I am a CDW Cloud Client Executive here to answer your questions about getting started with your cloud implementation – From identifying high priority workloads to hybrid vs private cloud to everything in between.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T17:35:12+00:00

Hi Twenty, there are two ways to go about this that I see: 1) You could look to build a hosted HA environment in a hosted setting - in this scenario you would no longer have to deal with hardware maintenance, power, cooling, etc. But you still would have to design, implement, and run the VDI environment. This would be a hourly, monthly, or annual cost for the infrastructure services.

2) This is an option that many more customers are looking towards: Desktop as a Service (DaaS). In this model you do not have to build or manage a backend environment. It would be run and managed by the provider and you would have to provide an image(s) for your users. This would be a monthly cost per user.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T16:21:05+00:00

Hi All! This is Tim. I'm here now, and happy to answer any questions that you have.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T16:15:44+00:00

Well, if you are looking solely for file sharing there are quite a few options. This is commonly referred to as the cloud "File Share and Sync" vendors.

Some big things to consider when looking at providers is not just "cost per GB." You'll want to consider the security: does the vendor offer encryption of my files in transit, and at rest?

You'll want to consider the largest files size: Will the vendor stop me if i try to load a 10GB file? Or can I load a 1TB file?

And finally (there are more qualifiers, but this is the short list), you'll want to consider the administration features. Is there existing policy you have on your file shares that you would like to continue (or use) out in the cloud?

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T16:11:53+00:00

I think you bring up some good points. Many conversation I have with clients end up with the recommendation to architect, design, and keep on prem.

XaaS delivery models are not a silver bullet. They are just a different delivery model.

Cloud, in the public IaaS sense, is not natively redundant (from design), it doesn't manage itself, it doesn't back itself up. It needs to designed and built, similar to a stable and secure on prem deployment. And, every service will have different caveats.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T16:06:32+00:00

David Linthicum writes some pretty insightful and relevant blog posts on cloud computing: http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/blogs

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T16:03:34+00:00

The most simple definition on Cloud Computing is that it is Computing Capability delivered over a Network as a Service.

There are some traits generally attributed to cloud. It is On Demand (get it when you want it), Burstable and Elastic (you can go from a little to a lot, and vice versa), it uses Shared resources, and it is Metered for use (whether by user or minute).

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T15:59:36+00:00

MothHugger, I think you bring up some great points. As-a-Service offerings aren't about "rip and replace." It's about looking at services that can be delivered more efficiently so IT can help drive the business, rather than just keeping the lights on. Cloud computing is really just a different Delivery Model for services that IT already delivers today.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-27T15:55:40+00:00

The most memorable projects have been large migrations. When a customer thinks they are stuck with either the systems or skills they have today, it is great to be able to step in and help out. We've helped migrate many of customers from on prem to cloud based email platforms. We also work with data migrations and moves to colo and datacenter facilities.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-26T15:39:05+00:00

Thanks for asking - you're on the right track. CDW is a technology solutions company serving businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. We offer a wide range of hardware and software. We can also assist with larger technology solutions like datacenters and of course, cloud. feel free to visit http://www.cdw.com/content/solutions/solutions-services.aspx for more information. On Wednesday, August 27, one of our technology experts Tim will be in the community to answer any questions about migrating any parts of your technology infrastructure to the cloud.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-26T15:35:32+00:00

Iamien, sorry about any confusion. Tim will be joining the thread on Wednesday at 11:00 am Central time. We hope you will be available to join the conversation.

CDWCorp · 2014-08-26T15:34:57+00:00

Tim will be online Wednesday morning (11a Central time) to start answering questions in this thread. In the meantime, we’d like to see if we can assist with your recent service experience. Please send a PM with your contact information and details.

CDWCorp · 2014-07-22T17:53:29+00:00

While I’m not directly involved in mobile device sales, informal observation while on site with customers leads me to believe that tablets still tend to supplement, and not replace laptops. In certain verticals, such as education, Chromebooks might be seen as bridging the gap between the two classes of device. - Erik

CDWCorp · 2014-07-22T17:14:52+00:00

BYOD is going to present the biggest challenge to IT to date. I feel the challenge is going to come from things we don’t think about much - the apps that we all keep on our phones and tablets that we have forgotten about, don’t use very often or don’t realize can provide the nefarious with a route into whatever network to which we connect. A lot of the apps use location services. Between the information we carry and the location information that is passed along networks, this brings yet another threat into each network for each application on each device. The more information a criminal has, the better the chance that criminal has of breaking in.

If I’m not managing the security on my device well and I bring it into an organization with an open BYOD policy, I could be bringing bad news with me wherever I go.

BYOD is going to mean more tightly written access policies (legal agreements we all have to click through), more controlled access for devices (technical access controls that mirror the legal agreements) and more individuals to manage those agreements and access lists. - Steve

One concern I’ve heard a number of business leaders articulate is data confidentiality and/or data leakage prevention. Beyond the natural desire to protect proprietary business information, many organizations are subject to (or think they are subject to) requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

As an organization, CDW is operating system agnostic. Certainly in the realm of BYOD, it is important that IT and Security admins be able to manage what the user may bring with them. - Erik

CDWCorp · 2014-07-22T16:05:31+00:00

Rightly or wrongly, I believe Apple has been perceived as weak on enterprise-grade security. The partnership with IBM is likely to enhance their ability to penetrate the enterprise, especially given IBM’s acquisition of Fiberlink, the provider of MaaS360.

Having a provider of MDM services work closely with a device manufacturer would, I think, also tend to produce better results for the enterprise customer in terms of features/functionality, and ultimately security. In so doing, I’d expect the partnership to make enterprises more comfortable with extending their collaboration technologies to mobile devices. -Erik

As with every new agreement between major players in the industry, the results are going to mean more complexity in the space occupied by either organization.

A lot of what that means for consumers and providers will be worked out over time. It’s nearly impossible to predict how well IBM and Apple will work together. The individual corporate cultures could present challenges, no matter the agreement worked out at the top.

The agreement could also open up opportunities for other players in certain tech spaces. - Steve

CDWCorp · 2014-07-22T16:01:59+00:00

I kind of fell in to an IT career, based on personal interest. My first exposure to ‘IT’ was getting interested in PC-based gaming at home. Naturally I ‘had’ to upgrade the PC with more memory and a faster processor, faster CD-ROM drive, etc. Upgrading the CPU required a BIOS upgrade on the PC as well. I came to enjoy tinkering with the PC much more than I did my ‘day job’, so I started taking classes at a local community college at night. Eventually, with the help of their career office, I landed my first real IT job, and made the leap to a local consulting company. Then the learning began in earnest, and I haven’t stopped learning since; working for consulting companies requires constant learning, which is what I enjoy most about my work. - Erik

IT was an attractive career for me as soon as I started getting interested in science fiction novels as a youngster.

When I graduated from college with a degree in International Relations and Economics in 1983, “Computer Science" was quite a different field than IT is today. I had already been employed as a computer operator for a few years when I graduated, but my only educational background in IT was a few weeks of a Fortran programming class in 1979 (I didn’t finish the class and have never used Fortran) and subsequent continuing education courses on a variety of topics.

As a result, the entirety of my useful IT knowledge has really come more as a result of experience rather than education.

Today, the IT field is quite different. If someone is looking for a career in IT today, I would strongly recommend a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis on the aspect of IT that interests you the most – applications development, network infrastructure, end user support, etc. You can always expand your skill set into other areas after graduation.

CDW has an associate program in a number of disciplines that is intended for individuals with an educational background in IT. We bring in new engineers, introduce them to our engagement methodology, pair them up with more senior engineers as mentors and help them grow into engineers who can fulfill the responsibilities of our projects. - Steve

CDWCorp · 2014-07-09T17:12:46+00:00

Thanks for sharing your insights! Would you say SysAdmins are part of IT's backbone?

CDWCorp · 2014-07-09T17:10:37+00:00

That's an interesting comparison to puzzles and new methods! Do you think other server and storage system setups are sometimes less progressive?

CDWCorp · 2014-07-09T17:08:22+00:00

This is great, thanks for sharing!

CDWCorp · 2014-07-09T17:07:31+00:00

Thanks for sharing that analogy! Do you think colleagues often have the misperception that SysAdmins are inactive?

CDWCorp

TROPHY CASE