What is the “Cloud”?
The Cloud is actually nothing more than a relatively new word used to describe a technology that we have been using for years: a provider offers computer performance and/or storage space over the internet. Services such as e-mail or document management can also be offered in this way. So services such as Hotmail (now known as Outlook.com) or GMail are Cloud services and have been for years, and we use them daily. Thanks to ever growing bandwidths and new business models in the internet, a well established technology has now grown out of the cloud “hype”. Or in the words of an article I read recently: “It’s here to stay.” It’s not going away! Why? Because the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages.
Simple and reasonably priced for everyone
The first version of O&O Defrag was released in 1998 (on the 10th February to be exact!) and was conceived back then as a stand-alone product for NT 4 workstations and servers. The internet was already around but not yet established as a channel for software sales. Back then we copied the program for our customers onto 3,5″ floppy disks and sent them through the post! Then with the years came new functions that enabled O&O Defrag (and our other products) to be used in company networks. I refer you here to the O&O Enterprise Management Console with which you can automatically roll out, configure and update our products across a network.
Yet in recent years we received more and more requests from our customers, especially from SMBs, who wanted to use our software but could not dedicate a company server for our Management Console. Not forgetting here family networks too, of course. The logical consequence is the Cloud. We therefore decided to develop a software that enables all Windows users – regardless of the size of their network – to manage their computers and servers easily and cheaply. The result is O&O Syspectr. And it is in this product that we have now integrated O&O Defrag.
O&O Defrag on the Desktop and in the Cloud
We are acutely aware that not all our customers want to go into the Cloud. That is why we have chosen a “hybrid” approach for O&O Defrag 18. In other words: you can use and manage O&O Defrag 18 just like the previous versions by installing it on a PC or server. Nothing has changed there. If however you also wish to use O&O Defrag over the Cloud then you simply register at O&O Syspectr and install a mini-application. Job done. From that point on you can monitor and manage your systems over every browser on any device with internet, from anywhere in the world, because O&O Syspectr is not just O&O Defrag. It brings with it a whole range of further tools that monitor the security and stability of Windows systems. In addition, a Remote Desktop is integrated that enables remote access to machines. All this in one pack. And free of charge with O&O Defrag 18 for one year.
O&O Defrag 18 is more than just a new version
In that sense O&O Defrag 18 is actually much more than “just” a new version. It represents the first step to more security, more comfort and more control over your Windows systems. No additional hardware and no additional configuration required. And it is so easy to use that everyone will feel at home, whether you want to use it to manage one or several thousand PCs.
I would like to invite you to try our or new O&O Defrag. I would also like to invite you to send me your feedback on our new product, either over the feedback function within O&O Syspectr or as a comment to this Blog entry. Your feedback is hugely important to us and ensures we can continue to adapt the product to meet your wishes and requirements!
In my next post I will explain in more detail just how and why we were able to integrate O&O Defrag in O&O Syspectr so dramatically and simply – watch this space!
