Consider, too, the very prickly subject of cloud security, heretofore much maligned for its apparently inherently contained contradiction but, in a recent show of enlightenment, perhaps rewritten as saviour rather than villain.

Big Picture Author

In this Wall Street Journal article, a big-picture pundit introduces the extraordinary idea that the cloud may in fact be the safest place to store our data, the deafening cries that have long argued the opposite notwithstanding.

The article’s author, John Bussey, submits that data consigned to the cloud actually enjoys an abundance of sophisticated security-enhancing features that an organization, particularly one in the small-to-mid-sized category, simply couldn’t access on its own.

“The sheer size of cloud businesses like Amazon.com’s Amazon Web Services,” the piece goes, “allows significantly more investment in security policing and countermeasures than almost any company, large or small, could afford themselves.”

Go Big to Stay Secure

More than that, Bussey points out, the average computer user is not as attentive to even the most routine security imperatives as he needs to be. But sign on with just a “plain-vanilla” cloud package provider and you automatically score security basics such as updated antivirus runs and as-needed software patch applications. Any upgrade from there improves your lot further with enhanced security features like data firewalls, high-end encryption and 24-hour tech support.

“Small and medium businesses are insane not to leverage the advantages of cloud computing,” Jim Reavis, of the industry group Cloud Security Alliance, told Bussey. “It ends up being almost in all cases a security upgrade, because they can’t otherwise afford the practices.”

A Lone Voice in the Wilderness

Of course, this voice in the wilderness is still powerfully eclipsed by the hue and cry of the status quo. And it’s a position endlessly reinforced by the studies that continue to pour in with findings that tell stories of organizations’ enduring wariness of the idea of entrusting their data with an off-site third party. And this is the scene even in spite of an ongoing flurry of initiatives undertaken by IT security vendors, cloud providers and industry evangelists themselves to redress this issue.

Still Talking to Ghosts

Just this week, a study unveiled at the V3 Virtual Cloud Summit in Great Britain reported that a full 87% of enterprises remain concerned about security in the cloud.

And some 72% of small (fewer than 100 employees), and 63% of mid-sized (100 to 999 employees) companies told technology research firm IDC, in 2008, that security was their most pressing concern when it came to the notion of transferring their operations to the cloud. That those numbers had contracted to 50% and 47%, respectively, when the same survey was conducted three years later, is a thundering step in the right direction.

Because revolution, after all, is a slow business. Remember how long it took to come around to that broccoli?

10 Things you need to know about PSOs

1. The global PSA software market will hit a staggering $7.63 billion by the year 2017, according to new research from Global Industry Analysts, Inc. The news is surprising, considering the hit this market took during the recent global economic dip, as those companies purchasing such products opted to hold back their purse in infrastructure-enhancing purchases.

2. The tide is turning on this front in a significant way. Indeed, PSA software suites are increasingly emerging as bona-fide recession-proofers for corporate IT department principals inside professional services organizations anxious not to suffer the same shortfalls again.

3. Professional Service Automation is enterprise software that’s particularly designed for companies engaged in the delivery of accounting, management consulting, engineering, and agency and PR services, among others. With it, companies enjoy increased productivity and efficiencies across their operations, along with a much-enhanced view of what’s actually going on within them.

4. Up until fairly recently, PSA was regarded in terms of its individual components only. But its usefulness increases manifold with recent developments that link the software’s various disparate modules in a way that reveals the full breadth of available integrated solutions.

5. Not surprisingly, the omnipresent Cloud hovers above this aspect of operational efficiency, too. As more and more companies adopt the off-site approach to their data-management efforts, the opportunity to bundle all of their corporate activities—from sales to service to finance—under a single umbrella is too appealing to pass by. It’s why a muscular movement is afoot to blend the worlds of CRM and PSA.

6. A recent study conducted by consulting firm Service Performance Insight demonstrates that Salesforce CRM users who shift their interests to the Cloud are rewarded for the choice with higher bid-to-win ratios, greater average revenues per project and deal pipelines that are vastly superior to those of their less forward-thinking counterparts

7. The Service Performance Insight research also shows that PSOs simply cannot realize all the powers of their CRM systems unless they’re well integrated with their PSAs.

8. An integrated CRM-PSA application offers users the ability to track the gamut of their business activity—from fingers-crossed leads through in-the-bag deals—on a single platform, with a single interface, employing a single data repository.

9. By amalgamating their CRM and PSA platforms into one, goes the news, professional services firms benefit from larger project backlogs, improved executive visibility, better success with winning bids, higher billable utilization, an enhanced percentage of billable employees, more revenue from new clients and a greater proportion of projects that are completed on time.

10. Just the same, another burst of research from the same organization, this exploring the challenges of Salesforce CRM customers in the professional services industry, reveals that precious few of them have taken the steps to see through such a profitable integration. The news, still in the pipeline, is clearly yet to be fully put into profitable play.

Are a new set of cloud standards starting to form?

So it is with the developing shape of cloud computing. Definition is starting to emerge in the skies with the establishment of a set of standards seeking to best facilitate its adoption. Will they eliminate the confusion that currently shrouds the stuff? It’s a subject that’s scored a whack of attention from folks anxious to corral usability within manageable parameters. We take a look at some of the organizations trying to set the tone for this game changer.

Cloud Standards Customer Council.

This end-user advocacy group claims ownership of more than 100 members. It exists to complement existing cloud standards efforts. It seeks the production of a core set of client-driven requirements that lower the barriers for widespread cloud adoption by prioritizing key interoperability issues, including cloud management, reference architecture and hybrid clouds. It also hopes, with its existence, to facilitate the exchange of real-world stories that might provide illumination and insight into the practical application of this complicated new beast. A “resource hub” on the council’s website offers case studies in which users might find a useful reflection of themselves. The site also provides a compilation of industry news stories on the cloud, and cloud-based webcasts and podcasts can be accessed here. Notable members: Citigroup, Deere & Co., Costco Wholesale, North Carolina State University.

Open Data Center Alliance.

This Intel-backed standards organization was formed last year. Principles claim the membership represents more than $100 billion in annual IT spending power. This organization is behind the recent development of eight discreet “usage models,” designed to help IT managers in negotiations with cloud providers through the provision of various standardized templates. Indeed, this independent IT consortium is dedicated to having these usage models in widespread application in order to best help newcomers comprehensively appreciate the expected delivery of identified customer requirements based on open, industry-standard and multivendor solutions. Notable members: BMW, Marriott International, Shell and Deutsche Bank.

Cloud Security Alliance.

This not-for-profit, member-driven organization is committed to promoting the best practices for security assurance provision within cloud computing. Led by a broad coalition of industry practitioners, corporations and associations, the alliance is also keen to provide education on this subject for new users struggling with its dimensions. Its site helpfully lists upcoming events, such as the Cloud Security Alliance Conference 2011 (in Orlando, November 16 and 17). A blog features entries with such titles as, “Pass the Buck: Who’s Responsible for Security in the Cloud?” and “Understanding Best-in-Class Cloud Security Measures and How to Evaluate Providers.” It also provides a highly useful forum for the dissemination of the latest news, research developments and educational opportunities. Notable members: Coca-Cola, eBay, Reed Elsevier.

So as we move into the new paradigm keep an eye out for these cloud players; who knows, they may set the standards your organization has to meet.

Predicting the effects of new technology can be a challenge

Although it’s still early days, from a long-range historical point of view, the cloud has actually hovered above our various computer-powered preoccupations for a good few years now. Adoption rates for this game-changer motor ever forward, with bugs being identified and addressed, and capabilities being increasingly celebrated.

But it’s worth noting that we remain far from an end point in our understanding of, and appreciation for, this paradigm-shifting newcomer to our daily lives. The Microsoft-produced white paper, The Economics of the Cloud (TK), offers some insight on how this new age might evolve, and urges its proponents to take the long view and see the underlying economics as having the biggest impact on long term take-up rates.

What are the Future Prospects for the Cloud?

It’s always instructive to refer back to other examples of revolutionary design to gain a sense of the way a new advancement might unfold. The world’s first automobiles were described as “horseless carriages,” and they were designed just as their equine-powered predecessors had been—complete with whip holders—in spite of the revised absence of such requirements. “Engineers initially failed to understand the new possibilities of the new paradigm,” the paper points out, “such as building for higher speeds, or greater safety.” Just as in the early days of the car business, it’s difficult to predict where this novelty will take us, but it’s critical not to be hemmed in by restrictions that no longer apply.

Technical complexities and adoption hurdles steal most of the ink these days in literature covering the cloud, as was highlighted in our previous blog entry Calming (Mis) Conceptions about the Cloud. The Microsoft white paper points out the detriment to users’ exploitation of the technology such misinformation creates. Historically, however, it’s been underlying economics that have in fact had a much stronger impact on the direction and speed of disruptions, as technological challenges are resolved or overcome through the rapid innovation to which we‘ve become accustomed.

The cloud allows core IT infrastructure to be brought into large data centres that take advantage of significant economies of scale in three areas: supply-side savings (amortizing costs across multiple servers), demand-side aggregation (reducing variability) and multi-tenancy efficiency (amortizing costs across multiple customers).

Making the Most for your Business – Cloud Flexibility

Capitalizing on these economic benefits is the trick. Just as engineers had to fundamentally rethink design in the early days of the car so too will developers have to rethink their approach to this new era of application design. The concepts of multi-tenancy and demand-side aggregation will represent a formidable challenge for developers and IT departments after all; whatever their level of sophistication. And if you screw up, you could find yourself enjoying only some of the savings on offer, or, even paying more for application development than you currently do.

Onwards and upwards, then. And leave the whip holder in the dust.

PR firm Veritas Communications, 360 Visibility and WorkBook A/S reach new heights of innovation with the world’s first Professional Services Automation solution powered by Microsoft Azure in the cloud

Veritas’s selection of WorkBook v8.0 on Azure a revolutionary step in the cloud-based application world

Toronto, July 11, 2011 — After an exhaustive selection process that included the consideration of cloud and on-premise solutions, public relations firm Veritas Communications Inc. has signed on with 360 Visibility Inc. and the professional services automation solution, WorkBook v8.0.

The implementation of WorkBook v8.0 on Microsoft Azure is a world first, and the adoption of this ground-breaking PSA solution makes Veritas, whose client roster includes Expedia.ca and Church & Dwight, a pioneer in North America.

An All-in-One Cloud-Based Tool

WorkBook v8.0 is an all-in-one cloud-based executive management tool targeted specifically at professional services organizations for tracking time and expenses against projects. While the tool already hosts thousands of on-premise implementations, today’s announcement marks the first to be implemented on the Microsoft Azure platform.

“WorkBook v8.0 is a fully integrated solution for Professional Service Firms and provides a full 360-degree view of an organization’s operating results,” says Marco D’Ercole, executive vice-president of 360 Visibility Inc. “It is a world-class cloud product accessible anytime, anywhere, with minimal upfront costs and implementation effort.”

Because of its history servicing such professional services organizations as Res Publica, NATIONAL PR, and kenna:, 360 Visibility has a long and healthy working relationship with WorkBook A/S, and represents the product in Canada, U.S.A. and the Caribbean Islands.

Solution a Key Step to High-Level Client Service

“We are very proud that Veritas selected WorkBook and our partner 360 Visibility Inc.,” says Henrik Skov Pedersen, chief operating officer of WorkBook Software A/S. “Veritas is a very strong brand, and we are excited they have signed on to the cloud-based version of our PSA solution, which has an 11-year history in the industry.”

For Veritas, a member of the MDC Partners network, the move means more efficient time and expense tracking – and will be a key step in the firm’s commitment to continuously improving client service. “This is an exciting development for our company,” says Raymond Siu, Veritas’s chief financial officer. “We are very much looking forward to the gains in efficiency and the rapid implementation of a cloud-based, industry-specific solution.”

About Veritas

Veritas, a subsidiary of business transformation organization MDC Partners (Nasdaq: MDCA; TSX: MDZ.A), is a full-service public relations and public affairs organization that aims to fill the marketplace gap between traditional and new media approaches to the business. The company’s 60 PR professionals are led by a team of senior managers who hail from high-level communications roles in government, media and the private and not-for-profit sectors.

About 360 Visibility

360 Visibility is a business solutions company dedicated to facilitating enterprise participants’ ability to make swift, well-informed, coordinated and profitable business decisions through the provision of enterprise software, unified communication, and technology infrastructure. Concentrating on professional services firms such as Marketing Communications, Architects and Engineers, and Management Consulting, 360 Visibility sets organizations up with the technology foundation that allows them to effectively manage their business, capitalize on opportunities and avoid pitfalls.

About WorkBook A/S

WorkBook is a specialist in developing systems for project driven organizations with tight integration to business systems like Microsoft Dynamics and other Microsoft platforms. Their system handles all working related processes – from CRM and new businesses, project and resource handling, mileage allowance, expenses, time registration, document handling, invoicing, accounting and management reports. WorkBook is founded on wide business area experience, deep insight and user-driven innovation.

For more information:

Rene Wong, Public Relations
Phone: (905) 907-3600
info@360visibility.com

WorkBook Software A/S
Henrik Skov Pedersen, Chief Operating Officer
Phone +4526 77 8277
hsp@workbook.net

Professional services firms with an interest in technology, take note: The lines distinguishing one C-suite dweller from another are pretty damn blurred on the question of who enjoys — and deserves — authority over IT purchases. This makes it more important than ever that the CFO and CIO establish parameters around IT decisions at their firm.

All of this has come to increasing light with new research that reveals a powerful lack of faith among CFOs for the CIOs with whom they share an executive bathroom.

Mistrust of CIO and IT Palpable

A recent study undertaken by Gartner in conjunction with professional organization Financial Executives International reveals that it’s the chief money guy who enjoys dominion over his organization’s IT department.

In turn, the CIO, the nominal head of the technology-furnishing wing of the company, is relegated to a less-empowered role. The CIO is rendered impotent by a CFO whose outright mistrust of his IT-equipped colleague and the team that assembles beneath him, is palpable.

The survey, undertaken with 344 North American CFOs whose companies are engaged in financial services, healthcare and other professional fields, exposes a broad-based dissatisfaction among CFOs with the IT-spending and application activity inside their firms.

CFOs Dissatisfied with IT Service Levels

Indeed, a mere 18% of responding CFOs believe their “IT service levels meet or exceed business expectations.” Further, just ¼ express confidence in their IT departments’ “organizational and technical flexibility to respond to changing business priorities,” and ability “to deliver against the enterprise/business unit strategy.”

Even fewer financial chiefs believe their IT departments “deliver the technology innovation needed by business,” or have “the right mix of skilled people to meet business needs.” Only 35% of CFOs regard IT as a strategic driver of business performance.

Alas and alack.

The Implications

The report lends credence to the mounting impression that CFOs wield more influence over their organizations’ IT-based activities than ever. Meaning, this news could be troubling for companies that might gain more corporate efficiencies from clever technology purchases and implementations. In other words, the CFO’s natural interest in spending company dollars as frugally as possible could have damaging implications on the firm’s overall performance.

Currently, the survey shows 42% of IT departments now report directly to their CFOs, and 26% say their CFO alone authorizes IT investment in their firm. It’s a startling figure considering that just 18% copped to the same thing last year. Only 11% of respondents work at companies in which the CIO has the sole responsibility for filling their toolbox.

With technology investments so tightly linked to a company’s success, it’s desirable for the CFO to have a hand in developing IT’s roadmap. But the carriage is a two-seater, and the opportunity for more than one C-suiter to handle the reins is considerable.

Can’t We All Work Together?

Ideally, the CIO and CFO would work in tandem toward maximizing IT purchases while paying adequate mind to the realities of their business environment.

The CIO would provide clear data on the strategic wisdom of IT purchases, taking care to spell out the long-term benefits of deploying technology today whose rewards might not be reaped until tomorrow.

The CFO, in turn, would enlighten his technologically-grounded cohort on the economic realities in which the lot of them mutually operate, and encourage a wider appreciation among the techies for whether some cool new toy actually has a place inside the company’s overall mission.

The virtual law office is an entirely legitimate incarnation of the bricks-and-mortar standard. Its emerging presence has been attentively facilitated by all manner of technological developments.

What’s more, it’s a new take on an established tradition that is part of a growing national and global trend. In 2009, the Canadian Bar Association estimated that there are virtual lawyers in almost every province today. And the American Bar Association’s 2010 Legal Technology Survey reported that some 14% of lawyers currently operate a virtual law office.

Benefits of Taking Your Law Practice Virtual

In the virtual model, lawyers buck the expensive modular furniture and original oil paintings in favour of an overhead-free model. This permits increased autonomy, economy, flexibility and even environmental responsibility while delivering the same services to clients. Here, lawyers conduct their business inside a secure electronic environment, freeing them from the imperative to operate a physical office.

The benefits of making such a transition are considerable. Paramount among them are the slashed expenses the virtual law office enjoys.

This reality translates into the firm’s ability to take on more work and even pass on their savings to clients. Valkyrie Law Group, a virtual law office based in BC, was reportedly able to cut its fees by about 20% when it recently made the choice to go virtual.

Systems Essentials for Virtual Lawyers

Those lawyers considering practising their profession similarly need to undertake certain considerations outside of those associated with running a traditional practice. Among them? Obligations surrounding insurance requirements, document storage, and — most vital of all — the security and confidentiality of the delicate client data they’re handling.

To that end, a virtual-trending lawyer needs to secure a serious-minded practice management application or collaborative workspace, which will give him peace of mind in his rootless new endeavour.

This resident software needs to include the ability to cover off such essentials as calendaring, time tracking, expense tracking, billing and invoice generation.

SaaS an Option for Lawyers

Or he can explore software as a service (SaaS) setup, where software and data reside on a third party’s servers, outside the bounds of a firm’s firewall.

This choice requires a level of due diligence that might not be necessary with structured practice management systems, as server integrity needs to be paramount.

Ideally, reliable encryption tools enable attorneys to share messages and documents with their clients securely via the same kind of security systems that govern online banking, financial and other government-sprung transactions.

Choice of Systems Provider Critical

Still, professionals need not worry unduly about taking this technologically-enabled route. Cloud computing has advanced dramatically, each new development making it easier for professional service operations to save and manage data across geographic locations securely and efficiently.

Indeed, providers worth their salt, like 360 Visibility, can promise even more security than that associated with installed software.

With the right partner, a virtual lawyer can be virtually flawless.