While it is feasible for most big companies to hire their own systems administrators, there are plenty of smaller web based businesses that maintain and run their own servers. In fact, the process can be quite enlightening and helpful for your business and its infrastructure as well as its expansion. Running your own server might seem like a daunting task at first, but with a couple of tutorials and some helpful maintenance tools, you can run your own server like a professional.

Cloud computing continues to gain momentum as technology and accessibility improve. Not only are businesses adapting new cloud-ready applications, but they are also migrating legacy systems to the cloud.

While the decision to employ a new application in the cloud may be a no-brainer, the decision to move an existing application may not be so easy. Careful consideration to these moves is required as it is easy to make mistakes and the results can be catastrophic.

Everyone is up in arms about the NSA spying on private communication, but did you know that most of the websites you visit are tracking your online activity in one way or another? In the vast majority of cases, websites tracking your activity are using it as market research or as a way to target the advertising that they deliver to you. That doesn't make it any less unsettling, however, and has encouraged the rise of anti-tracking plugins and other ways to stop the tracking. The websites might just want to make a buck, but tracking your every move online is a major privacy concern. Here's a few ways how websites keep their eyes on you.

Cookies are one of the most common tracking methods

A cookie is a small file that contains information for the website's use. They are used in a wide variety of ways outside of tracking your activity as well, such as storing login information, whether you have visited before, and to keep track of site preferences. Websites that use cookies are required to disclose this fact, so as long as the website is on the up and up you will know whether they're using cookies or not. You can clear most cookies from within your browser, or using a private browsing mode such as Incognito mode in Google Chrome. There is a type of cookie that cannot so easily be deleted called a supercookie. These are cookies that aren't just stored within your browser, but in multiple areas so you have to clear all of these locations at the same time or the cookies populate automatically.

Pretty much anything with the word “Quantum” in it sounds mysterious and unknowable but quantum computing is, in fact a reality. So much so that even Google develops one of them. The computer or smart phone you use now is capable of very fast computations using a binary system of storing information as a series of ones and zeros. However, while this system is scalable, it can only grow linearly.

In today's fast-paced world, consumers have come to expect nearly instantaneous results when loading websites - whether from their desktop computers, or their mobile devices. Because of this, it's imperative that businesses who used the web are able to keep up with customer demands. But how can you be certain that your internal server, website, and mobile applications are all functioning quickly and correctly? Your in-house IT department may be able to keep an eye on non-specialized issues during their scheduled shifts, but what about during off-hours? This is where cloud monitoring comes into play. In this post, we will explore the capabilities of cloud monitoring, and how it could significantly improve your business - and your bottom line.

What is "Cloud Monitoring"?

So what is "The Cloud"? A recent study completed by Wakefield Research revealed that while 54% of Americans claim that they've never used the cloud, making it seem very intimidating and futuristic. In reality, 95% of those same individuals use the cloud daily for online banking, shopping , email, and more.