--- title: Racksquared Updates and Insights | Cloud description: Cloud | Learn more about Racksquared through our blogs for products such as IBM Power Systems Hosting, Cloud, Colocation, Disaster Recovery, and Backup. --- [![rsq-logo-1](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/rsq-logo-1.svg "rsq-logo-1")](https://www.racksquared.com/) [← Back to blog home](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/) # cloud #### [3 Ways to Overcome IT Challenges as an SMB](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-ways-to-overcome-it-challenges-as-an-smb) [Lindsay Weiser](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/lindsay-weiser-1) on Mar 17, 2025 9:42:05 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Security](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/security), [Managed IT Services](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud), [Data Center](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) Small to medium-sized businesses are constantly under pressure to do more with less, especially when it comes to technology. With a limited budget, they face multiple challenges that can hinder growth and efficiency including costly infrastructure, defending against cyber threats, and juggling a wide range of IT responsibilities. Fortunately, there are strategic, cost-effective solutions that can help. Embracing cloud technology, investing in cybersecurity, and leveraging managed services are three ways SMBs can let their teams focus on what truly matters: serving customers and growing the business. Let’s look at each of these now. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-ways-to-overcome-it-challenges-as-an-smb) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/image-png.png)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-ways-to-overcome-it-challenges-as-an-smb) #### [Racksquared Data Centers Expands into Louisville, Kentucky](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/louisville-kentucky-expansion-release) [Lindsay Weiser](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/lindsay-weiser-1) on Feb 6, 2024 2:04:08 PM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Disaster Recovery](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery), [Security](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/security), [Managed IT Services](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services), [Colocation](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/colocation), [Veeam](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/veeam), [Backup](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/backup), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud), [HIPAA](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/hipaa), [Data Center](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) **Racksquared Data Centers Expands into Louisville, Kentucky** [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/louisville-kentucky-expansion-release) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/0%20(3).png)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/louisville-kentucky-expansion-release) #### [3 iSeries Tips from a Rookie](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-iseries-tips-from-a-rookie) [Lindsay Weiser](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/lindsay-weiser-1) on Jun 23, 2023 3:53:06 PM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Disaster Recovery](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery), [Security](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/security), [Managed IT Services](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services), [Backup](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/backup), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud), [Data Center](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) I am new to the world of IBM Power but in the last 6 months, I've learned a lot and would like to share some of those key learnings with you. I'm going to talk about how staying current on your OS avoids trouble, why you need to follow the 3-2-1 best practices rule for backups, and how having a disaster recovery plan prepares you for a worst-case scenario. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-iseries-tips-from-a-rookie) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/Picture1-2.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/3-iseries-tips-from-a-rookie) #### [IBM Power: Hosted On-Premises or in the Cloud?](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-hosted-on-premises-or-in-the-cloud) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on May 23, 2023 8:28:48 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Disaster Recovery](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery), [Security](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/security), [Managed IT Services](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services), [Backup](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/backup), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud), [Data Center](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) According to TechTargets, “The term cloud came into widespread use in 2006 when Amazon launched AWS with the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service”. Since that time, there have been endless debates as to whether it is better to host IT infrastructure on-premises or in the cloud. From my perspective, the answer is a definite “it depends”. How do you figure out what’s best for you? Check out the three questions you need to ask as you determine on-premises versus the cloud. Your company should have the expertise, technology, and environment to support your business requirements.  [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-hosted-on-premises-or-in-the-cloud) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design.png)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-hosted-on-premises-or-in-the-cloud) #### [IBM Power Disaster Recovery Story: From V5R3 to V7R4 in 36 Hours](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-disaster-recovery-story-from-v5r3-tov7r4-in-36-hours) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on Mar 28, 2023 8:52:56 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Disaster Recovery](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery), [Security](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/security), [Managed IT Services](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services), [Backup](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/backup), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud), [Data Center](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) Earlier this year, I wrote an article entitled [The IBM Power Trap](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-power-trap-3-mistakes-that-leave-you-stuck) that described how a series of decisions related to how you manage your applications and IBM Power can leave you stuck. A few people reached out to me with questions so I thought it might be appropriate to share a real-life story about one of our customers, we will call them Glass Corp International (GCI), that got caught in this trap and had to be rescued. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-disaster-recovery-story-from-v5r3-tov7r4-in-36-hours) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/shutterstock_526662913.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-disaster-recovery-story-from-v5r3-tov7r4-in-36-hours) #### [The IBM Power Trap: 3 Mistakes that Leave you Stuck](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-power-trap-3-mistakes-that-leave-you-stuck) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on Jan 30, 2023 1:48:26 PM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) IBM Power has long been known as a stable, reliable hardware platform and as a result companies have leveraged it to run their most critical business applications. For many, it has become so ingrained in their business that they would never choose to migrate away from it. But for some, IBM Power has become a trap from which they can’t escape. This is not a malicious trap that suddenly jumps up and grabs you but rather a trap that is triggered by a series of decisions made over time with each compounded by the previous. So, what are these decisions that create the trap? At Racksquared Data Centers, we have classified them into three categories, application neglect, operating system ambivalence, and hardware apathy. Let’s look at each of these. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-power-trap-3-mistakes-that-leave-you-stuck) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/it%20jungle%20article.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-power-trap-3-mistakes-that-leave-you-stuck) #### [IBM Power: How Strong Is Your Backup Game?](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-how-strong-is-your-backup-game) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on Jun 16, 2022 9:32:06 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Disaster Recovery](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery), [Backup](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/backup), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) Your business runs on IT and chances are if your systems are down, your business is down. Have you contemplated the  most common reasons for data loss and whether your strategy can protect you in the event of natural disaster, hardware failure, fire, ransomware, human error or theft? Depending on the reason for your outage, you may experience data loss and need to leverage your backups to recover. Are you confident in your backup and recovery strategy? One of the simplest tests you can do to assess your backup strategy is to see how you stack up against the 3-2-1 best practices for backups. This requires that you have 3 copies of your data on 2 different media with 1 of them being offsite. When I visit companies and talk to them about their backup strategies, very few are meeting the 3-2-1 best practices. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-how-strong-is-your-backup-game) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1126481693.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/ibm-power-how-strong-is-your-backup-game) #### [POWER10: A simple and smooth migration to the cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/power10-a-simple-and-smooth-migration-to-the-cloud) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on May 11, 2022 10:45:52 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) Why haven’t you made the move to IBM Power in the cloud? Is it because you like the big upfront capital expense and the depreciating asset? Is it because installing PTFs and doing OS upgrades gives your IT team something to do during slow times? Or maybe it’s because the thought of migration and downtime is just completely overwhelming to you? While I don’t have an answer to the first two reasons above, I’m here to tell you that a migration does not have to be difficult, and downtime can be practically nonexistent. I recently spent some time with an IBM reseller, and he walked me through the steps of migrating to one of the “big IBM Power in the cloud service providers”. To say that it was complex, and self-service would be an understatement. I know there are many companies that like the self-service cloud model. Give them an interface and they are happy to configure, manage and tweak the environment on their own but I talk to companies every day that want to walk away from hardware management and don’t want the added burden of planning and executing a migration to the cloud. With their limited iSeries expertise on staff, they are happy to offload the project to someone else. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/power10-a-simple-and-smooth-migration-to-the-cloud) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/shutterstock_422798644.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/power10-a-simple-and-smooth-migration-to-the-cloud) #### [Moving Time: Why Your IBM i (iSeries) Belongs in the Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/moving-time-why-your-ibm-i-iseries-belongs-in-the-cloud) [Carl Miller](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/carl-miller) on Mar 9, 2022 11:16:09 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) What if you could do one thing to save money, gain time for new projects, and protect your business operations? That’s what many companies gained when they moved their IBM i to the cloud. After weighing the pros and cons, the reasons to migrate to the cloud are too compelling to ignore. See why the cloud is the best environment for your IBM i, and start planning your move today. You’ll be on your way to cost savings, freed-up staff time, and more protection for your business. [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/moving-time-why-your-ibm-i-iseries-belongs-in-the-cloud) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1006224250.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/moving-time-why-your-ibm-i-iseries-belongs-in-the-cloud) #### [The IBM i skills shortage isn’t going away](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-i-skills-shortage-isnt-going-away) [Jason Hardy](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/author/jason-hardy) on Mar 18, 2021 9:03:57 AM [IBM Power](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power), [Cloud](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) The IBM i skills shortage isn’t going away [Read More](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-i-skills-shortage-isnt-going-away) [![](https://blog.racksquared.com/hubfs/blog2.jpg)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/the-ibm-i-skills-shortage-isnt-going-away) [1](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud/page/1) [2](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud/page/2) [❯](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud/page/2) Search Our Blogs ### What our Customers Say > "Racksquared is there every step of the way, helping with installs and projects and letting me focus on driving IT solutions for the business rather than worrying about back-end infrastructure issues." > > Shane Hart > VP, Ryder Last Mile ### Tags/Categories - [IBM Power (22)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/ibm-power) - [Data Center (20)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/data-center) - [Disaster Recovery (17)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/disaster-recovery) - [Managed IT Services (16)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services) - [Cloud (14)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/tag/cloud) ### Latest Posts ### Archives - [September 2025 (3)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2025/09) - [February 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/02) - [March 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/03) - [April 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/04) - [July 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/07) - [August 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/08) - [October 2019 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/10) - [October 2025 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2025/10) - [December 2025 (2)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2025/12) - [June 2019 (1)](https://blog.racksquared.com/blog/archive/2019/06) ### Subscribe Here [![Share on facebook](https://7528309.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528309/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png)](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on linkedin](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on twitter](https://7528304.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528304/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/twitter-color.png?width=24&name=twitter-color.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on email](https://7528311.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528311/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/email-color.png?width=24&name=email-color.png)](mailto:?subject=Check+out+https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail&body=Check+out+https%3A%2F%2Fblog.racksquared.com%2Fblog%2Ftag%2Fcloud%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) Racksquared can help simplify IT so that you can focus on growing your core business and evolve to meet the changing demands of customers. We do this by providing access to technical expertise, the latest technologies and a secure, reliable, resilient environment for your IT systems. We become an extension of your team, providing flexible designs and solutions while managing, monitoring and supporting your infrastructure, so that your business is always up and running. ### Sitemap - [Home](https://www.racksquared.com) - [About Us](https://www.racksquared.com/about.html) - [Resources](https://www.racksquared.com/resources) - [Contact](https://www.racksquared.com/contact.html) - [Careers](https://www.racksquared.com/careers.html) ### Recent Posts ### Contact Us Racksquared Data Center 325 E. Spring Street Columbus OH 43215   Phones [(855) 380-7225](tel:8553807225) E-mail [sales@racksquared.com](mailto:sales@racksquared.com) We are staffed 24x7 © 2021 Racksquared Data Centers, LLC