Three of the most common questions asked are ‘How is my data protected?’, ‘Where is my data?’ and ‘Who has access to my data? These are valid questions and ones that any organization considering making a move to the Cloud should be asking. Threats to an organization’s security are a reality and I would expect a business owner to ask these questions and others too.

But when looking at Cloud-based services, are the security concerns any different to those that businesses have been facing for the past 30 years? I don’t think so. So while these concerns are justified, I would argue that they are unsubstantiated because the approach to security should be no different if it’s in the Cloud or on-premise.
Let’s address each question separately.

‘How is my data protected?’

It in the interest of every vendor offering cloud-based services that its clients’ data is secure and protected. In a country like the United States where a lawsuit could result in material punitive damages for a business, Cloud-based solution vendors do their utmost to protect the data they are managing. They have to out-perform because they know that a single incidence, a single breach could lead to litigation and significant risk. Therefore, Cloud-based solution vendors not only have the latest technology, the latest firewalls, the best datacenters and the highest levels of redundancy possible but they will apply multiple layers of defense in-depth that your average business (a Fortune 500 company may be an exception) can never have. Thus, if the cloud-based vendor can offer such a high level of security that is beyond what an SMB can provide, isn’t this concern irrational?

‘Where is my data?’

If Cloud-based solution vendors are going to extremes to protect their clients’ data, rest assured that they are also using optimized mechanisms to replicate and secure that data across multiple locations. If a business’s security concerns are being addressed, the location of its data should be of little concern. That is why I’d argue that this fear is also not justifiable.

‘Who has access to my data?’

I would argue that clients’ concerns should focus on how flexible the service provider is in meeting their requirements. In choosing a vendor, the existing security policies adopted must meet the needs of the business paying for the service. Moreover, if the client’s security requirements change, these changes must also be reflected in the security policies implemented by the Cloud-based solution vendors. What has changed with the Cloud is the extent that security policies can change. For example, if an employee is made redundant, you would delete his account and block all access to the network. When using a Cloud-based service, you now also have to block any access rights to the data that is stored in the Cloud. The concern that an employee could take confidential data with him is the same in both cases. The process to stop that requires additional policies. This is why it is so important that a vendor’s security policies are flexible and can change as their clients’ needs change.

Organizations also need to look at associated costs if they decide to change vendors. The decision to choose a cloud-based solution vendor must be based on the following rule: if the switching /migration costs are greater than the annual subscription costs, then it is wise to steer clear and avoid unnecessary risk.

One final point I’d like to make is that security issues may have changed slightly with this delivery model but the approach to security should be the same irrespective of where the data is kept – on-premise or hosted/managed in the Cloud. The same best practices apply. Good business judgement is still required. What I do believe is that security in the cloud will be better than anything a small or mid-size business can implement.

To cite a few examples, we have had over 1,000 partners attend our GFI MAX introductory webinars and partner sponsored events and the number of registrations to try out the software on a trial basis has rocketed. We have also featured in the leading Channel publications and scores of websites carried our press releases.

I feel this interest goes beyond pure curiosity but reflects the Channel’s genuine need for solutions that give Partners what they are looking for – complementary solutions that enable them to sell more and provide value added to their clients.

With GFI MAX we are offering the channel a fantastic opportunity to become managed service providers using a product that recently won the Business Solutions Magazine’s Best Channel Product 2009 Award. Recognized by the Channel as one of the best products on the market, this award validates our position when we say that GFI MAX is the best monitoring solution on the market, with the best reporting and the best value for the Channel.

I cannot but stress on the importance of value. A survey we carried out in June clearly showed that MSPs still find it hard to show customers value from managed services contracts. With GFI MAX, however, we have shown that an easy, affordable solution exists that can help MSPs to take better care of their clients at less cost.

With Katharion, we will be able to increase our solutions portfolio and to strengthen our commitment to our Channel partners worldwide. The Katharion solution, which we will be launching later this quarter, is another solution for the Channel to sell to both their existing customer base and new customers. Now they will be in a position to offer a hosted email filtering, anti-spam and anti-virus service.

Katharion now puts us in a position to give customers and the Channel the option to sell a hosted solution and a bevy of edge services that will only help them to improve sales, margins and profits. Ultimately, the Channel’s success is our success.

Our message is simple: We want to give our partners and clients the ability to maximize the strengths of both online and on-premise solutions. We are confident that our Hybrid approach (nearly all of our products will be available online or on-premise) is the best one for small and medium-sized businesses.

By combining our hybrid approach with a range of ‘edge services’ – aimed at providing defence-in-depth, business continuity and redundancy – we are giving the best possible solutions and infrastructure to partners and our customers. The hybrid approach will help them to improve the way they do business and the security of their network at minimal cost to them or the next for expensive changes to their set-up.

Overall, these acquisitions will allow GFI to continue developing its solutions portfolio and our ability to be an infrastructure provider for the small and medium-size business.

As I have had occasion to say over the past few weeks, these acquisitions are but the first step of our journey to provide the Channel and our customer install base with the option to choose between on-premise and on-line products or a combination of both.

Technology gives choice and I believe we, as vendors for small and medium sized businesses, should not restrict them into choosing either way. Giving them a hybrid delivery model, not only ensures that we are listening to and giving SMBs what they need but it also gives us a much wider market in which to grow and do business.

Our approach to managed services and Cloud computing is a work in progress and we are looking at new technologies and other companies that can help us offer our current on-premise solutions in the Cloud while contributing further to our growth and revenue.

This is an exciting phase in GFI’s history, so stay tuned for more developments in the coming weeks.

The first is that HoundDog Technology Ltd, a leading remote monitoring and management company in the UK, has joined the GFI family. HoundDog provides Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Valued Added Resellers (VARs) and IT support organizations with an easier, more affordable way to monitor and manage their clients’ network, while providing them with a recurring revenue stream.

The second is that we are re-launching the technology as GFI MAX™, which is undoubtedly the best monitoring and reporting solution you will find on the market and one that provides the best possible value to the channel.

This is an exciting time for everyone at GFI and the addition of HoundDog is something we have been looking forward to. And rightly so, because not only have we acquired a best-of-breed managed services software company that shares with us the same strategic vision and focus on the SMB, but it is also the first of a number of initiatives that GFI is undertaking to provide customers with a range of services that include both on-premise and on-line solutions.

HoundDog’s technology, which is being re-launched today as GFI MAX, is currently being used by MSPs to help over 27,000 customers in nine countries. It was recently selected as Best MSP solution at Gartner Group’s IT Channel Vision Awards, it received five-out-of-five Tech Stars from CRN Reviews, and has been shortlisted for CRN’s Software Vendor of the Year along with Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and Citrix.

Simply put, this is a fantastic solution for the Channel to provide added value to their clients and to create a recurring revenue stream with excellent profit margins.

There is a lot that can be said about the technology, how it can be used and what the benefits are for the channel. However, I think the following points summarize the benefits:

How will the Channel benefit?

• No upfront costs, contract commitments
• An easy-to-sell solution
• The best monitoring solution
• The best reporting solution
• A recurring revenue stream with excellent profit margins
• Set-up in just 10 minutes
• Tools to help you grow your business

GFI MAX gives the channel the ability to:

• monitor clients’ systems 24/7
• deliver daily health checks
• provide proactive, best-of-breed service
• spot emerging problems
• boost recurring revenues
• perform Workstation Monitoring
• perform effective hardware and software asset tracking
• fix problems remotely
• send email & SMS alerts
• deliver customized/branded reports
• provide a client portal

A dynamic integration process is currently in place and GFI will be channeling its resources to make GFI MAX an even better product; adding more value and functionality and over the coming months, we plan to introduce:

• Desktop management
• Scripting
• Patch management
• Remote access

We encourage all MSPs, VARS and IT support companies who are currently offering a managed service or are interested in expanding their services to take a look at what GFI MAX has to offer.

Stay tuned for more news about GFI’s plans to offer SMBs a more choice between on-premise or on-line solutions, but in the meantime, check out GFI MAX .

Cybercriminals have honed their skills using technology to defraud people. Their modus operandi evolves daily and while financial gain and access to corporate data is a primary reason for their activity, we are witnessing a new breed of hackers whose sole interest is now to cause damage to businesses and governments. The outcome is one that hits businesses’ pockets hard.

That is why I believe that our messaging and strategy for positioning security to SMBs needs to change. We need to continue creating awareness on the myriad threats that exist out there, but we also need to focus on issues that are of greater interest to businesses: how security (or lack of) hits their profits.

Business owners don’t want to be told how a security threat could possibly affect them but they do want to be told how an email management system – set up with minimal cost – will save thousands of dollars by cutting down the number of unproductive hours managing the unmanageable.

They want to be told how a small investment can prevent corporate data from being lost through portable storage devices, social engineering attacks and unmonitored endpoints.

The point here is that we need to correlate security to productivity cost throughout the sales cycle. Obviously there are security risks but what about the costs associated with the above?

Are businesses aware that they are losing hundreds of dollars in non-productive, non-work-related online activity when productivity can be drastically improved if that activity is control and monitored?

Do they realize that employees downloading or watching videos on YouTube is hogging up bandwidth; bandwidth they are paying handsomely for every month? If eight employees spend an hour a day on social networking sites, the business has lost a full day of productive work. Taking the average hourly rate to be $18, this translates into a non-productive cost of $144 a day or $37,440 a year (260 working days). What if all your employees spent an hour a day browsing the internet?

Do businesses factor in the costs involved if they had to be caught napping and were unable to produce emails requested in a legal suit, let alone the burden on IT administrators to manage growing demands for additional storage space and the nightmare to keep track of employees’ .PST files?

I have no doubt that many small-and medium-sized businesses are ignoring these facts and this is probably one reason, among many, why security issues are not given proper consideration. Combined with their lack of awareness on how security threats are evolving (and targeting SMBs) it is not surprising that businesses continue to equate security to spam and viruses.

And this is why we need to change our approach to positioning security. Securing business will depend on how effective we are in explaining to customers that failing to address security in today’s ever-changing environment is costing them money – far more than if they were to spend a few hundred dollars in the first place!

We need to change our battle cry once and for all. Security is a cost of doing business but a worthwhile cost if it will safeguard a business’s profits and existence.

Walter Scott is CEO of GFI Software

Throughout 2009, we have been focusing heavily on further enhancing our communications with our customers, partners and the community in which we operate – and this is another exciting step in that process, with the goal of becoming a valuable resource for IT professionals and network administrators everywhere.

Earlier this year, we launched wecare@gfi.com, an email account that is directly routed to GFI Executive Management, whereby each email received is tackled with the appropriate urgency. GFI understands that 91% of customers who leave will never return.; 96% of customers who leave will not tell you the reason why they left;  80% of customers who have issues will do business with you again if their problem is handled quickly and to their satisfaction.  When the incident is really bad and they leave, the stories about what happened will live on for years.

It is virtually impossible for a software company to develop a complex bug-free software product.  So customers will have problems and when that happens, it is our top priority to solve them.  To help address this, we’ve significantly expanded our Tech Support team to ensure faster response times and more efficient assistance to our customers.

We’ve revived our featurerequests@gfi.com inbox, through which you can submit product ideas. We will be launching an application to allow customers and partners to help us set development priorities.  We’ve been building on our partner relations through an enriched partner area, more webinars and more dialogue.

Simultaneously, we want to focus on ‘informal channels’ to make the team at GFI as accessible as possible – for example, through our presence on Facebook and Twitter. This is why we are inaugurating this blogging area today: We want this to be a place to connect, where the relationship between us, the IT community and our customers and partners can be further cultivated.

It will be a center point for GFI announcements, news and updates on the latest developments, as well as another means through which you can send us your thoughts, comments and ideas. Our GFI Fixes It zone will cover key updates from our Customer Support team.

Talk Tech To Me will not simply be GFI-focused, however: our goal extends well beyond that! Our Tech Zone is aimed to be a source of technical information for IT professionals and network administrators the world over: another way in which our WE CARE initiative is rendered tangible as we offer a helping hand on technical and security trends, issues, tips and news.

We want our SMB Zone be the place that small and medium-sized businesses go to for topical articles, current tech issues and white papers related specifically to SMBs – and to link up with their counterparts.

Among others, the brains from the GFI Product Engineering, Product Management and Support departments will all contribute towards this blog, guaranteeing that our posts will have genuine value and application in a system administrator’s daily life.

We welcome you to this new GFI space and look forward to receiving your comments!