reprinted from memphis Daily News by Mark Sullivan | Special to The Daily News.

Wayne Randall and his NexTek colleagues spend a lot of time working in the clouds.

NexTek collaborates with businesses wanting to save money and be more efficient with its information technology services and solutions.

Companies want easy access to data with security, privacy and a system that protects against disaster.

Because of a high demand for “Cloud Computing” and the cost savings it provides, Randall’s company doubled its client base in 2009 and continued reinvesting into its infrastructure, even during a difficult economy.

NexTek is also expecting continued growth in 2010 and recently opened an office in Nashville. NexTek has recently acquired clients in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2005 as an IT services and solutions company, NexTek is in the business of computer and networking support for small- to medium-sized businesses. The company provided traditional IT solutions before venturing into virtual networking services in December 2007.

The company has more than 100 customers such as doctor’s offices, law firms, retail businesses and the promotional products industry.

“We are building next-generation Cloud Computing services,” Randall said. “Cloud Computing is simply everything that is done via servers in our secured datacenter. This includes the overall management of the IT infrastructure, Web sites, e-mail, SPAM filtering, data backup and providing the common software packages that most organizations use. We charge a fixed, monthly fee that includes all services associated with providing and maintaining an IT system. Many predict Cloud Computing is changing the face of business IT as we know it.

“This technology has existed for years, but we were one of the few companies that recognized its potential early on and invested heavily,” Randall added. “Others are talking about Cloud Computing as ‘the future of IT,’ but for us, the future is here, and it has been for a while.”

Cloud Computing replaces traditional IT infrastructures (such as company servers, in-house IT departments, etc.) with off-site virtual servers that are maintained, backed up and upgraded by a hosting company. It is computing delivered on demand, much the way phone, cable, water, power and other utilities are provided.

“Because the costs of professionally maintaining a centralized data center are shared by many clients, the usage-based cost to each is far lower than the expense of traditional IT solutions,” Randall added.

“This enables small- to medium-sized businesses to get an enterprise-level computing experience at a predictable and affordable monthly cost. Large businesses also enjoy significant cost savings, plus the many operational benefits that a centralized data solution provides.”

By reinvesting in its hardware and software infrastructure, Randall said, the company has emerged as the largest company in Memphis to offer hosted computing services.

“The beauty of Cloud Computing is that it doesn’t matter where you are located,” Randall said. “What matters are the security, reliability and expertise of your hosting company. To be able to come to organizations and help them save money during a difficult economic climate is very rewarding. On top of that, I love what we do; it is almost like a hobby. This is the best job I have ever had. I could not imagine doing anything else.”

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