As I mentioned last week, a reliance on cloud computing technologies made it very easy to move my office from point A to point B.
One aspect I intentionally skipped was our network infrastructure. The cloud is pretty useless if you don’t have Internet access.
For most businesses with more than a couple employees, Internet access means getting a service provider to run a line to your business. It means a wiring closet and a router, and it means enabling connections throughout your office space.
And if you want wireless, it means setting up all access points and security, and then managing that.
Your network infrastructure is not something that lives in the cloud. It is a manual process that requires someone with some skill and it takes time. It takes phone calls to the provider, arranging times for them to come in, and then coordinating the timing such that your staff doesn’t have downtime.
And, of course, the wise business manager knows ahead of time that it’s flat out not going to work right the first — or even second — time around.
But what if even your network infrastructure, including Internet access, also was highly portable? If your key systems are all cloud computing based and if your network infrastructure was something that could easily be unplugged from point A and then immediately plugged back in and functional at point B, that would make your move even more painless.
We’ve been dabbling with Clear, an Internet service provider that broadcasts via 4G cellular technology at speeds that can approach traditional business-class cable or other providers.
With a service like Clear, you simply plug its box into a power outlet and instantly have an Internet connection. If your building already is wired for ethernet, you run an ethernet cable from your Clear box into the router.
And the neat thing about this particular service is that it offers personal wireless hot spot boxes at a very small incremental cost so you can bring Internet with you wherever you go. You can even share it with up to five other people.
For a small business, adding mobility to cloud computing services is not only very powerful, it also can save you a lot of frustration, downtime and — most importantly — money.
Treff LaPlante is president and CEO of Harrisburg-based WorkXpress.
This was originally posted on the Central Penn Business Journal Gadget Cube.
