For more than a decade, independenceIT has helped companies harness the power of technology without the burden of owning it – effectively freeing business owners from the “tyranny of technology.” In practical terms, this means companies can give their employees remote access to all the applications and business data they need to do their jobs. With independenceIT, access is secure, business information is protected and preserved, and business owners can stay focused on managing their business, not their IT.

“We genuinely see ourselves as technology liberators,” said Tony Whitton, CEO of independenceIT. “We relieve companies of the burden of owning and maintaining their IT, and we give employees great flexibility in how they help drive the businesses for which they work. We see the Apple iPad as the ‘ultimate freedom machine’ and think this summer promotion will give small businesses just the incentive they need to test the waters with cloud computing.”

The concept behind cloud computing has been around for many years, but has recently taken off. In brief, it is a method for giving individuals remote access to computing power (e.g. storage) and applications (e.g. QuickBooks) on demand, enabling them to consume only as much as needed at any given time. The vision of cloud computing is that companies will consume computing resources the way they currently buy electricity or telecommunications services. Today, more than 100 small businesses rely on IndependenceIT to deliver their IT in exactly this way.

To find out if this type of solution is right for your small business, download our white paper here.

Please take a few minutes and read Chip’s article titled:  Cloud Computing and Information Assurance. 

http://www.continuityinsights.com/Magazine/Issue_Archives/2010/05-06/Cloud_Computing_and_Information_Assurance.html

 http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/68172226#/68172226/19

 SAS 70 Corp., a licensed CPA firm, performed the audit and appropriate testing of Independence IT’s controls that may affect its clients’ financial statements.  Tested on five elements of internal control, including Control Environment, Risk Assessment, Control Activities, Information/Communication and Monitoring, the SAS 70 Type II audit report includes Independence IT’s description of controls as well as the detailed testing of its controls over a minimum six-month period.   Independence IT completed its first SAS 70 audit in 2006.

 “Serving as the virtual IT department for our clients, it is critical that they have peace of mind that solid internal controls and processes have been established at Independence IT,” said Tony Whitton, CEO at Independence IT.  “We are committed to providing our clients with the highest quality services and this evaluation process demonstrates our ability to deliver consistent and reliable services and helps our clients meet the requirements of governmental and industry regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA.”

 “Many of the Independence IT clients rely on their systems to process or store sensitive data,” said Joseph Kirkpatrick, senior auditor with SAS 70 Corp.  “As a result, Independence IT has implemented best practice controls demanded by their customers to address Information Security risks.  Our third-party opinion validates these controls and the tests we perform provide assurance regarding the managed solutions provided by Independence IT.”

 SAS 70 Type II is a widely recognized auditing standard for service organizations that was established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).  The standard demonstrates that an organization has adequate controls and processes in place.  Federal regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and the Health Insurance Profitability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) require corporations to audit the internal controls of their suppliers, including those that provide technology services.

 To enter, individuals must send a photo of themselves or a group while traveling on business or a personal vacation holding the official contest sign that says “On the Road with Independence IT”.  Extra points will be given for those photos that include a communication device, such as a laptop or smart phone.  Photos must be submitted between March 1 and June 30, 2010.  A panel of judges will select “The Best Picture and the winner will receive a $250.00 American Express gift card. 

 “Serving as a virtual IT department for our clients for more than a decade, we have heard many stories about the wonderful or whacky places they have logged into their remote desktop accounts to accomplish some type of work task,” explained Tony Whitton, CEO at Independence IT.  “We thought this photo contest would be a great way to collect pictures and show the world what you can do with our service.”

 More contest details and official rules can be found on the Independence IT website at: www.independenceit.com/ontheroad  or on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=311872065162&ref=mf.

http://independenceit.com/whitepaper.asp

WELL…

IndependenceIT has been offering this exact service since 2000.  We have the clients to prove it!

Please check out our website to see how we can offer your organziation a Virtual Desktop or Cloud Computing.

www.independenceit.com

Charles Buck was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO).  Chip will also continue to act as the Chief Technology Officer.

Jason Shivok was promoted to Technology Manager.  Jason moved up from the Technology Group where he held the title of Senior Engineer.  

Michael Kincaid was promoted to Operations Manager.  Previously, Michael was the Senior Operations Engineer and Supervisor.

Congratulations everyone on a job well done and good luck in your new positions.

 “Businesses often struggle to keep up with their technology investments and those with multiple locations and virtual workforces need to provide their employees with anytime, anywhere access to their data and systems,” said Chip Buck, CTO at Independence IT.  “That’s where we come in.  As our new company tag line says ‘Leave IT to us’.  We are able to off load burdens of IT management for our clients and provide a more efficient and cost-effective solution than managing technology in-house.”

 Independence IT was founded in 1999 and provides its clients with a wide range of IT services, from application hosting, server management and software maintenance to help desk, security, disaster recovery, backup and archives.  Through predictable monthly fees, the company delivers secure, high performance access to its clients’ systems and data from an Internet–connected computer.  Hosting its clients’ software and data through a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, Independence IT provides a best-in-class solution as evidenced by its SAS 70 Type II certification. 

Independence IT provides top quality user support through its easily accessible customer support team 24×7 and even offers service level agreements that include a money-backed guarantee against unplanned downtime. 

Tony Whitton, Independence IT’s CEO added, “Our team is truly passionate about technology.  Utilizing a structured, disciplined approach to address the individual needs of each of our clients, and with our deep understanding and commitment to internal controls we are able to support clients across the country and the globe.”

About Independence IT

Independence IT is a leading provider of application hosting and infrastructure management solutions enabling small and mid-sized businesses to leverage enterprise-class availability, security and agility.  Serving as a virtual IT department rivaling most Fortune 500 companies, Independence IT shoulders its clients’ IT management burdens – from application hosting, server management and software maintenance;  to help desk, security, disaster recovery,  backup and archiving.  Based in Allentown, Pa., Independence IT offers reliable solutions hosted at a best-in-class data center and backed by top quality customer support empowering clients to run and grow their businesses more efficiently and cost-effectively.  For more information on the company, visit www.independenceIT.com.