One important standard to look for in a cloud hosting or colocation provider is a SAS70 Type II Certified Datacenter.

SAS 70 Type II is an auditing statement issued to service providers, such as cloud hosting providers and datacenter colocation operators, by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

What is SAS 70 and why should it matter to your company?

SAS 70 simply means “Statement of Auditing Standards Number 70”. An SAS 70 report demonstrates that a service organization has implemented effective control objects and activities.

For cloud hosting, web hosting, and colocation service providers such as EarthLink Cloud, SAS 70 certification means we can offer our business customers a SAS 70 report to use to assist their financial reporting. EarthLink Cloud also prepared a description of controls to help our assess their own internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) Auditing Standard No. 5 (AS 5).

Make sure you look for Type II certification when selecting a datacenter for hosting or colocation. Type I certification only states that policies and procedures exist, although there is no audit to ensure that the organization adheres to these procedures. Type II certification comes only after a lengthy and rigorous in-person audit that ensures the service provider adheres to their procedures.

EarthLink Cloud’s SAS 70 Type II certification is especially important to our clients who are larger institutions and publicly traded companies who must comply with security requirements such as Sarbanex-Oxley. Those clients can use our audit report for their specific security and reporting requirements.

Type II certification shows that we are following industry best practices, are operating in a transparent way, and can be trusted with your data. Learn more about SAS 70 certification guidelines.

Learn more about our secure EarthLink Cloud colocation and hosting datacenter.

But it’s not.  Cloud computing is the future.

Cloud computing will alter the way we access personal content, and forever change the way businesses structure IT.  We can know this because, like every technical advancement that sticks around (cell phones, personal computers…the list goes on), cloud computing is too convenient to ever go away.

Specifically, there are three reasons:

1. We Compute Everywhere. We’re no longer tied to our desktop computers: we have cell phones, laptops, tablets…and we want all of them to access the same personal and business content.  Limiting applications to one device isn’t just old-fashioned, it’s inconvenient.  Any cloud hosted content or program be accessed from any internet-connected device.
2. Cloud Computing is Cheaper. It costs more to run computers than it does to buy them. Why would a company manage on-site servers when they can use a secure cloud hosting service?  Why would an individual spend money installing a program on multiple devices when they could access it through the cloud?
3. Companies Can Experiment in the Cloud. Without the cost of maintaining a physical environment, and computing capacity that can change to fit demand, companies are free to experiment with new ideas.

The arrival of “the cloud” is a fundamental change in computing.  Even if the hype surrounding it seems overwhelming, let’s not throw the innovation baby out with the cloud buzz bathwater.

First, whether it’s a Public Cloud or a Private Cloud, both are great fits for a hosted solution. In a hosted solution with an Enterprise Class Datacenter like EarthLink, both scenarios enjoy benefits of multiple fiber rings providing carrier neutral bandwidth with full redundancy. We also provide multiple diesel generators for power redundancy, redundant security systems, and 24/7 video surveillance.  Power, cooling, and security are all included in a predicable monthly cost. Not only that, you also get the benefit of extending your IT staff by leveraging our expert systems and network engineers as they manage your hardware and environments. So what is the difference between a Public and Private Cloud? Here is a brief overview that will help answer this question:

Private Cloud

• Dedicated Hardware – Exclusive hardware to be used by only you.
• Virtualization – Efficiently using server virtualization allows you to run a large amount of virtual servers all running on only a small amount of physical servers, keeping your costs down.
• Flexibility – Allows you to run multiple applications and environments on fewer pieces of hardware.
• Separation – Your environment and network is completely separated from other users. No resources are shared.
• Multiple Virtual Machines – You’re able to partition as many virtual machines as needed all running on only a few pieces of hardware.

You still might not be sure which direction is the right fit for you. This is where our team of experts can help. Let’s sit down and talk so we can learn more about your IT needs and work with you to provide the most cost effective solution.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade to Exchange 2010 or simply migrating your current environment to the cloud, let us help. We make the transition painless and as seamless as possible.  Contact us today to learn more.

A common objection that we face here at EarthLink with our Cloud Hosting services is, “Is the Cloud Secure?”  Questions and concerns regarding the security of the cloud simply come from the lack of knowledge of how the cloud works.  Here are a few common concerns or misconceptions surrounding the cloud:

• I have no control over where my data resides. This may be true with large companies and public clouds such as Rackspace, Amazon, or Microsoft, but at EarthLink, you know exactly where your data resides. You are part of the process of setting up your environment throughout our consultative approach. We encourage you to visit our facility and we can physically show you exactly where your information lives. If you would like a disaster recovery plan that pushes your data to a remote location, we’re here to work with you on this as well. There’s never any guessing or wondering; You know exactly where your data and servers live, right here in Rochester, NY.
• Others have access to my information. This is simply not true. No one has access to your data but you. When using cloud services at EarthLink, you are in isolated environments. Your dedicated virtual private server or dedicated server is completely independent from any other customer. No one can see your information or has access to your information. Sometimes there is the issue of Logical employees having access. It’s fairly common for us to complete confidentiality agreements which we are more than happy to accommodate in order to provide additional piece of mind.
• It’s not secure. More often than not, hosting data in EarthLink’s SAS70 Type II certified facility is safer and more secure than housing internally. Our facility is locked down and no one gains access without the escort of a EarthLink employee. We also provide managed dedicated firewalls that allow for a secure connection to the cloud with an encrypted tunnel from your office to our facility.
• I have sensitive data. Security is one of our top priorities and we take it very seriously. We provide hosting services for health care and financial industries that store very sensitive information. We are a fully compliant, SAS70 Type II certified facility. We can provide fully compliant HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI environments.
• Public Cloud vs. Private Cloud. The Public Cloud provides many benefits. However, you may have a large infrastructure or require the most secure environment possible. If this is the case, EarthLink can setup a Private Cloud.  A Private Cloud would provide a complete dedicated hardware scenario, isolating your network from any shared resources. For larger networks, this option can be more cost effective in many cases.
• Is it compliant? Again, we are a fully compliant, SAS70 Type II certified facility. We can provide fully compliant HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI environments.
• Cost? The cloud is a great way to streamline your efficiencies and reduce your costs. Let us show you how.

EarthLink Continues to Grow!

Moving to the Cloud in 2011

Step 1: Deploy a Ubuntu 10.04 Cloud Server on the EarthLink Cloud Platform, my default build server has 1GB Ram and a 10 GB Hard Drive.

Step 2: Using the Cloud Console log into the server with root/userdefinedpassword.  Run the following commands on the server:

apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade
apt-get install xubuntu-desktop icewm menu
apt-get install tightvncserver
vncserver :2

Step 3: Access the Linux GUI by running VNC, as you cannot connect using RDP as you would with a Windows 2008 Server.  If you do not have a copy of VNC, you can download a free copy of VNC Here.  You can now access the Ubuntu GUI and install any needed applications. 

Free Virtualization Cost Assessment
Sign up today for a Free Virtualization Cost Assessment! One of our trained engineers will evaluate each of your current application servers and give you a cost and best practice recommendation on moving your servers to a virtualized environment. Dramatically decrease the number of servers you have using by server consolidation and reduce your support and overall operating costs.
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New Windows VPS Remote Control Panel
We have recently launched a new feature with our Windows Virtual Private Server that includes an OS Level Control Panel that allows a user to self service their Dedicated Virtual Server remotely. Current features in the Control Panel allows you to reboot the server, hard reboot the server, start the server, monitor processor load and more!
Read more and sign up for a demo
 
DID YOU KNOW

Premium Disaster Recovery with Boston Data Center
Did you know EarthLink has a partner Data Center in Boston? We know the distance of your DR facility is important. So whether you’re looking for offsite backup, or full failover replication of your primary facility, EarthLink has you covered.
Click here for more information.

VPS Online Ordering
We now offer easy signup and configuration with online ordering for our Windows Hyper-V and Linux Virtual Private Server offerings. Simply click the link below to Build a VPS, follow the short few steps and you’ll be up and running within a couple hours! Click the links below to take a look.
Windows VPS Cloud Ordering
Linux VPS Cloud Ordering

BLOG-TIME
FEATURED BLOG POST
“Advantages of a VPS?”
by Anthony Giordano

Traditionally there have been two options when it comes to website hosting. You are either setup in a shared hosting environment or a dedicated server. Moving to a dedicated server can be costly preventing most from ever considering it. This is no longer the case. Now there’s something in between that provides most of the benefits of a dedicated server, but at a fraction of the cost. But how do I know if a VPS, or Virtual Private Server, is right for me?  
Read the full story.
 
SPECIAL PROMOTION
Double Your Hard Drive Space Free
Sign up today for a Virtual Private Server and we’ll double your hard drive space for free! Click the link below and mention the promo code “DOUBLE”.
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The new Dell PowerEdge C1100 offers intensive memory and storage capacity in a 1U form factor for cloud computing, memcache and Web analytics environments.  storage announcement, Dell announced new solutions,systems and services designed to help more customers build efficient and affordable cloud computing and hyperscale data center installations.  To address cloud computing, Dell announced new integrated cloud infrastructure solutions, a new cloud partner program, new PowerEdge C-series servers and new Dell Cloud Services.