cloud Tag

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17 Sep

Accounting Meets Cloud: Smarter IT, Fewer Headaches

in Articles, Cloud

In the world of accounting, there’s no room for slow servers, manual backups, or shadow IT. But many firms still operate with outdated systems, homegrown solutions, or overly complex vendor relationships.

The result? Frustration, inefficiency, and risk.

The Hidden Cost of Outdated IT in Accounting

Lost billable hours from downtime or troubleshooting
Poor data visibility across financial tools
Weak access controls that leave sensitive data exposed
Confusing app ecosystems with no real ownership

Accounting firms today need:

Cloud desktops that support their preferred software
Secure document sharing for client collaboration
Always-on IT support (especially during busy season)
Disaster recovery that actually works

OWG for Finance Teams:

Our Parallax Private Cloud is built for high-compliance, high-performance industries like yours. We offer:

Seamless integration with tax, payroll, and planning apps
Proactive threat monitoring and access control
Fully managed IT support, documentation, and backup

One of our longtime clients put it best:

“Overwatch gives us clarity, security, and confidence. And they’re always available.”

If your tech feels like a liability instead of an asset, let’s change that.

Talk With An Expert

Cloud Prisoner

07 Sep

Prisoner in Your Own Cloud

by Mathew Mendel

in Cloud, Operations, Services

Don’t become a prisoner of your computing infrastructure or private cloud. Understand who has custody of your data.

The cloud simplifies remote access, business continuity, and disaster recovery. But what happens when you change IT service vendors?

‍From basic services like email and Office365 to Infrastructure as a Service and complete virtual desktop, an organization can gain flexibility, redundancy, business continuity, security, and even competitive advantage by working in a Cloud environment.

As reported on by HelpNet Security in late 2020, high-availability access, on-demand computing power, limitless storage, and enterprise grade security lifted the rate of Cloud adoption among small/mid-size businesses even before the pandemic, and hit ludicrous speed once the remote workforce took to their homes.

Since most organizations will use a technology integrator or managed service provider for the migration, what happens when that vendor is no longer providing services? Even without a “long-term contract”, because of how some Cloud environments are designed, a business can get stuck in a scenario that makes it hard to change IT vendors. So, how can your business stay protected? Here’s what you need to know:

1) When MSPs first began considering Cloud for their clients (almost a decade ago) public Cloud wasn’t what it is today, and most built their own.

2) Leveraging private data centers, these technology firms invested in massive infrastructure, and built highly proprietary “walled gardens

3) Offering clients a scalable environment with business continuity and integrated disaster recovery, a solution was born

4) Over the years, IT firms spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital expenses and upgrades to ensure performance, availability, and security. Changing their Cloud offering isn’t typically an option

5) Clients in these environments have only one choice when it comes to who can provide services/support. Migrating to a new platform is costly and time intensive

Technology firms that made the leap to offer public infrastructure do see thinner margins, but they also have access to the most cutting-edge technology, integrated cybersecurity tools, and tremendous flexibility for clients that understand data custody and have concerns about uprooting an entire virtual ecosystem if the need for a new technology partner arises.

So What Can You Do?

Understanding who has custody of your data (where data resides), how it’s accessed, and what’s involved when it comes time to sever a relationship is critical, and it’s up to you, the client, to figure it out. Here are some questions to ask:

Where exactly is your data stored?

What virtualization tools/systems are used for access?

Is there anything proprietary about the infrastructure?

Is there anything proprietary about the access tools?

What happens if the vendor is no longer providing service?

Is it a total “lift and shift” of your data, email and apps?

Is it simply changing the owner of record?

What’s involved in a typical migration?

If possible, speak with references and even former clients to discuss their migration experience

At the end of the day, no one of us want to think about ending a relationship before things even get started. But since change is one of the few constants, being prepared is critical and it’s always better to address these issues now when the relationship is healthy.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on Cloud adoption, or a story relating to Cloud on-boarding/off-boarding. Drop your info below, set a time on our calendar or shoot us an email.