Why put your business online? What approach to take? There are lots of ways to do it - choose the right one _for your business_.

1. CINFINITY
Choosing the Right Online Strategy
Getting Online For the Start Up Business
Aidan Finn
MCSE, MVP
Systems and Infrastructure Manager
afinn@cinfinity.ie
http://www.cinfinity.ie

2. ABOUT ME
• Working in IT since 1996: consulting, contracting
and administration
• Worked in large infrastructures, e.g. government,
finance and transport
• MCSE, Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
(MVP)
• Leader of Windows User Group
• Some writing and blog:
http://joeelway.spaces.live.com
• Systems and Infrastructure Manager at C Infinity

3. ABOUT C INFINITY
• In operation for 2 years
• Provides professional outsourcing services
• Data security services:
– Secure online backup
– Laptop and USB device encryption
• Managed server hosting:
– Using the best data centre in Ireland (Data
Electronics)
– Enterprise class equipment and support
– Enterprise class management and services

4. AGENDA
• What is happening in industry now?
• Do it yourself
• Co-location
• Basic entry to the Internet
• Unmanaged server hosting
• Managed server hosting
• Some tips
• Microsoft BizSpark

5. WHY GO ONLINE?
• No need for “brick shop”
• Rapid transactions
• Global reach
• Have one customer contact point
• Eliminate customer environment from
affecting your service/product quality
• Stickiness

6. INDUSTRY TREND
XYZ-as-a-Service
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
• Storage-as-a-Service
• Servers-as-a-Service
• Etc

7. WHY SERVICE ORIENTED?
Do you build a power station in the backyard to
turn on a light bulb?
• Customer: avoid becoming an accidental IT
company, pay for service as you use it, no big
bank loans
• Supplier: Provide one stable service, control
support and development, improve customer
stickiness

8. CLOUD COMPUTING
• The way to deliver Software-as-a-Service to
the customer
• Supplier can avoid becoming an accidental IT
company
• Use pre-existing infrastructure and expertise
• Scale quickly and reliably
• Pay for infrastructure as you use it

9. WHAT ARE CONCERNS?
• Being offline
• Breach of security
• Poor Performance
• Being non-compliant with regulators
• Damage to start-up business brand name
• Being an accidental IT company
• Distractions from developing the business

10. THE OPTIONS?
Lots of options and variations on the themes:
• DIY
• Co-Location
• Shared web services
• Unmanaged server hosting
• Managed server hosting
Lots of names and branding too

11. DO IT YOURSELF
Build your own “data centre”:
• Hire in expertise
• Expensive Internet connection
• Complex security infrastructure
• Server and storage hardware
• Difficult licensing
• Huge up-front investment and recurring costs

12. DO IT YOURSELF
+ -
•Get exactly what you want •Lack of available Internet
•Hire your own expertise •Risk of being offline
•New security required
•Poor performance due to
budget
•Non-compliance: physical
security
•Damage to start up brand
reputation
•Distractions from core
business

13. CO-LOCATION
Use and existing “data centre”:
• Use existing data centre and connections
• You provide your own expertise and
hardware
• Build your own security
• Supply your own licensing
• Large up-front investment and recurring
costs

14. CO-LOCATION
+ -
•Can use pre-existing data •New skills required
•Poor performance due to
centre
•Utilise internal expertise budget restrictions?
•Control hardware choices •Still risk to network and server
•Extend your own management security
•Build your own management
systems and network
•Gain access to large Internet systems
•Damage to start up brand
connections*
•Improved availability* reputation
•Better physical security* •Distractions from core
•More compliance* business
•Brand protection*

15. SHARED WEB SERVICES
Use existing services for web site and database
• Very cheap
• No infrastructure management required
• Small scale
• Great for brochure websites
• Risk to web site, e.g. shared application pools
• Larger attach surface
• Risk of DOS attacks on other sites

16. SHARED WEB SERVICES
+ -
•Very cheap •Web server is handling 1,000’s
•Skills to develop are widely of sites
•Database server is handling
available
•Quick to purchase and deploy 100’s of databases
•All infrastructure handled by •Other sites bring
service provider vulnerabilities
•Can have excellent •Servers have large attack
performance surfaces
•Superb for brochure sites •Other websites affect you
•Serious security issues
•Risk to brand reputation
•Are there backups?

17. UNMANAGED SERVER HOSTING
Called many things:
• Virtual private server
• Dedicated Server Hosting
Features:
• Leased server and storage hardware
• Hardware managed by provider
• You still must provide all management
systems and expertise

18. VIRTUALISATION
Traditional Server:
• 1 piece of hardware = 1 machine & OS
• Resources underutilised
Virtualisation
• Use specialist software to slice up the server
• 1 piece of hardware = many machines & OS’s

19. VIRTUALISATION OPTIONS
Like anything, lots of options:
• Memory oversubscription/bursting
• Processor oversubscription/bursting
• Clustered or un-clustered host servers

20. UNMANAGED SERVER HOSTING
+ -
•Lease instead of purchase •No management services for
hardware hardware, operating systems,
•Provider manages hardware services or applications
•Access cheaper virtualisation •You must provide server
with no investment management skills
•Dedicated servers customised •Potential security issues
•Risk of performance
to your needs
•Improved security* bottlenecks
•Improved performance* •Beware non-clustered systems
•Improved reliability* •Backups?
•Billing can be unpredicatable

21. MANAGED SERVER HOSTING
Features:
• Leased server and storage hardware
• Hardware managed by provider
• Complete end-end and top-bottom
management systems in place
• IT infrastructure skills available
• Focus on compliance, performance and
availability

22. MANAGED SERVER HOSTING
+ -
•Lease instead of purchase •You normally must use the
hardware providers preferred brands
•Provider manages hardware
and virtualisation
•Dedicated servers customised
to your needs
•Use existing expertise
•Superb security
•High performance
•Extremely reliable
•Backup systems
•Predictable billing

23. SOME TIPS: SECURITY
Security Is Complex:
• Physical facility
• Network
• Server
• Services
• Applications
• Custom programs

24. SOME TIPS: FACILITY
All data centres are not alike:
• Computer rooms – typically converted from
office space
• Data Centres – usually custom built
• Tier I to Tier IV data centres: differences in
fault tolerance
• Inspect the facility by appointment and
randomly late at night
• Investigate SLA claims

25. SOME TIPS: SERVICE PROVIDER
Do your homework:
• Check references
• Ask for proof of certifications
• Investigate SLA’s
• Do some searching on the Internet
• Meet the technical staff before you sign up

26. SOME TIPS: PICKING A SOLUTION
• Don’t just take my opinions
• Seek many opinions
• Beware anyone who says there is only 1
solution
• Take your time – this is the foundation of
your online business
• Have your techies meet their techies
• Get demonstrations

27. MICROSOFT BIZSPARK
Aimed at start ups:
• <3 years old
• <$1,000,000 annual revenue
• Privately owned
• €100 cost on exit
Benefits:
• Free MSDN for development
• Free PSS Support
• Access to partner network
• Reduced price server hosting from partners
• Free MS production software via hosting
partners

28. WE’RE A BIZSPARK HOSTING PARTNER

29. CINFINITY
The experts in data protection and infrastructure hosting services
Aidan Finn
afinn@cinfinity.ie
http://www.cinfinity.ie
My Blog: http://joeelway.spaces.live.com
Happy to take questions now or afterwards ...