Five things you can do to avoid paying too much for cloud services

While cloud computing has many benefits for businesses - such as increased flexibility - the biggest reason companies are moving to the Cloud is to help lower IT costs.

In a survey conducted by IDG Enterprise earlier this year, 71% of organizations said they planned to increase their spending on cloud services in 2012. The biggest motivator: cost savings.

But that doesn’t mean moving applications to the cloud will automatically cut costs for the company. If the proper steps aren’t taken, organizations can find that they’re spending way more on cloud services than they originally planned.

Here are five things businesses must keep in mind to avoid paying too much for cloud computing services:

1. Negotiate a better contract
2. Centrally manage cloud provisioning
3. Right-size your cloud services
4. Watch out for hidden costs
5. Minimize - and plan for - outages

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10 Internet access tips for travelers

It may seem like Internet access is available everywhere. But when you travel, you may hit limitations, inflated charges, and various connectivity gotchas.

As someone who spends a considerable amount of time on the road, I often have to connect to the Internet from places other than my home. Even though Internet access is nearly ubiquitous, Internet access while traveling can be expensive and sometimes, surprisingly limited. The following are the tips (By Brien Posey) for those who need to use the Internet while traveling.

1: You might be better off using a public Wi-Fi hotspot than your hotel’s connectivity

2: Wired connectivity may provide a better experience

3: Beware of data plan limitations when using a mobile hotspot

4: Cut and paste can save lots of money on cruise ships

5: If Internet access stops working, check your roaming settings

6: Free Internet access can sometimes be limited

7: Be careful about using mobile Internet on a cruise ship

8: Access Wi-Fi in the air

9: In a hotel, there is no such thing as privacy

10: Never underestimate the value of local storage

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