Frontier Technology, London’s premier Enterprise-Class Cloud Computing provider, invites you to attend a briefing that will discuss everything that’s Cloud Technology.

Learn the different practical applications  of Cloud Computing.

Find out what’s trending and how other organisations in the UK are making the most out of Cloud.

Discover how to reduce cost and boost operations.

Seats are limited. REGISTER NOW to avoid disappointment.

30th of May, 2012   |   9:00 AM – 1:00 PM   |   1 America Square, 17 Crosswall, London EC3N 2LB  (Click here for directions.)

AGENDA

9:00 – 9:30          Breakfast & Registration

9:30 – 9:40          Welcome & Introduction

9:40 – 10:10        The Cloud @ Frontier Technology

10:10 – 10:40      Infrastructure as a Service

10:40 – 10:50      Coffee/Tea Break

10:50 – 11:20      Cloud for Business Continuity

11:20 – 11:50      Cloud for Back-up, Archive & Email

11:50 – 12:00      Security & Systems Tuning in the Cloud

12:00 – 12:15      Q & A | Closing

12:15 – 1:00        Lunch and Peer-to-Peer Networking

For enquiries about this event, please call Divina Tumlos at 0845 603 6552 or send her an email at divina.tumlos@frontiertechnology.co.uk

Intelligent Desktop Virtualisation (IDV), a phrase coined by Intel®, describes a different approach to desktop virtualisation. Where VDI centralises both management and execution of virtual desktops, IDV maintains the benefits of centralised management while securely leveraging the computing power of end-point devices to deliver better performance, mobility, and cost of ownership while reducing complexity.

On the 7^th June, from 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM, Virtual Computer, Citrix & Frontier Technology invite you to a webinar that introduces IDV and compares this approach with VDI to help you understand what best suits your organisation.

NxTop from Virtual Computer is the leading IDV solution and has just been acquired by Citrix, so we will also look at where NxTop will sit in the Citrix portfolio.

To register for the Webinar:  Click here.

A summary of the basic NxTop proposition can be found at: http://www.virtualcomputer.com/nxtop

Here’s a two minute video that highlights NxTop’s key benefits:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN70yaRk6gM

See the Press Release announcing the Citrix acquisition of Virtual Computer: 

http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/news/news.asp?newsID=2324089&ntref=hp_promo_XenClient_VC

From vendors such as Intel and Lenovo plus industry figures like Brian Madden and others, here’s a summary of their comments: http://www.virtualcomputer.com/about/notable-quotes

Frontier Technology recently announced a simplified and reduced cost model for their cloud-based data management platform. They can help you with your data management requirements and at the same time let you save on capital expenditure. From only 59p/gigabyte/month, they will look after your data and safely host them in their state-of-the-art data centre.  This will also cover the costs for offsite backup, backup license, setup and storage space and connectivity to the data centre. Three enterprise-class services are offered by Frontier Technology:

• Frontier Protection Service: Multi-platform backup and recovery; including support for granular application recovery, third generation virtual machine support and block level de-duplication for just 59 pence per Gigabyte, per month.
• Frontier Vault Service: Multi-platform archive capability; reduce the size of email and file systems by archiving older ‘stale’ items according to policies you control. Users still have seamless, online access to archived items for just 59 pence per Gigabyte, per month.
• Frontier Discovery Service: An optional add-on to the Protection and/or Vault services; client data is indexed with an “Internet-Class” engine that allows users to easily search for content or for the business to use for audit and compliance exercises. The cost of the service is dependent on the number of items being indexed. 

As a bonus, clients will get an automated policy-based backup, receive a monthly report on backup performance and storage usage, and will be assigned a dedicated server to restore enrolled data in the unlikely event of a disaster recovery.

Whilst the client has full control of policies and recovery via a 24×7 accessible self-service portal, the infrastructure is managed and supported by Frontier Technology from a Tier 4 data centre, the pinnacle of data centre standards. To assure redundancy and fast recovery, its backup data centre is Tier 3, the category where most of UK’s data centres fall under.  It runs on Tier 1 connectivity, the highest standard in network connectivity. The data centres are UK-based and owned, thereby avoiding the implications of the US Patriot Act.

Recently, Frontier Technology increased its data centre’s server capacity by 50%. This includes doubling hardware units such as servers, storage and other network devices. They have deployed only industry-trusted, best of breed technologies from EMC, Cisco, HP & Dell. Additionally, they have also laid further capital on its data centres’ Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity capabilities.

“We are happy to accommodate the expansion of both customer size and the individual customer’s unique demands,” quips Managing Director Edwin Wong. “With that, as hosting provider, we have to make sure that our data centre is able to accommodate not only the current situation but also to provide ample space and facilities for future clients. We value our customers’ trust in us and this is why we give them the best possible cloud experience.”

Frontier Technology’s main data centre is classified as Tier 4, globally considered as the pinnacle of data centre standards. To assure redundancy and fast recovery, its backup data centre is Tier 3, the category where most of UK’s data centres fall under.  It runs on Tier 1 connectivity, the highest standard in network connectivity.  It is UK-based and owned therefore free from the US Patriot Act.

Trending in top IT stories and with thousands of cloud solutions providers in the UK, information overload can easily pull you away from what is essential. If your company is planning to reduce the investment, volume and other resources that are usually attached to your traditional dedicated IT equipment, know the foundations of your cloud technology.

INFRASTRUCTURE.  Go for the best there is. Choose a Tier 4  data centre, the pinnacle in data centre standards. This enterprise-class facility is designed to host mission-critical computer systems with fully redundant subsystems and compartmentalised security zones. Ideally, it must be located outside London, the easiest target for untoward events in the UK. Make sure there is at least one backup data centre to assure redundancy and fast recovery in the event when a business continuity solution is invoked. 

An infrastructure’s connectivity is just as important.  Choose Tier 1 connectivity, the highest standard in internet network connectivity.  This ensures that the data centre’s network is one that does not rely on another supplier for its connectivity to reach any other areas of the internet.

 If security is a high priority, pick one that is UK-based and owned, protecting your precious data from the US Patriot Act. In addition, ensure that the physical location of your preferred data centre has the highest levels of security and is monitored round the clock.

SUPPORT.  Would you rather not go through a call screening process when you urgently need to talk to someone who can actually give you the right answer in the event of an emergency? Would you rather speak directly to a technical consultant when you have pressing queries regarding your data and applications? The best support is rendered by providers who have no layered assistance.

 Whether you have 5 or 500+ servers, you deserve an unwavering enterprise-class service. A direct support system guarantees that your concerns will immediately be addressed by the right consultant. The top providers should be reached 24 x 7 through a dedicated helpline, customer portal, email or via SMS.

True IT risk professionals know that 100% guarantee is likely a marketing myth. If a provider advertises such, you should examine closely.  Instead, look for one that can realistically deliver the industry’s guaranteed network and server infrastructure uptime which is 99.999%. This claim must be supported by the consultants’ level of experience and quality of software and hardware put in place by the hosting centre in building their infrastructure and your cloud.

PARTNERSHIP.  Let your cloud work for you.  Let your cloud provider do the same. You should make the call while your provider acts both as consultant and staff. You create the vision, your cloud partner should help you see it to fruition.

Your organisation is like no other. Your provider must tailor a customer-based SLA to suit your unique requirements. Don’t put your organisation in a box.  Enjoy the freedom that cloud brings. A consultative one-on-one engagement with your hosting partner means you are heard, given appropriate advice and properly enabled in bringing your cloud to tangible terms.

The best partnership is a synergy of three main elements: your organisation’s IT vision, your cloud provider’s expertise and infrastructure and, just as important, your cloud provider’s technology providers. Blended in together, you can be assured of a smooth transition and operation that leads to cost and risk reduction, agility, productivity and all the other wonders that cloud technology promises.

 Avoid the high cost of systems failure. At a minimal cost, tune-up with Frontier Technology’s Citrix Performance Review (CPR).

Be proactive and allow your Citrix systems to perform its best from the Queen’s Jubilee through to the finish of the Olympics and Paralympics. With CPR, industry recognised Citrix consultants will review your systems, identify probable faults and recommend maintenance measures to ensure your organisation remains productive and your users delighted for when you need your systems the most.

 Frontier Technology offers FREE consultation to help you understand how your optimized Citrix systems can work best for you. For details and enquiries, please contact Divina Tumlos at 0845 603 6552, divina.tumlos@frontiertechnology.co.uk

The survey covered 387 UK IT professionals, and was run by Vision Solutions in concert with Frontier Technology, a cloud services provider based in London. It also found the following:

• When asked if cloud computing was a good fit for their organisation, 18 per cent of companies said that they were already making use of cloud technologies, while 16 per cent were considering how to make the most of cloud. 33 per cent of organisations did not see cloud as a good fit, while 31 per cent were undecided on this approach.
• When asked what issues they were facing, budget constraints were listed as the number one concern by 67 per cent of all respondents. This was followed by lack of in-house expertise (35 per cent) and staff efficiency (30 per cent).

Ian Masters, Sales Director UK and Ireland, Vision Solutions: “The interest in cloud computing continues to gather momentum within end user organisations, but there is also greater awareness that there are multiple different models for using the cloud. For the majority of those who were surveyed, hybrid or private cloud computing models are seen as the most appropriate solutions for their own organisations. In order for cloud computing to be successful, vendors have to demonstrate not only that solutions can fit customer requirements from a technical perspective, but also from a control and management point of view as well. When it comes to disaster recovery, the cloud offers a real option for organisations looking to lower costs associated with running DR sites filled with potentially unutilised resources.”

Vision Solutions supports cloud-based disaster recovery and business continuity services with its Double-Take Availability and RecoverNow products, which offer real-time replication of data from target servers over to any platform, including physical servers, virtual machine solutions such as VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, and other cloud platforms. Frontier Technology’s Frontier Continuity Service, based on Double-Take, offers a private cloud disaster recovery solution that removes the need for customers to rely on their IT department to manage essential data. This service methodology complies with the BS25999 specification, which covers design, build, implementation and exercising fail-over capabilities.

Edwin Wong, Managing Director, Frontier Technology: “Areas like virtualisation and cloud are of significant interest to the customers who we are speaking to on a daily basis, as there is still a lot of education required for companies to feel comfortable around these technologies. However, the opportunity to see better value from cloud is tangible: we have customers who entrust their disaster recovery and business continuity strategies to our cloud platform, as we can provide real-time protection for their company data, and we can demonstrate how using the cloud can offer enterprise-class disaster recovery for all sizes of organisations.”

There are a number of reasons why businesses are hesitating, The most common of which is the capital expenditure needed to set-up flexible working and business continuity solutions that may only be needed from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June through to the end of the Olympics and Paralympics in September.

According to a recent study by recruitment company Badenoch & Clark, one in six employees in the UK will file for a sick leave to take part in The Games and the festivities. Transport for London, on the other hand, is predicting 60% over capacity usage on the tube, pushing commute times to double or possibly treble.

With likely challenges such as these, it would be wise to enable staff to work from any location during the disruptive months. Better still, to do so without having to finance the expense of purchasing a full license and the other associated costs of implementing a full-scale in-house remote access solution would be best.

With around six million athletes, officials, organizers and visitors coming to the City, the threat of major disasters and public disorder should not be taken lightly. A short-term disaster recovery strategy will ensure business operations will not be compromised and halted, no matter what happens. The Olympics 2008 in China was bombarded with terrorist threats before and after the Opening ceremonies. With less than two weeks before the opening in Beijing, a terrorist group released a video claiming responsibility for a bus bombing that killed a number of people and destroyed a number of businesses.

Frontier Technology, the London-based systems integrator and cloud computing provider, recognises this collective dilemma and has created a cloud-based strategy that firms can utilise to ensure they remain in a ‘business as usual’ operating mode during The Games period.  The strategy is a three month cover that resolves issues on flexible working, business continuity and disaster recovery. It lets organisations choose which data and applications they want to be made available and safeguarded whilst  Frontier Technology ensures that they are delivered on demand to the organisation’s employees, from any location via any internet-connected device.  This technology is customisable and delivers seamless access to the organisation’s staff, irrespective of where they will be working.

It works by temporarily transferring business systems to Frontier Technology’s highly available, highly secure, Tier 4 data centres that are located outside of London for added security. To ensure continuity in business operations, data and systems will be replicated from the main data centre to the backup data centre located over 60 miles away.  The transfer of data and applications to the data centres, and back to a client’s site, will require no downtime and no interruption to running IT systems. Significantly, there is no investment in hardware and or software required.

29% of the 1200 companies surveyed by British Telecoms – including FTSE100 firms, SMEs and public sector organisations  – admitted to having no strategy planned for the inevitable disruption brought about by the Games. Further, 90% expect to be affected by issues regarding staff tardiness and absences, transportation, supply chain management, higher cost of accommodation and even threats to personal and business security.

Is your organisation prepared?

To download the presentation slides of our recently concluded event at The Royal Exchange, London, please click here.

Intelligent Desktop Virtualisation (IDV), a phrase coined by Intel®, describes a different approach to desktop virtualisation. Where VDI centralises both management and execution of virtual desktops, IDV maintains the benefits of centralised management while securely leveraging the computing power of end-point devices to deliver better performance, mobility, and cost of ownership while reducing complexity.  

 On the 14th of March, Virtual Computer & Frontier Technology invite you to judge for yourself what the most suitable desktop management and virtualisation solution is for your organisation.  

 Seats are limited. Register now to avoid disappointment.  

AGENDA

09:00 – 09:30      Registration & Breakfast

09:30 – 09:45      Welcome & Introductions

09:45 – 10:30      Virtualisation Options: VDI or IDV

10:30 – 10:45      Coffee/Tea Break

10:45 – 11:15      Overview of the Virtual Computer NxTop Enterprise

11:15 – 11:45       The Ecosystem: Use Cases & Your Environment

11:45 – 12:00      Closing and Q&A

12:00 – 01:00      Lunch & Peer-to-Peer Networking          

  “Attend and find out how your organisation can gain 90% savings on infrastructure investment”

 About Our Keynote Speaker:

Dan McCall, President & CEO Virtual Computer

As President and CEO of Virtual Computer, Dan has led the company to become the forerunner in intelligent desktop virtualisation. Under his leadership, the company has launched award-winning products, achieved rapid growth, and built strong partnerships with industry leaders such as Intel and Lenovo.  

Why you should attend -

• Know what the next-gen desktop virtualisation solution, IDV, is all about
• Gain a thorough understanding of the pros and cons of VDI and IDV 
• Explore new and easy ways to manage your desktops
• Share your experience with your peers

NxTop is the first product in the industry to combine centralized management with a Type-1 client hypervisor, offering IT professionals full control over the endpoint device and giving users new levels of flexibility. However, many believe that desktop virtualisation is just an enabling technology and the main objective is to simplify and reduce costs of PC management. NxTop offers a compelling solution.

For enquiries about this event, please call Divina Tumlos at 0845 603 6552 or send her an email at divina.tumlos@frontiertechnology.co.uk

Highlights of this development include:

• New Simpana OnePass capability slashes the combined time typically required to backup, archive and report by more than 50 percent over traditional methods with the industry’s first converged backup, archive and reporting process designed to affordably protect, manage and access data on systems that have become “too big”.

• Simpana SnapProtect technology now delivers the industry’s broadest hardware snapshot integration, providing customers with SAN investment protection and choice, eliminating the backup window, accelerating recovery and reducing costs.

• Simpana software enhancements accelerate virtual server adoption further by helping organizations better manage, protect and scale virtual machines across their enterprises and into the cloud.

• New Simpana Edge Protection protects data on laptops and desktops with embedded source deduplication for optimized efficiency. End users now have flexibility to search, access and perform self-service recovery through any Windows, iOS and/or Android device.

• New Simpana 9 integration with Microsoft SharePoint improves application performance, capacity utilization and shrinks backup windows.

Frontier Technology is a CommVault partner.  For more information, please get in touch with Divina Tumlos at divina.tumlos@frontiertechnology.co.uk or 0845 603 6552.