Houston Texans and Cloud Computing: Playoff Edition

2011 Houston Texans: AFC South Champions

A couple of months ago, we decided it would be fun to use our hometown Houston Texans football team to use a fun (but very poor) analogy to how cloud computing works and how the Texans could use cloud computing principles to help their season.  We drafted a blog post, thought it might be funny, and posted it here.

It was a hit!  So now that the Texans have clinched their first ever playoff berth and an AFC South title, we thought it would be fitting to see how well they followed our advice, and tips they can use going into the playoffs with the IS Blog's edition of "Houston Texans and Cloud Computing: Playoff Edition."  Congrats to the Houston Texans, 2011 AFC South Champions!

1.  Reduced Costs

Since cloud computing reduces overall IT costs, with a pay-as-you-go scale, we suggested that the Texans use their salary space wisely.  While some high paid players have disappointed, Houston's rushing game is led by running backs Arian Foster ($525,000) and Ben Tate ($405,000).  They're probably due for a raise, but this year, there might not be a better bang for the buck and the duo has played a major factor in Houston's offense.

2. Disaster Recovery

When we last talked about the Texans and the cloud, we stressed the importance of disaster recovery.  It is much more secure to have critical data in the cloud, rather than an on-site server where hurricanes and fires can wreck a business and cause loss of important information and business productivity.


On the field, the Texans were facing the loss of star linebacker Mario Williams for the season and receiver Andre Johnson was hurt.  Since then, thing haven't gotten any better with both starting quarterback Matt Schaub AND his backup Matt Leinart hurt for the year.  It seems as though the Texans took our advice to heart.  Not only did they have serviceable back up plans for Williams and Johnson (Connor Barwin has stepped up his game to a Pro-Bowl level at LB; tight ends Joel Dressen and Owen Daniels also picked up their play)  but the story of the year might be T.J. Yates.

The rookie QB has only gone undefeated in three starts, including leading the team to a come-from-behind victory in Cincinnati last Sunday, throwing a TD pass with two seconds left to clinch the Texans first playoff berth ever!  Now that's what we call a great disaster recovery game plan.

3. Remote Access and Mobility

The business environment has changed; it is imperative now that employees and clients have access to information and files away from the traditional desktop.  Cloud computing allows the mobility for today's worker to be effective and efficient away by accessing what they need from home, away from the office, and even mobile phones.

In October, we suggested that the Texans could use better mobility since they were currently just 14-29 as a road team under coach Gary Kubiak.  Since then?  The Texans have only won four straight games away from Reliant Stadium and with their only other road game left against winless rival Indianapolis, the Texans could very well make it five in a row and claim that for the 2011 season, they were able to "get the job done" away from home.

All things aside though, we should give credit where credit is due.  It's been a great football season in Houston this year.  And we're not suggesting that the Houston Texans read the IS Blog or Coach Kubiak listened to our advice when we posted the first "Houston Texans and Cloud Computing" blog.  But is it a coincidence that when we posted that blog in October, the Texans have won six straight?  We're just saying....

And as always, if your business is interested in making cloud principles work for your company like the Texans, give one of our professional consultants a call or e-mail us at info@issupport.com.  You can also visit our website anytime of the day!


Congratulations from IS Support to our hometown Houston Texans, 2011 AFC South Champions!  

5 Ways You're Already Using the Cloud

If you run a Google search for "cloud computing," 173 million results with appear with various definitions, references and blogs.  Judging by the number of explanations and the variety of definitions online, cloud computing can be a difficult concept to understand. Perhaps the best way, though, is realizing that most of us are using cloud computing concepts every day and have been for some time.

1. Webmail

Using webmail applications like Yahoo and Gmail is a good demonstration of cloud computing. Webmail is  accessible from any machine, anywhere. This is made possible by the software which runs the application; these programs are held online. The files holding the individual messages are not on a computer but in the 'cloud'.


There are pros and cons.  Being online is the primary key to accessibility. If there is no internet, there is no way to work in the email application instead of a program like outlook.  As the digital age continues to expand, however, this is becoming less of a concern with internet accessibility practically anywhere from WiFi hotspots to mobile phones.

2. Google Docs

Google Docs and other collaboration tools allow files to be stored in a central location and the ability to share them with other users. Again, remote access is a major benefit to Google Docs; there is access to software such as a word processor and spreadsheet which doesn't need to be on a desktop . This is how cloud computing works.

3. Backup and File Storage Social Media

Utilizing online providers for backing up systems and storing copies of files is also using cloud computing. Instead having to remember to backup files or going through the expense of an automatic system, users can connect to a central provider of backup and storage services. As with the others, there are also pros and cons. However, one massive pro is that backing up data in the cloud is independent of your hardware. If the hardware fails (one of the main reasons to backup) the data is still safe in the cloud.

4. Social Media

The explosive popularity of social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook provide another demonstration of daily use of cloud computing. Public and private messaging, photo sharing, playing games, polling and access to a whole range of plug-in applications allow companies to develop their page. It's worth noticing one more benefit of cloud computing with social media.


Much of the usage of sites like Facebook and Twitter does not take place on a computer. Mobile phones, games machines and even televisions have Internet browsers and can access processing power, software and storage in the cloud.

5. Online Photo and Video Sharing

Websites such as Flickr, Vimeo and YouTube allow users to upload and share photos and videos. YouTube alone gets more than 2 billion views per day. That's about double the prime-time audience of all three major US television networks combined.


While Cloud Computing can be difficult to define, these examples can provide simple demonstrations to show that the cloud is being utilized in everyday online activity.  While remote access, scalability and other benefits can improve our daily lives, more and more businesses are migrating to the cloud to take even more advantages of the cloud to improve and expand.


If your company is interested in a free network assessment to see how you can directly benefit from IS Support's cloud services, we would love to hear from you! Give us a call at 866-370-7142, send us an e-mail or visit our website!

Top Ten Benefits of the Cloud: #4 - Remote Access



When you switch to the Cloud, employees, clients, and partners can access and update information whereever they are, rather than having to run back to the office.  People everywhere use their smartphones, laptops, tablets to access their work away from the office.  In today's business climate, staying in touch and in control of your responsibilities is essential, whereever you are.

 Systems like Yahoo Mail, Skype, Twitter and Facebook all use the cloud to some degree.  Your company can do the same.  The cloud gives us freedom to enjoy vacations, work from home, and be mobile while honoring our obligations.

This excellent video by salesforce.com provides a neat illustration of cloud computing through the years.  See if you can pick up on remote access.

Contact IS Support for more information on taking your business to the next level on the Cloud!