As New Zealand and the world faces the economic impact of Covid-19, attention must turn to methods, technologies and approaches which support workplace productivity in the face of adversity. “We’ve never before been locked out of our workplaces quite so comprehensively. But what has become apparent is that businesses with cloud infrastructure can pivot rapidly and adapt to a new normal,” says Philip Adamson, CEO of OutSource IT.
Despite the gloom, he points out that the cloud is the silver lining and it means working securely from wherever you are, with everything you need.
Local Cloud infrastructure
OutSource IT and sister company CloudSource deliver fully managed cloud infrastructure solutions from local premises in Auckland. It’s not for no reason that the company bills itself as ‘cloud – with a face’, because a key differentiator is personal engagement, deep understanding of specific requirements and, probably most importantly, rapid response to ‘business unusual’.
Even in lockdown, Adamson is speaking from his office, where the delivery of support and services continue as his is an essential service, keeping Kiwi businesses running. “We started by offering an alternative which would get SMEs away from needing on-site servers while avoiding paying a premium for international bandwidth, but as the impact of Covid-19 has taken hold, it’s apparent how quickly requirements can change,” he points out.
“Our customers completely in the cloud basically transitioned to working from home within 24 hours or less, with full secure access to all the information and services necessary to keep their businesses going,” says Adamson.
Business Continuity and Disaster Resilience
He adds that when it comes to IT services, one size just doesn’t fit all. That, along with the inherent business continuity and disaster resilience which comes with cloud solutions, is where the true value of ‘with a face’ lies. “Usually, the cloud saves the day owing to highly localised issues which keep any one client out of their office – a flood, a fire, things like that. Now, we’ve had to do it ‘en masse’; our response as a service provider has been an immediate doubling of bandwidth for all customers at no cost, enhancing remote access.”
Because CloudSource is local, Adamson says the company has even successfully transitioned several new customers who were considering moving to the cloud in the middle of lockdown. “It’s another aspect where a local provider differs from a faceless international one. For these customers, lockdown has come as a catalyst, accelerating their plans; we’re able to combine the physical with the virtual by driving to their premises, taking on-site copies of terabytes of data and loading it up into our data centre. Within hours we’ve got them setup, in our cloud, ready for work.”
Designed specifically for Kiwi SME’s
Located in central Auckland, the OutSource IT/CloudSource data centre offers features designed for reliability, including dual redundant air conditioning systems, an on-site generator and redundant internet links. Maintenance and support are provided by a skilled local team not only offering decades of experience, but also a firm grasp of SMB technology priorities and requirements.
And along with cloud infrastructure services OutSource IT is also a Microsoft partner, delivering the popular Office 365 desktop productivity suite which Adamson describes as an essential component for enabling remote workers.
He notes that getting rid of on premises infrastructure means a reduction in capital overhead, elimination of configuration and maintenance and a substantial boost to security and reliability. “These are the ‘traditional’ benefits associated with the cloud, as are business continuity and disaster resilience. COVID-19 is threatening an economic disaster, but with the power of the cloud, we can fight back by keeping businesses running, even if people can’t be in their offices,” Adamson concludes.
For more information on locally-provided cloud solutions to keep your business running no matter what, call us on 0800 688 768.
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