The BIG Cloud, what it is and how it can help your business.

The Big Cloud was launched in August 2009 to meet the modern needs of growing firms throughout the UK and Nigeria. Oshosh have a long history of providing innovative and cost effective IT solutions within the business sector including web based systems. Historically businesses had to plan their growth accurately and invest in the necessary IT facilities to accommodate this growth. This has always been a little difficult but in the current climate it is proving impossible to predict what is ahead or even to raise the capital for IT infrastructure. The Big Cloud is a simple one stop solution to all your IT needs within a single web portal and more importantly there is no expensive up front purchases. There is a straight forward cost per user per month. Many other companies have provided parts of the overall solution such as a BackOffice system, a scanning solution or research tools, in addition to the numerous providers of email services. At Oshosh we firmly believe that what is needed is a single managed Web Portal that provides ALL of the following in one place :-

 

  • Web Hosted Back Office System
  • Hosting of chosen research tools
  • Microsoft Exchange Email System
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Document scanning and storage
  • General File Storage
  • Email Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus scanning
  • Email Encryption suitable for FSA regulation
  • Access to Email services via outlook, Web Interface or Smartphone
  • Unlimited helpdesk to support every user with any IT problems

We also include remote control to your computer or your smart phone to allow us to provide the quickest possible solution and therefore allow you to get on with your work.
All of these systems are run from our dedicated hosting centre’s located in Abuja, Nigeria and South East London and managed by a team of highly experienced engineers with extensive knowledge of software and hardware manufacturers in today’s market.

ACCESSIBILITY – From Anywhere

The system is designed to be very easy to use and accessible over the internet from anywhere. We currently manage over 2000 users on this technology every day. There is no need to install your programs on your PC or Notebook, all you need is access to the internet and to install a small free program that will manage your secure connection to the web portal. The free software can be installed on as many PCs as you wish and you just pay for the right to access the system. For a single licence fee this will allow the same person to log in from Head Office, Branch Office, Hotel, Home or any WiFi location, anytime of the day or night. We also support the widest possible range of end user systems so users can not only access the portal from Microsoft based Notebooks or PC’s but also from Apple Macs, Linux PC’s, Unix Systems, Windows Mobile Handsets and a wide variety of Smart phones.
The end user simply logs onto the Internet and goes to the assigned Website address where they enter their username and Password taking them to the applications they wish to run. Using the system is very simple and to the user it will feel the same as having the program on their computer but without the hassle, cost or security risks one normally expects. The technology we utilise is just an evolution of what we have been doing for years but the exciting bit is that there are no expensive up-front purchases or the need to pay for spare capacity you may need in the future.

You can share your documents, scanned files, database and diaries with your colleagues at any time and in real time. Users can be supported by Para-Planners, PA’s, Admin, Accounts, Management and Compliance anywhere in the country or the world for that matter. They can enter data, do research, calculate valuations print correspondence and email their clients from anywhere anytime. No more need to drive all the way back to the office just to do “paperwork” and for that matter is there really a need for an office desk?
This system gives your company the ability to concentrate on business leaving the IT to the experts. You pick the tools you need for a fixed cost and these are delivered to each and every member of staff with no sudden upgrade costs and no expensive downtime with unexpected repair bills.
This truly delivers to every company the kind of systems and services normally only available to the larger organisations.

The Cloud, what is The Cloud?

The internet has revolutionised the way we work and in turn our lives. Life without the Internet seems impossible; less than 10 years ago many of the biggest organisations today hadn’t even heard of The Cloud, let alone market leaders in Internet innovation.
Just as life without the Internet seems virtually impossible, in the next few years Cloud computing will be making the same impact on how IT services are delivered across businesses, using the Internet as a vehicle to deliver cloud benefits. It is estimated that over 25% of all IT spend will be in the cloud.
Just as the days of posting a business letter have vanished from the innovation of the Internet, the days of keeping a server on site will vanish within the business world with Cloud computing, along with all the associated costs.

So what is Cloud Computing?

Traditional business applications—like those from SAP and Microsoft—have always been too complicated and expensive. They need a data centre with office space, power, cooling, bandwidth, networks, servers and storage which further complicate life and a team of experts to install, configure and run them is required. They need development, testing, staging, production and failover environments, which all have added costs and require specialised skills.

Cloud computing is a better way to run your business. Instead of running your application yourself, they run in a data centre. When you use any applications that run in the cloud, you just log in, customise it, and start using it. That’s the power of Cloud computing.
Businesses are running all kinds of applications in the cloud these days, like CRM, HR, accounting and custom-built apps. Cloud-based applications can be up and running in a few days, which is unheard of with traditional business software. They cost less, because you don’t need to pay for all the people, products and facilities to run them. And, it turns out they’re more scalable, more secure and more reliable than most apps. Plus, upgrades are taken care of for you, so your apps get security and performance enhancements and new features – automatically.
The way you pay for cloud-based applications is also different. Forget about buying servers and software. When your apps run in the cloud, you don’t buy anything. It’s all rolled up into a predictable monthly subscription, so you only pay for what you actually use. This is called Software as a Service (SaaS).

 

What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?

On demand software services licensing removes the customer’s burden of equipping a device with every application. On demand licensing enables software to become a variable expense, rather than a fixed cost at the time of purchase. As the software is delivered as a service, its added advantage is that you pay only for what is used. The initial up-front cost has disappeared. This model enables the business users to request IT services like a telephone line. The benefits of these are self-evident – NO infrastructure and its associated costs.