was the choice because we are opening subsidiary in Sao Paulo Brazil. We were able to find local consulting firm. The result was placing the server in Brazil and GL chart of accounts which was different from our corporate one. Now we have to ship CSV exports to our headquarters and reshape them in Excel?

A. Our recommendation is to host all international subsidiaries DB on the central SQL Server in the headquarters and have them implemented from template. GL chart of accounts should be the same. Consider opening client interface via Citrix or if you are in Cloud environment then discuss with Cloud provider.

Please visit here for Sap Business One Cloud.

What Exactly Is Cloud Computing?

The confusion with cloud comes from the wide adoption of the term when describing most (or in some cases any) forms of hosting - shared or managed. It has become synonymous with virtualisation, on-demand services, outsourcing and many more terms which have actually been in use within the market before the term 'cloud' was coined, and have become important considerations in their own right when reviewing IT strategies and plans.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cites the definition of cloud computing as:

"...a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable, computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."

The question is: how much does this differ from the essential concepts of managed hosting? Managed Hosting is, by definition: an outsourced set of products and services, which can supplement or replace a company's internal IT plan. In essence, the two terms both describe a service delivery method by which business and web applications and tools are accessed, stored and managed.

At the moment, three distinct cloud hosting service models can be identified:

- Cloud Infrastructure as a Service
- Cloud Software as a Service
- Cloud Platform as a Service

This is another way to demonstrate how clients should see elements of a cloud as a tier of managed hosting. There should be a differentiation between the cloud models as they each offer varying advantages and disadvantages to IT strategies, further confirming the need to identify end goals before embarking on any type of cloud hosting service.

How to Choose:

When looking at shared hosting, dedicated hosting, managed hosting, or co-location as an outsourced IT solution, clients will undergo a justification process of their own requirements and needs. In the case of managed hosting, it is with the assistance and advice of an account manager, hopefully, aided by an external consultant in the other cases. They will then weigh up the current and future managed hosting needs. It appears that with the emergence of cloud as a service consumers and businesses are keen to "jump on the bandwagon" to receive the multiple and inevitable benefits of cloud computing without much concern for this basic process of project validation.

The main features & capabilities of the 3 most prevalent models (from the NIST):

Infrastructure as a Service:

- Provides the consumer with the capabilities to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, including operating systems and applications.

- The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over the operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select network components. e.g. host firewalls.

Software as a Service:

- Provides the consumer with the capabilities to use the provider's applications, running on a cloud infrastructure.
- The apps are accessible from various client devices.
- The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure or even individual application capabilities, with the exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.
- Examples include: Basecamp, Microsoft, Sharepoint, Oracle, SAP, Google Apps, Salesforce.com.

Platform as a Service:

- Provides the clients with the capability to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider.
- Consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over the deployed applications and possible applications hosting environment configurations.
- Examples include: Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Zoho, Iceberg, LongJump

*Mell P and Grance T (10/07/09) The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing - Version 15

Especially in the case of the cloud infrastructure-as-a-service model, managed services providers can continue with business as usual simply by making a few tweaks to their products. In fact, it could be even said that cloud has simply been applied to the normal service rather than drastically transforming or replacing it.
The "Virtual Private Cloud" or "Virtual Shared Cloud" terms could simply be seen as virtualised managed hosting environments created using software such as VMware or HyperV. A virtual environment is still essentially served by either a dedicated or shared physical server located within a data centre.

Important Questions:

A business should not let the buzz words which are inherent in the industry distract from making sure that their business goals and plans are understood and properly met by any outsourced solution they enter in to, cloud or otherwise. Questions such as:

- What is the main objective of the project? (cost savings, reduced management time, security, scalability)
- Will the project transfer easily to a cloud service models?
- Does the provider's service level agreement meet the project targets and requirements?

These are just a taste of what any company or consumer should ask themselves when investigating a new environment, especially when delving in to a relatively new service model.

How do I use Cloud?

There are multiple ways in which the term Cloud is being used but, realistically how does a company apply it?

Cloud technologies can help companies use their hosting budget efficiently, through the use of appropriate hardware for their environments.

1. Like any business tool, cloud computing will not cut costs by itself. There seems to be a lot of advertising out there claiming that all cloud products will significantly reduce expenditure, no matter how - or if you know how - to implement them. First of all, it is sensible to look at Cloud technologies and ask HOW they fit into both your business plans and your budget.

2. Cloud technologies are not an all-encompassing business solution to solve all technical and expenditure woes. They need to be used in conjunction with other technologies and features in order to optimise your online environment.

3. If you need an environment that meets certain universal security standards and/or 24/7/365 support, than simply placing your data in the cloud isn't enough - you will need a shopping list of requirements, plus the technologies and features that meet them.

4. Efficiency is often the word paired with cloud by marketers trying to make the terms synonymous, and thereby continuing cloud's reputation as being the IT wunderkind of the business world. Of course all businesses should strive for efficient use of technology, resource, and hardware - with cost efficiency being right up there at the top of most 'must-have' lists. But cost efficiency does not always equal short-term savings, and in the same way that one sometimes needs to 'spend money to make money' it is not unfair to say that one could 'spend money to save money....later'. In other words, using one's cloud budget efficiently to meet client needs, in order to increase revenue, and also to save on future hardware or resource costs.

You can achieve the environmental elasticity that you require if you are willing to spend the appropriate amount of money for your cloud aims. Just remember to be elastic in your cost expectations and everything will be just fine.

Please visit here for SAP Business One Cloud.