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September 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Advantages of a Hosted Solution

At SpinWeb, we are big advocates of hosted solutions. This philosophy of outsourcing hosting and software is also sometimes called “Cloud Computing” or “Software as a Service” (SaaS). Despite the current trends and data that support the wisdom of a hosted solution, I still frequently encounter resistance from some business owners and, more frequently, IT people.

So why the resistance? I can’t figure it out. The advantages of an outsourced hosting and software infrastructure are so compelling that it can sometimes be difficult to understand why it’s not considered more often.

So what are the advantages of outsourcing your hosting and software? Here are a few:

1. Reliability and Security. Is your office designed to store and protect mission-critical web servers? Do you have fire protection, biometric security, 24/7 monitoring, and redundant Internet connections? What happens in the event of theft, fire, water damage, and Internet connection problems? Wouldn’t your website be safer in a location designed to protect your data?

2. Maintenance. Who is maintaining your server and software? Do you have a full-time systems administrator that keeps up on the latest software patches and upgrades your systems on a continuous basis?

3. Cost. Purchasing, maintaining, and upgrading your own hardware and software can be very expensive. Compare that to the cost of a low monthly subscription and it quickly becomes apparent that a hosted solution is much less expensive.

If you’re an IT professional, these are points that you should be prepared to talk about with your vendors and your employer. More and more organizations are realizing the benefits of a hosted solution and embracing this trend rather than fighting it can actually make your job easier. Be a hero and go home early. Outsource your hosting and software and save your company time and money.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: , , ,
December 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Notice: The IT Department Does Not Handle Your Web Site

As I work with companies to create or update their new web sites, I frequently encounter a misconception that I find puzzling. It seems that many companies are of the mindset that their IT departments should be 100% in charge of their web site. Not so… in fact, Marketing should be the group overseeing or at least very involved in the corporate web site. Most IT departments are overworked as a result of supporting infrastructure and workstations and don’t have the time to devote attention to the company web site nor should they take on all these responsibilities.

The old-fashioned way of building web sites did involve getting messy with custom code and building custom “back end” interfaces and also involved hosting sites in-house. Today, however, there is no reason (with a few exceptions) for companies to build, host, and maintain web sites in-house. Modern web sites should be built on a content management system or application framework that removes the need for custom coding and messy development. When we design and deploy web sites at SpinWeb, we focus on the marketing and business development aspects of the site, rather than the technology. The technology should operate seamlessly in the background, leaving us free to be creative and focus on business goals.

This means that IT really should not be the only group with a role in the design, deployment, or management of the web site. Today’s modern tools allow the marketing team to handle all these activities with ease. This leaves IT free to provide better support for systems that is within the scope of their training. Everybody wins.

Are there exceptions? Absolutely. At SpinWeb we recently deployed a new web site for a prominent local credit union and we were working directly with the IT team and it was a very successful project. This was because the IT team saw the value of outsourcing the technology related to the web site and opening up control to Marketing, thus providing better service. When this is the goal, it’s a win-win for everyone. I would say that in this case, the IT team was wearing a partial Marketing and Communications hat during the project, in addition to IT responsibilities.

Remember that a web site is a marketing and communications tool – typically not an IT project.

Filed Under: Design, Marketing, Productivity, Technology Tagged With: , , ,