• Sharing Resources – Shared hardware and resources among multiple users reducing costs and overhead.
• On Demand Environments – Easily fire up a new virtual machine anytime you need it.
• Pay For Only What You Use – On demand services means you only pay for the resources you use.
• Scalable – Easily increase RAM or storage when needed with a quick restart of your virtual machine.

• What are the benefits of moving my email to the cloud? There are many benefits to the cloud. The two benefits that provide the largest impact are no hardware or OS licenses to purchase and you can free up your IT staff for mission critical tasks. When you move to a hosted or cloud environment, there is no hardware to purchase and maintain. This can streamline your budget into a predictable monthly recurring cost while eliminating the surprises of unexpected hardware upgrade, replacement, etc. You no longer have to be fielding support calls and maintenance to your mail server.
• Is it secure? You bet it is. We have several different types of Hosted Exchange with security being a priority. Whether you’re using our shared Cloud Exchange environment or we setup a dedicated server, the only one with access to your information is you. We also provide email encryption to ensure your messages are secure on route to their destination.
• Am I compliant? EarthLink is a fully compliant, SAS70 Type II certified facility. In addition, we also provide full HIPAA and GLBA compliant email hosting. More often than not, organizations with which we discuss compliant email with are not compliant with their current, in-house solution. We can provide encryption, archiving, and a dedicated environment with managed firewalls and custom security policies. Migrate your email to the cloud and let the experts handle your compliant environment.
• What about uptime and availability? We guarantee a 100% uptime when it comes to our network and facility. This is something we take very seriously. We provide carrier neutral bandwidth on multiple fiber rings with redundancy you simply can’t match internally. We also have 99.99% SLA guarantees on our managed services.
• Who manages my email? EarthLink is a Microsoft Gold Partner. Your Exchange environment is managed by our Microsoft Certified staff. We are Exchange experts and have 10+ years of managing hosted Exchange environments.
• Cost? When you look at the total cost for hardware, software and a dedicated email admin, migrating to the cloud can easily cut your email budget in half.

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.

Hopefully this has provided a clearer picture of the cloud. Cloud services at EarthLink provide a secure environment with complete transparency. You know where your data is and can rest assured that no one other than you has access to it. Not sure if a Public or a Private Cloud is the right fit for you? Schedule some time with one of our Sales Engineers to discuss options and find out how to save money with the cloud in 2011.