Cloud 9 Via Cloud Storage

What is cloud storage? Answer: Cloud storage pertains to saving data on a storage apparatus maintained by a 3rd party. Instead of storing data on native applications such as your computer's hard drive, you save it in a remote database. Connection between the database and your computer is provided via the internet. It is has nothing to do with the weather or cloud systems.

Cloud storage providers give shared services and infrastructure convergence. This is meant to allow organizations to get their applications up and running faster, with less maintenance and easier manageability. Therefore allowing IT to adjust IT resources at a very fast pace to satiate inconstant business demand.

The ever increasing presence of high capacity networks, storage devices, and cheaper computers, besides service-oriented architecture, virtualization, autonomic and utility computing have led to colossal growth of this service. The result is that it is as good as software programs installed locally on end-user computers. Equipment such as laptops, desktop computers, smart-phones and tablets are used to access cloud computing. With HTML5 and AJAX these user interfaces seem similar to, or perhaps even better than, native applications.

However, some persons have raised privacy and security issues on cloud storage/computing. Cryptography, particularly public key infrastructure, to use of multiple cloud providers, standardization of APIs, and improving virtual machine support and legal support have emerged as very effective solutions to these.

Current cloud storage providers offer online storage way out for both businesses and individuals at affordable costs.

One of the biggest benefits given by cloud storage providers is that the customer only needs to pay for only the amount of storage used they do not have to pay extra, there no hidden charges. The result being that cloud database service is now becoming a rage.

Some of the cloud database providers give services such as advanced storage problem way out that complement the needs, backup-as-a-service, file-servers-as-a-service, disaster-recovery-as-a-service, business-continuity-as-a-service, archival-as-a-service, compliance: PCI, HIPPA, SAS70.

They also offer custom cloud storage, API and SNIA CDMI support, implementation of storage controllers and data-migration services.

For companies into IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) and cloud platform provider, the platform is developed, designed, supported and tested.

They also help cloud database providers provide SNIA CDMI support for third-party application integration, customize cloud storage API, support leading storage key, help in data migration services, scalability and performance testing of your platform.

Moreover, Cloud Governance and Management Solution providers are also helped in developing, designing, testing and supporting solutions.

Unlimited Cloud Storage

Cloud data storage is something that everyone can obtain at a very reasonable price. From those free limited space accounts that work for synchronizing a few folders over several computers to the comprehensive accounts which back up your entire computer hard drive, there is a cloud file storage option to meet all needs. The bottom line is if you want it, you can get it.

The next question is how much should you get? Should you pay for a limited amount of cloud space, such as 250 GB, or should you spring for the unlimited option?

Here are some good reasons to at least consider unlimited cloud data storage.

1. You'll always need more. Remember when the good digital cameras only took 3.5 megapixel pictures and when video resolution was grainy? Now digital cameras typically take 7 or 8 megapixel pictures and video resolution has come a long way as well. However, those better resolution pictures take up more space on your hard drive. Software also seems to take up more memory, and new computers come with hard drives counted in the hundreds of gigabytes when they used to be rendered in megabytes. With this trend towards always needing more computer memory, it really is reasonable to consider that you'll never have quite enough space to meet your needs unless you go with unlimited storage space.

2. The price for an unlimited account is often very similar to limited accounts.

Often the difference is less than a dollar per month to spring for unlimited storage space. That is a very small price to pay for never having to worry about upgrading your account again, never having to worry about whether or not you'll need more space, or limiting what you do with your cloud storage in any way. Whenever you are comparing prices on cloud file storage options, be sure to check out the price tag on unlimited cloud storage. You may be pleasantly surprised. I know of at least one company which offers unlimited cloud storage for close to the same price as its 250 GB option.

3. Sharing is caring.

Cloud data storage has taken the sharing of files, particularly pictures, to a whole new level. Gone are the days where you had to physically mail photo prints in order to share pictures. Emailing pictures to your loved ones is also outdated. Now you just share a folder from your cloud storage and add pictures whenever you want to. Within minutes, seconds even, those pictures will show up on their computers.

But sharing a folder means that it will take up cloud storage space on the accounts of all parties involved. Let's say you have friends wanting to share folders of pictures with you. This will increase your cloud storage needs. Only with unlimited cloud storage will you be able to accept or reject invitations to receive shared folders based on other concerns besides how much space you have.

When you are shopping for cloud storage, you may not necessarily choose unlimited cloud storage from the beginning (you can always upgrade later). However, definitely check out the prices for the unlimited option. You might find it's worth going for right from the beginning.

Macbook Air - Style, Some Substance

If you've been thinking about heading down to your local Apple Store to buy Macbook Air then you're likely to be in the minority, according to various tech magazines who believe Apple's most beautiful creation is very much a niche product.

Ever since Jobs unveiled the Macbook Air from a manila envelope last year, the thinnest notebook in the world (apparently) has caused a lot of controversy, particularly its £1200 price tag. Many critics say that Apple demanding such a premium for a laptop that lacks an Ethernet port as well a battery that cannot be replaced by the user, nor can its memory. There is also no room for an optical drive for reading and writing CDs and DVDs, which is perhaps the greatest sacrifice.

However, fans of the Macbook Air believe it is the perfect product for people who want to work on the go and have no need for the aforementioned functionality. Indeed, travelers and commuters would surely struggle to find a lighter and thinner notebook to carry around in their backpacks. Unfortunately though, with such a high cost you do have to wonder how many people will be prepared to dig deep to buy a Macbook Air, however attractive it might be.

I'll be honest though, I'm a fan of the Macbook Air so I'll finish with some pros for buying the product. For starters, it has a long battery life meaning you can still be tapping away for 5 hours without having to find somewhere to plug-in. And tapping is made much easier with the use of a full size keyboard despite the Air's diminutive form. Yes it doesn't have your CD Drive or Ethernet port but wireless is everywhere these days making an Ethernet often redundant, and as for the CD Drive Apple have included a clever function which allows you to read CD's and DVD's through other computers drives.

Tips On How To Buy A MacBook Pro Battery

Has your MacBook Pro battery become faulty and need to replace it? There are many options that you can use to get the battery replaced. Before you do anything, you need to determine the replacement method for your battery. Here you need to look at how the battery is installed.

If the battery is built into your device, you can't simply purchase it and install it by yourself-you have to take your computer to an authorized apple service provider (AASP).

If you own a 15-inch or 17-inch model you don't have to worry as you can easily replace the battery from your home.

How to Find an AASP

If your device has an inbuilt battery you need to find an AASP by visiting the Apple Support website link. From the link you will be able to find a professional near you. You should note that the professionals are usually independent; therefore, they charge varying prices for their services.

Buying A MacBook Battery

If you have a 15-inch or 17-inch model you don't have to take your computer to an AASP-you can simply go ahead and purchase the battery online and then install it in your home.

To buy the battery you need to do an internet search by entering your keywords such as "buy MacBook Pro battery" or "MacBook Pro batteries for sale." From the results you will find some of the best retailers selling the batteries.

Before you part with your money you should do some background checks on the retailers and ensure that they are reputable enough. To avoid losing your money in the event that the battery is defective you should review the return policy of the vendor. As rule of thumb you should only work with a vendor with a return policy.

To identify if the vendor is legitimate you should call the vendor's phone number. You should also check the vendor's address.

The easiest way of doing the checks is visiting the review sites. As rule of thumb you should avoid working with a site with many negative reviews.

Conclusion

These are tips on how to buy a MacBook Pro battery. When buying the unit always remember that there are many substandard units that look almost like original units. The most effective way of ensuring that you buy an original product is by buying it from a reputable store. It's also wise that you consult a professional before you make the purchase.

Why Choose Expert Phone Repair Services

Having your own mobile phone is now very essential not only for those who have businesses, but also even for those who are at home and at school. Your mobile phone is not only for taking pictures and checking the internet, but most important for contacting someone in case of emergency. Hence, it is really recommended for a person to have his own mobile phone always with him. However, there can be cases when you mobile phone gets damaged and whatever the reason may be, you now have a broken, unusable phone.

Here, you have a few options that you can consider: buy a new unit, attempt to fix the phone by yourself, or bring it to a reputable phone repair shop. For many people, buying a new phone is the most convenient route to take. However, your budget may take a huge hit, or perhaps the damage is not worth the cost of buying a new unit. And of course, there is the sentimentality factor: either the unit was given to you by a loved one or you painstakingly saved money to buy that phone, so you can't simply dispose of it completely.

If your mobile phone is no longer covered by a warranty, you might be tempted to attempt phone repair. Most people can find numerous online resources which can serve as a guide for this task, from blog posts to online videos. But before attempting phone repair, know that there are a few caveats. For one, it is possible that you will void the warranty of the phone. Second, you will need to secure the right tools for the job. If you attempt to repair your phone with just any tool that you can get your hands on, the results may not be what you expect. Third, you will need to source the parts by yourself, many of which may not be readily available to the average consumer. Some of these parts can only be secured from online shops and you have to consider whether the costs involved, including shipping, are worth it.

So before attempting self-repair, you have to ask yourself if you are ready for the costs, tasks and risks involved. The easier route to take is to enlist the aid of professional technicians who have the knowledge, skills, experience and tools to do the job correctly the first time. In Dubai, there are a few reputable shops that can repair your smartphone for a reasonable fee and within a short time frame. The key here is to invest some time researching which of these repair shops offers the best service. You can go online and check each shop's reputation among consumers. But before you leave your phone at any of these shops, it is a good idea to back up important data and erase private or sensitive information.

A MacBook Does Not Have to Be Expensive - Save Money on Buying Refurbished Macs

The notebook market is a growing one; only a few years ago, the market for notebooks, in terms of units sold, passed the sales rate for desktop machines; one of the industry leaders in notebooks, and certainly the trendsetter in design, is Apple Incorporated, makers of the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of desktop computers. Macintoshes are elegant machines, with industry leading user interfaces and design elements, but they also command a premium price on the market, especially in their portable configuration. Fortunately, there is a market for refurbished Mac notebooks, and a thriving one, that will let you save money on buying refurbished Macs.

If you have concerns about buying refurbished Macs, put them to rest. Refurbished Macs (notebooks or desktops) are usually 'store returns'. Someone bought the notebook, set it up, found it was not for them, and returned it. Many of them were returned by people who had them on leases or a payment plan, and decided to upgrade. These machines get taken back into the shop and are extensively tested; in most cases, the hard drives are removed, overwritten, and imaged with a fresh installation of the operating system, while all other hardware questions are answered, and sometimes upgraded.

This is similar to the refurbishment process used for any other piece of consumer electronics gear. The item gets returned to the manufacturer, usually as part of a warranty replacement, it will be checked for defective components, and if it can be restored to salable condition, it is then offered for sale as a refurbished item.

Now, there are a few drawbacks on buying a Refurbished Mac - the warranty coverage isn't quite as sound, though you can still buy an extended warranty after you save money on buying refurbished Mac. The computer may have a few physical defects, such as a scratched case, or a scratched power brick. That being said, it is still a Mac, it is still running OS X, the best consumer desktop operating system in the world, and it's nearly immune to viruses and malware. You are also unlikely to get your hands on the latest Mac notebook models as refurbished items.

All that said, saving money on a refurbished Mac can be a great investment; it is a good way to try out the MacOS and the hardware without paying the premium Apple charges for it, or to buy a Macintosh notebook for a student heading off to college, or to buy a second one for use around the house. Macintosh notebooks are generally high-end designs when they are released, which means that a MacBook is still an effective piece of computer hardware, even a year or two later.

The Web's 5 Best Refurbished Notebook Destinations

Ready to enjoy the value of a refurbished notebook, but not sure where to get one from? The web is a great place to start, but there are so many options that buying online can be overwhelming. Simply searching for the term on Google yields nearly 1.2 million results! So where do you begin? Try these five great sites and you'll find your search is much easier than expected.

Newegg.com: This site is home to pretty much any tech gadget you could ever want, but its refurbished notebook selection really stands out. With over 25 different models in stock at price ranges varying from $320 to $980, there's bound to be something for everyone. Brands stocked include HP, Compaq, Asus, Toshiba and more. Shipping costs will run below $20, and the company's return policy allows you to return your purchase for a refund or exchange within 30 days. Newegg has historically performed quite well in the American Customer Service Index survey for e-commerce sites, so you can feel comfortable making your purchases from them.

Dell.com: You have probably heard stories about Dell's stellar customer service track record. The company made their name off of making service a priority in every they ship, so your confidence level should be high when dealing with them. A visit to their online Dell Outlet reveals an amazing selection of netbooks, gaming laptops, and Dell's popular Inspiron and Studio series notebooks. Every screen size is represented, and many of the company's signature customization options (choose from various colors or artists' designs) are available. Price ranges vary according to model, screen size, and technical specs, and the outlet really earns points with free shipping and an amazing "same as new" warranty which extends the same warranty coverage you would expect from a new pc.

Apple.com: For Mac loyalists looking for a great deal on a refurbished notebook, your best bet is to browse the Apple store online. There you will find a great selection of Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, Macbook Mini, and more. You can net anywhere from $200-$520 in savings, so this is definitely an option to check out if you're Mac shopping and hoping to land a bargain. A variety of screen sizes and hard drive capacities are available, so you will definitely have some options while shopping. If you are a Mac aficionado, you probably don't need much selling on why to visit Apple.com for anything, but you will especially appreciate their reconditioned selection.

Amazon.com: You probably stopped thinking about Amazon as just an online bookseller long ago, but did you realize that is was an excellent source of great deals on refurbished notebook? With over 150 models in stock ranging from basic Acer models that are perfect for very basic computing needs to higher-end Macbooks and Asus computers for the more advanced user, you will be able to find nearly anything you are looking for. The best perk of shopping through Amazon is that they display inventory from many other e-tailers, so in addition to seeing what they have in stock in their own warehouses, you are also browsing inventory from CompUSA, TigerDirect, and many other great companies. And if you are an Amazon Prime member, you will love the shipping benefits that can be applied to your computer purchase. For a smooth purchase experience, great customer service, and a wide selection, you cannot go wrong with Amazon.

Staples.com: Not all brick and mortar stores have mastered the art of e-commerce, but with high customer service scores (rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google Products reviews) and an easy-to-use web site, Staples has done just that. They carry Dell, IBM, and HP reconditioned laptops, and their prices are quite reasonable (ranging from $300-$500). Additionally, having a brick and mortar location is handy in that if you want to go view the computers in person, you are able to do so. This is important with laptops, since the size and layout of the keyboard can be an important factor in your purchase decision. Plus, delivery is free on all orders over $50! So start thinking about Staples as more than just your destination for office supplies and furniture; they are a viable contender for your computer-buying needs as well.

Each of these options has its own advantages, but the odds are good that if you are in the market for a reconditioned laptop, you will be able to find what you are looking for from at least one of these sources.

Network Monitoring - The Must Haves

IT administrators are spoilt for choice when shopping for network monitoring solutions. We have many vendors flaunting feature sets, pricing sheets, supported vendor list, comparison sheets etc. on their websites and collaterals. While all these are good developments for the seasoned IT administrators, the overkill on technical specifications and marketing ballyhoo can leave the not-so-experienced folks in utter confusion.

Say you are entrusted with finding a network monitoring solution to replace the many free tools you have been using to manage your small network. How do you go about choosing a solution? A good start is to know what the must-haves are and to ensure you have it all covered no matter what you finally end up choosing.

Automatic discovery

To begin monitoring and managing your network, you will need to import into the monitoring solution the details of the network devices and servers to be monitored. The network may look small now but it will grow and continue to include new devices from multiple vendors, so ensure the network monitoring tool has a vendor-agnostic multi-protocol discovery process, can auto-discover devices and also has provisions to perform a 'forced' discovery of a new device/ imported list of devices.

Smart classification & mapping

Different types of network elements - servers, routers, switches, firewalls etc., will have different parameters that need to be monitored for health and performance. The ability of a network monitoring solution to smartly categorize the devices according to their type and vendor will save one a lot of time during set-up. Another important requirement is being able to make custom maps by logically grouping devices to represent clustered environments or geographically distributed resources.

In-depth performance monitoring

One could easily get lost deciding on what to monitor to ensure 100% availability and top performance of the network. If you have been using many free tools, a good start is ensuring the network monitoring solution covers all that your free tools provided. Availability and basic performance parameters can be monitored using SNMP for most of IT infrastructure, of majority vendors. If your infrastructure consists of a mixture of Windows and Linux-based servers, WMI/ CLI (Telnet/ SSH connections) based monitoring capabilities provide an easy means of in-depth performance monitoring for these devices. Ability to monitor traffic flows is also an essential that brings you insights into how your network bandwidth is being consumed, a must for troubleshooting network slowness.

Security management

While security for the company's network and systems is a critical requirement and deserves the care and attention of another full-fledged team, it is important that as an IT admin, one at least knows when fraudulent access attempts are made. By monitoring system log messages that include Windows Event Logs, Syslogs on Unix-based devices, Firewall logs etc., you get to easily know of failed log-ins, failed attempts to secure files, account lock-outs etc.. An added advantage is if the network monitoring solution can extend its security monitoring capabilities by way of plug-ins or third party utilities.

Intelligent alerting

While investigating on alerting features, a must-have is triggering of emails attached with relevant information that can help you quickly correct network glitches. Other value features include triggering and running remediation scripts or programs, provisions for escalation of alarms and setting of device dependencies to prevent those avalanches of alerts. If your company appreciates workforce mobility then you will also want to check out if the network monitoring tool can alert via SMS and be accessed via smartphones. Latest along these lines is OpManager, a network monitoring software that even allows managing of alarms via Twitter Direct Messages.

Scalability & Reliability

Today you could have 50 servers and the very next day you could be managing 100 servers on the company adding a new branch. For the buck spent, it is wise to ensure you get a solution that can handle 5x the load it should presently take care of. Other questions if your company is very serious on having round-the-clock monitoring: Can the monitoring solution alert if the server on which it is hosted fails? Can a redundant failover server take up monitoring tasks and revert when the main server is back up?

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