Kiapo Private Clouds Service Description

Technical Overview

Kiapo Private Clouds is a robust private cloud infrastructure designed for small to medium enterprises. Built on open-source technologies across essential areas such as Storage, Networking, and Compute, Kiapo offers a stable, flexible, and cost-efficient solution for industries with high-performance computing needs and stringent regulatory requirements such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Creative Fields.

Combining standards-based infrastructure with best practices, industry-specific policies, and management tools, Kiapo provides a strong foundation that allows organizations to seamlessly scale to hundreds of employees without typical pain points and setbacks. Its unified network architecture, encompassing both on-premises and data center resources, ensures optimal performance, scalability, and redundancy

At the heart of Kiapo Private Clouds is a powerful combination of storage, networking, and computing resources that forms a solid foundation for running essential business applications and services. This integrated approach allows organizations to deploy tools that directly support their strategic goals, helping them stay ahead of the competition. By leveraging this robust infrastructure, businesses can drive innovation, deliver exceptional customer service, and respond faster to changing needs, all while maintaining the flexibility to grow and adapt without disruption.

Additionally, Kiapo Private Clouds streamlines the provisioning and management of workstations, desktop environments, and key applications, leveraging trusted Microsoft-based technologies. Customers retain full control over their infrastructure, ensuring flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in. With advanced tools for collaboration, communication, and compliance, Kiapo is the ideal choice for managing demanding workloads while maintaining control and compliance.

Terms and Definitions

Kiapo Private Cloud Team

The Kiapo Private Cloud team works at your data centers, on your premises, and remotely from our offices. They are responsible for the overall architecture, deployment, and ongoing management of your cloud infrastructure.

Kiapo Desktop Team

The Kiapo Desktop Team is responsible for desktop support and management. This team can be composed of:

The choice between these options depends on the customer's preferences and capabilities.

($$) - Additional Fees

Some services or features may incur extra costs beyond the Kiapo Private Cloud's base program. Typically, services related to maintaining the current state of the existing infrastructure and its core functions are covered under the base program fee. However, capacity expansions, enhancements, and the introduction of new features may result in additional per unit or per hour charges.

Private Cloud Architecture

When building a hybrid or private cloud, starting with the right network architecture is critical because it forms the foundation for performance, scalability, and security. The vertical stack—storage, network, and the hypervisor (or Kubernetes)—is essential because each layer depends on the one below it.

Equally important is network segmentation, which involves dividing the network into smaller VLANs or VXLANs. This segmentation is crucial for both security and performance. VLANs ensure that different types of traffic—whether it's VOIP, replication, or virtual machine traffic—stay in their own lanes, improving network performance and making it easier to troubleshoot issues.

Storage

Architectural components

Services

Network

Architectural components

Services

Hypervisor/VM Infrastructure

Wireless Network

Hardware Procurement

Windows and Linux VM Server Maintenance

Certificate Management

Distributed File System (DFS) Infrastructure

A Distributed File System (DFS) not only serves as a unified collaborative workspace but also offers high-performance, on-prem storage, making it invaluable for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in industries like research, engineering, architecture, technical manufacturing, and creative fields such as animation. Applications like Revit, Maya, Houdini, Bentley, Solidworks, and AutoCAD rely on fast, reliable access to large, complex files—exactly what our DFS infrastructure delivers.

Collaborative Benefits of DFS:

Infrastructure Highlights:

Our DFS is built upon a robust, high-performance vertical stack that includes:

High-Performance, Redundant Storage:

For management and end users alike, the benefit of on-site, high-performance redundant storage cannot be overstated. Local infrastructure—backed by ultra-fast 25 GbE SANs and NVMe-powered ZFS mirrored pools—offers lower latency and higher throughput for demanding applications, compared to cloud-only or slower storage alternatives. This configuration enhances productivity, increases reliability, reduces wait times for large file operations, and provides a robust foundation for your organization’s growing data needs.

Services provided for this DFS infrastructure include:

SQL Server Management

Identity and Access Management

Desktop Management

User Applications and Software Distribution

We employ advanced techniques for efficient, reliable, and automated software distribution across the organization:

Application Virtualization

This technology packages applications in a way that allows them to run in isolated environments on client computers without being installed in the traditional manner. We use two main technologies for this:

Other Distribution Methods

Benefits of our approach

  1. Reliability: Virtualized applications reduce conflicts and improve stability.
  2. Efficiency: Automated deployment saves time and reduces errors.
  3. Flexibility: Easy to update or roll back applications as needed.
  4. Consistency: Ensures all users have the same version of software.

Virtualized Application Deployment Methodology

The Kiapo Private Cloud Team is responsible for creating and testing virtualized applications. These applications are made available to specific groups based on their roles, either through:

  1. Automated rollout using Group Policy Objects (GPO), OR
  2. Availability on a DFS SharePoint, where users can simply click the application to run it

Customers have the flexibility to choose which applications are virtualized. It's important to note that the cost of the Kiapo Desktop Support program decreases based on the number of virtualized applications. We encourage customers to virtualize as many applications as possible for several reasons:

  1. Reduced support costs: Virtualized applications require less individualized management and troubleshooting.
  2. Improved stability: Virtualized apps run in isolated environments, reducing conflicts with other software.
  3. Faster deployment: Updates and new installations can be rolled out more quickly and efficiently.
  4. Enhanced security: Virtualization provides an additional layer of isolation, improving overall system security.

The process for deploying new or updated virtualized applications typically involves:

  1. Application sequencing and GPO creation by the Kiapo Private Cloud Team ($$)
  2. Testing by one or more users from the Kiapo Desktop Team before full rollout
  3. Deployment to end-users via GPO or DFS SharePoint 

Sequencing fees apply for each application, both initially and on a quarterly basis (or more frequently if requested by the client) when the application is updated with the latest patches and improvements. While fees vary based on application characteristics, this method is generally more economical and less error-prone than traditional installation methods, especially as the number of virtualized applications increases.

This comprehensive approach to application management and distribution helps maintain a stable, efficient, and up-to-date software environment across the organization.

User Profile and Data Management

Our user profile and data management system ensures that users have consistent access to their files and settings across different devices, while also providing robust data protection and efficient storage utilization.

Redirected Folders

This feature moves user folders (like Documents, Desktop, etc.) from the local computer to a centralized, high-performance Single Unified Folder Tree. While the data is stored centrally, these folders appear and function as if they were local to the user's device. This means:

Offline Folders

Also known as "Offline Files," this feature allows users to access their network files even when disconnected from the network. Key benefits include:

Roaming Profiles

This feature stores a copy of a user's Windows profile on a server, allowing users to:

Profile Management with network-mounted VHDs

This solution offers a streamlined and highly efficient approach to managing user profiles for physical and virtual desktop environments. It enhances the end-user experience by reducing login times, simplifying profile management, and providing seamless access to personalized settings across different devices. This approach is particularly useful in environments where users need consistent access to their profiles regardless of the physical or virtual machine they are working on

Key Benefits of Network VHD-based Profile Management:

User Profiles, Preferences and local Data protection:

Profile Management Solutions are protected with:

This comprehensive approach ensures data accessibility, consistency, and protection across the organization.

Messaging and Collaboration Platform (Zimbra)

Kiapo Private Clouds offers Zimbra Collaboration as a powerful standards-based messaging and collaboration platform. This service is primarily covered under the per-employee Kiapo Private Clouds program, which includes most of the technical labor and automation for managing the Kiapo Zimbra platform. However, there are additional components to the pricing structure:

  1. Per-Mailbox Licensing Fee: An additional per-mailbox licensing fee is charged to cover software licensing costs.
  2. Data Center Resource Allocation: The data center resources required for Zimbra nodes (such as Proxy, MTA, Mailbox, and LDAP nodes) are billed separately, following the same pricing model as other data center resources in the Kiapo Private Clouds program.

This structure ensures that clients only pay for the resources they actually use, while still benefiting from the comprehensive management and support included in the Kiapo Private Clouds program.

Management and Support

Our team handles a wide range of tasks, including:

Key Features

Advanced Email Management

Calendar Features

Contact Management

Access Methods

Zimbra Drive and OnlyOffice Integration

Collaboration Tools

Security and Compliance

Kiapo VOICE Services

Kiapo VOICE, partnering with 2600Hz, offers a comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade voice communication features. Available as a standard part of Kiapo Private Clouds at an additional per-person add-on fee, Kiapo VOICE includes:

Advanced PBX Services

Voicemail Solutions

Conferencing Capabilities

Call Recording and Monitoring

Caller ID and Call Screening

Mobility Features

Call Center Functionalities

Collaboration Tools

Advanced Call Control

Voice and Video Conferencing

Fax Services

Security and Compliance

Optimized VoIP Networks

Custom Call Flows

Kiapo VOICE leverages the scalability and reliability of the Kazoo platform, built from standards-based, open source software and deployed across 4 regional data centers within the US, ensuring high-quality voice services suitable for businesses of all sizes. The service is fully integrated with the Kiapo Private Clouds infrastructure, providing a seamless communication experience across all devices and locations.

This comprehensive voice solution is designed to enhance productivity, improve customer interactions, and provide the flexibility needed in today's dynamic business environment.

Security Services

Compliance and Governance

Note: Kiapo Private Clouds assists organizations in understanding the laws and regulations that they must follow to protect information, and guides them through compliance via the risk assessment and risk management processes.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Our disaster recovery and business continuity services ensure that your organization can effectively respond to disruptions, maintaining essential functions during emergencies. Many of these services require certain resourses that may or may not be present initially.   Key features include:

Note: Development and implementation of DR plans may be available at an additional per-hour charge. The disaster recovery plan should be a subset of your organization's business continuity plan (BCP) and not a standalone document.

Training and Documentation

Vendor Management

Our vendor management services help you effectively manage relationships with third-party vendors, ensuring compliance and minimizing risks. Key features include:

Note: Our vendor management services are limited in scope to those vendors which supply infrastructure components such as Software, Hardware, and WAN Services designed to help you maintain successful, long-term vendor relationships while mitigating associated risks.


By using the Services, Customer acknowledges that it has read the corresponding Terms of Service, understands it, and agrees to be bound by its terms and conditions.