VIRAJ Y MAHESHWARI: ERP

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Hello Friends in this blog post I am going to share my experience of optimizing technology infrastructure for Start Ups

Any business idea is vital for success of start ups and technology is the key ingredient to transform business idea into reality and help start ups to achieve their desired goals but cost and optimization of Technology Infrastructure is a major factor for achieving success

So today let me tell you some strategies and best practices which I have implemented for my Start Up clients and helped them to achieve cost and performance optimization by providing maximum ROI

a) Go for Cloud :

Recently cloud computing has shifted paradigm from desktop computing to anywhere access and global collaboration. You can choose from various cloud service providers for office collaboration tools like Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 etc, for software development infrastructure like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS etc. They all reduce your dependence on physical infrastructure costs and maintenance and enable you to focus on your core business.

Following cloud strategies can be adopted depending on your business goals and planned technology investment

1) Public

Public clouds are made available to the general public by a service provider who hosts the cloud infrastructure. Generally, public cloud providers like Amazon AWS, Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access over the Internet. With this model, customers have no visibility or control over where the infrastructure is located. It is important to note that all customers on public clouds share the same infrastructure pool with limited configuration, security protections and availability variances.
Public Cloud customers benefit from economies of scale, because infrastructure costs are spread across all users, allowing each individual client to operate on a low-cost, “pay-as-you-go” model. Another advantage of public cloud infrastructures is that they are typically larger in scale than an in-house enterprise cloud, which provides clients with seamless, on-demand scalability. These clouds offer the greatest level of efficiency in shared resources; however, they are also more vulnerable than private clouds.
A public cloud is the obvious choice when:

Your standardized workload for applications is used by lots of people, such as e-mail.
You need to test and develop application code.
You need incremental capacity (the ability to add compute resources for peak times).
You’re doing collaboration projects.

2) Private

Private cloud is cloud infrastructure dedicated to a particular organization. Private clouds allow businesses to host applications in the cloud, while addressing concerns regarding data security and control, which is often lacking in a public cloud environment. It is not shared with other organizations, whether managed internally or by a third-party, and it can be hosted internally or externally.
There are two variations of private clouds:

On-Premise Private Cloud: This type of cloud is hosted within an organization’s own facility. A businesses IT department would incur the capital and operational costs for the physical resources with this model. On-Premise Private Clouds are best used for applications that require complete control and configurability of the infrastructure and security.
Externally Hosted Private Cloud: Externally hosted private clouds are also exclusively used by one organization, but are hosted by a third party specializing in cloud infrastructure. The service provider facilitates an exclusive cloud environment with full guarantee of privacy. This format is recommended for organizations that prefer not to use a public cloud infrastructure due to the risks associated with the sharing of physical resources.

Undertaking a private cloud project requires a significant level and degree of engagement to virtualize the business environment, and it will require the organization to reevaluate decisions about existing resources. Private clouds are more expensive but also more secure when compared to public clouds.
When is a Private Cloud for you?

You need data sovereignty but want cloud efficiencies
You want consistency across services
You have more server capacity than your organization can use
Your data center must become more efficient
You want to provide private cloud services

3) Hybrid

Hybrid Clouds are a composition of two or more clouds (private, community or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together offering the advantages of multiple deployment models. In a hybrid cloud, you can leverage third party cloud providers in either a full or partial manner; increasing the flexibility of computing. Augmenting a traditional private cloud with the resources of a public cloud can be used to manage any unexpected surges in workload.

Hybrid cloud architecture requires both on-premise resources and off-site server based cloud infrastructure. By spreading things out over a hybrid cloud, you keep each aspect of your business in the most efficient environment possible. The downside is that you have to keep track of multiple cloud security platforms and ensure that all aspects of your business can communicate with each other.

Here are a couple of situations where a hybrid environment is best:

Your company wants to use a SaaS application but is concerned about security.
Your company offers services that are tailored for different vertical markets. You can use a public cloud to interact with the clients but keep their data secured within a private cloud.
You can provide public cloud to your customers while using a private cloud for internal IT.

4) Community

A community cloud is a is a multi-tenant cloud service model that is shared among several or organizations and that is governed, managed and secured commonly by all the participating organizations or a third party managed service provider.

Community clouds are a hybrid form of private clouds built and operated specifically for a targeted group. These communities have similar cloud requirements and their ultimate goal is to work together to achieve their business objectives.

The goal of community clouds is to have participating organizations realize the benefits of a public cloud with the added level of privacy, security, and policy compliance usually associated with a private cloud. Community clouds can be either on-premise or off-premise.

Here are a couple of situations where a community cloud environment is best:

Government organizations within a state that need to share resoures
A private HIPAA compliant cloud for a group of hospitals or clinics
Telco community cloud for telco DR to meet specific FCC regulations

b) Virtualize :

Virtualization helps you to use same resource for multiple purpose. It also gives you benefits of lower maintenance costs and management efficiency.

Following Virtualization strategies can be implemented

Server Virtualization – consolidating multiple physical servers into virtual servers that run on a single physical server.

Application Virtualization – an application runs on another host from where it is installed in a variety of ways. It could be done by application streaming, desktop virtualization or VDI, or a VM package (like VMware ACE creates with a player). Microsoft Softgrid is an example of Application virtualization.

Presentation Virtualization – This is what Citrix Met frame (and the ICA protocol) as well as Microsoft Terminal Services (and RDP) are able to create. With presentation virtualization, an application actually runs on another host and all that you see on the client is the screen from where it is run.

Network Virtualization – with network virtualization, the network is “carved up” and can be used for multiple purposes such as running a protocol analyzer inside an Ethernet switch. Components of a virtual network could include NICs, switches, VLANs, network storage devices, virtual network containers, and network media.

Storage Virtualization – with storage virtualization, the disk/data storage for your data is consolidated to and managed by a virtual storage system. The servers connected to the storage system aren’t aware of where the data really is. Storage virtualization is sometimes described as “abstracting the logical storage from the physical storage.

c) Adopt Open Source :

Adopt Open Source software platforms enable you to scale your applications without involving license restrictions. Ope Source helps to save costs involved in software license investment

Here are some Open Source applications which you can use in your business :

Odoo (Formerly Open ERP) :Odoo is a suite of open source business apps that help you grow your business. Over two million people use Odoo to grow their sales, run their operations, organize marketing activities, boost productivity and empower their human resources.

Wordpress for Website : Wordpress is an Open Source web development CMS. It has various themes and plugins to make your website standout and best part is you can create website without any requirement of coding provided you take interest and expand your vision
Linux for computing :Today, Linux powers 98% of the world’s super computers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and tens of millions of Android mobile phones and consumer devices. In short, Linux is everywhere.
Xen Server for Server Virtualization : XenServer is the leading open source virtualization platform, powered by the Xen hypervisor. It is used in the world's largest clouds and enterprises

The above list is indicative, you can find various Open Source Apps and Solutions for deploying to your business environment

Above mentioned Tips can help Start-Ups to achieve cost and operational efficiency by leveraging Technology Infrastructure

Please share this article in your circles and do let me know your comments and feedback below

Tips for Optimizing Technology Infrastructure for Start Ups

The SMB-friendly virtual appliances on this list can improve your business processes for everything from ecommerce to ERP to human resources management.

So you want to offer new services for your clients and you're thinking of going the virtual route. What's the best, most efficient path to success? One possible way to a lightning-fast deployment is to use virtual appliances. If you use VirtualBox, you're in luck -- there are a lot of virtual appliances you can use to make your business more efficient and to offer services you otherwise couldn't offer.

Why virtual appliances? They offer fast deployment of reliable turnkey solutions that have been thoroughly tested by a community of users and developers. If you're looking for virtual appliances to help expand and improve your business, these 10 appliances are worth a look.

1: TomatoCart

If you're looking for a shopping cart system for your business, TomatoCart is what you want. Out of the box, TomatoCart features site management, catalog management and browsing, product management and browsing, customer management, order management, payment, shipping, checkout, statistics and reports, promotion tools and SEO, a content management system, SSL support, phpMyAdmin for MySQL administration, Postfix MTA (for sending mail), and Webmin modules for the configuration of Apache, PHP, MySQL, and Postfix.

2: Phreedom

Phreedom is a great ERP (enterprise resource planning) tool for small business. With Phreedom, you can track inventory, manage accounting, handle contracts, write checks, perform bank account reconciliation, and more. The Phreedom system features contact management, inventory management, payment, Phreebooks accounting, report generation, and a shipping module. Several optional modules are also available: RMA (return tracking), asset recording, language translation, and ZenCart integration.

3: ownCloud

ownCloud is what you want for the creation of an internal cloud service. With this virtual appliance, you can quickly have a cloud up and running that will offer access to files, folders, contacts, photo galleries, calendars, and more, from a desktop or a mobile device. ownCloud also allows the syncing of data across multiple devices and the sharing of data. Other features include undelete, documentation, an easy-to-use interface, file versioning, and migration and backups. And with public APIs available, it's possible to create your own applications for ownCloud.

4: OrangeHRM

If you're looking for one of the finest human resource management systems, look no further than OrangeHRM. It's a solid HR solution for both small and midsize businesses. You'll find features like employee information management, employee absence management, recruitment management, employee performance evaluation, and many tools that will allow you to keep your human resources department humming along.

5: Mibew

Mibew is an outstanding solution if you're looking to enable one-on-one chat support for your company. You can use it internally or externally (for clients/customers). Mibew allows people to access the chat system directly from your current Web site with a simple click of a button. It doesn't offer a litany of features, but it does one thing and does it well. If you need to add a handy chat-based support system for your company, fire up a Mibew virtual appliance and give it a try.

6: BambooInvoice

BambooInvoice is a perfect invoicing solution for small businesses. This easy-to-run virtual machine offers client management, invoice management, reports, custom invoice notes/information, branding, PDF generation, email invoices, invoice payment entry, invoice payment history, multiuser support, and a Web-based interface. The only downfall is that BambooInvoice doesn't contain an inventory/service component. Because of this, you must manually enter items and services on a per-invoice basis. But if you're looking for a fast, reliable invoicing system for your small business, Bamboo is a great fit.

7: File Server

Don't let the simple name fool you. File Server provides Windows-compatible network file sharing via an advanced Web-based file manager. It includes support for SMB, SFTP, and rsync file transfer protocols. Users can take advantage of both private and public file storage in a user-friendly, AjaXplorer-like interface. Out of the box, File Server has a preconfigured workgroup, NetBIOS name, and shares. If you want to have a file server up and running quickly, File Server might be just the ticket.

8: phpList

phpList is an open source email campaign manager. If you want to create and manage email marketing campaigns in-house, look no further than this virtual appliance. The phpList system features one-way email delivery, a Web interface, no duplicate messages, open/view tracking and click tracking, multiple subscribe pages, templates, subscriber attributes, user-specific content, HTML email messages, multiple list administrators, and much more. If you don't want to trust your email campaign management to a third party, fire up this virtual appliance and see if it doesn't meet all your needs.

9: OpenLDAP

OpenLDAP allows you to implement the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol with the simplicity of a virtual appliance, removing setup headaches altogether. This take on LDAP makes it easy to set the LDAP domain and admin passoword, includes TLS support out of the box, and includes users/groups OU and default PosixGroup. The easiest route to LDAP might well be virtual.

10: Collabtive

If your company is looking for a powerful project management tool, consider Collabtive. This open source alternative to Basecamp features project tracking, milestones and tasks, Basecamp import, timetracking, and reporting. A plugin system allows you to extend Collabtive to include a mobile bundle, project templates, project prioritization, automatic time tracker, Gantt charts, and more.

Quick and easy

The ability to quickly roll out virtual machines to serve various purposes means you can easily enhance your business, your offerings, and your employees' productivity. In the end, this all equates to your business running more smoothly. Give one of these virtual appliances a try and see if it doesn't make the task of running your company easier.

By : Viraj Maheshwari

http://www.virdhara.com

10 virtual appliances to keep your business running smoothly

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