Remember when we used to work chained to our desks, installing software on our computer from a CD and storing data on servers that were on-premise?
Yes, it is a phrase in the past tense. Although initially available only for large enterprises, now the Cloud is here for all businesses, enabling their digital transformation and streamlining operations. Work from anywhere, get real-time updates, and (finally) unburden from unnecessary hardware.
It’s not, of course, limited to business. It’s everywhere. Did you just order food online? That was done through the cloud. Did you like your friend’s recent post on Twitter? Yes, you did that through the Cloud too. Cloud at your fingertips.
But let’s delve a bit deeper before we talk about your business: When we refer to the “Cloud,” we mean the services and applications that we use through the internet, which is done through Cloud computing.
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. For example, Microsoft holds a global infrastructure with multiple data centers per region providing various categories of cloud services. Your data is stored off-site, meaning not on your premises but on a server in a remote data center. The users access cloud services through a web browser. This minimizes risks and costs.
When a company decides to stop using servers on-premises and starts using web-based applications for their productivity, we speak of Cloud migration. Cloud migration is to move data, applications, or other business elements to a cloud computing environment.
So, is it really something a lot of companies do? Well, as of 2020, six out of 10 businesses moved their work to the cloud. While, by 2025, Forbes Magazine estimated up to 85% of enterprises will move to the cloud. Well, known companies like Netflix, Pinterest, or Instagram have moved to the cloud and fully exploit it both as business and as an operational model. Now let’s see why this is the direction to go and why there’s no going back:
Do your needs change? Cloud services are made to fit. If you are growing or mean to scale down operations, you can respectively do the same with your cloud capacity. The flexibility is there to cater to your needs so you can focus on your productivity. With no long-term commitment, you can flex according to your budget and demand at any time so to optimize your operations. This way, you have a great advantage over your competition: agility. it’s not surprising that businesses identify operational agility as a key reason for cloud adoption.
Minimized cost and maximum performance is what all companies want. On-premise data centers present a great cost for your business. The right equipment and staff to install and manage will be needed, plus the downtime should an issue occur when you migrate to the cloud. You only pay for the services you use. Providers charge cloud computing services based on the features, storage, number of users, time, and memory space, among other factors. So again, in this case, you can select the services that suit your needs best, scale up or down, add or remove users without extra cost for hardware or maintenance.
As you have selected a package that suits your budget, you can even calculate the percentage of your average savings from cloud migration. “The average savings from cloud migration come to around 15% on all IT spending. Small and medium businesses benefit the most, as they spend 36% less money on IT that way.“
A survey from Salesforce has shown that 83% of IT leaders say they trust cloud security more than ever. You can replace a lost or broken device, but the loss of data is not something that will allow your operations to bounce back from easily. Data security is and must be at the focus of a company’s strategy, as it might affect not just performance but also, loss of important contracts, clients, credibility, etc. With your data safely stored on the cloud, you can enjoy peace of mind that you can access it at any time without fear of loss. If needed, confidential information can be deleted or managed remotely.
On the Cloud, data breach is very difficult. For example, “Microsoft’s cloud data centers are monitored 24/7 by 3,500 cybersecurity experts and intelligent systems that prevent and protect from security breaches. Microsoft invests over one billion dollars annually in security development. Fortinet for example offers a unified solution that neutralizes a wide range of threats. This means your data and transactions are safeguarded by industry-leading protocols and software. Protection is applied automatically and continually updated to stay ahead of threats. You can also rely on compliance with data transfer and protection legislation, including GDPR: it’s easy to control, process, store, audit and erase your data securely.
Your teams are able to collaborate better and faster using cloud services. Communication and file sharing are instant, there are no physical limitations or time gaps, distances are effectively neutralized, and productivity is enhanced as tasks like data re-entry become redundant. Something important to note is that cloud solutions such as Google Workspace or Microsoft’s Outlook simplify the operations, and teams complete day-to-day tasks faster and more easily, as they do not have to use multiple systems. This way, they are set up for success!
With the servers off-premise, they are out of sight and out of mind. Software and security updates are done automatically for you, so you don’t have to invest in machines and staff, and of course, in time to maintain them yourself. Plus, the deployment of cloud-based services is really fast (a matter of hours or days) in comparison to building and implementing internal IT infrastructure, which can take months or even years. With the Cloud, you always have access to the latest versions of services with no downtime. No impact on performance. You are free to focus on what’s important: your business growth.
Variety. Not all businesses want the same or have the same flows or needs. If you are looking for software, you will have hundreds of options from different providers. You can choose the service providers with the best features and rates for your company, thus, benefiting in the best way possible that suits you.
When you plan ahead, you also plan your budget for purchases and investments. With the Cloud, you need not plan the cost of servers, storage, and licenses, which you may not even need to use immediately. You can get additional storage or licenses exactly when you need to, as scaling cloud computing services is very easy. Your provider will simply upgrade your package within minutes. And when you don’t need so much volume, you can scale down just as quickly.
Tailored to your needs, cloud computing allows you to select those apps, services, and features you require and pay only for those. This is a great alternative to buying a system or software package that may become obsolete or present additional future costs.
With top providers like Microsoft, Google, Acronis, to name a few, you know you have nothing to worry about regarding your data or service performance. You will enjoy the best software possible for your company with no fear of data loss or the possibility of them not functioning properly, as you there would be with an on-premise system. In the case of an emergency, you want to know you are covered. If you need something to fall back to, better make that a fluffy cloud!
Are you looking to open your business? If yes, then save time and select cloud computing, which cuts out the high hardware cost at the very beginning. Select your services and pay as you go and enjoy a subscription-based model that suits your cash flow. Plus, you will not have to set up and manage a big IT project that might seem daunting and be a blocker for your future.
Remembering to back up frequently is a thing of the past. With your data safely stored on the cloud, you can avoid a disaster that can lead to permanent data loss, should there have been no backup. Businesses can enjoy the automation in this process, with their data always available as long as users have an internet connection. There are solutions for backup and disaster recovery as well.
This is a fast-paced world. Most of us pick up our phones before we touch a computer. It’s faster and has become an almost automatic response. We get a lot of work done on our smartphones or tablets as well. Another benefit of cloud migration is the easy mobile access. Getting updates sharing important information, all done in the palm of our hands. We naturally prefer the convenience provided by portable devices when getting updates about work. Remote or field workers find this especially useful as, aside from increasing productivity, it also improves their experience.
Disaster recovery is a service for businesses of all sizes, but for smaller businesses, it wasn’t easy as sometimes they lacked the expertise, or the capital required for this investment. With the cloud, more and more small businesses can benefit from such services. In fact, a variety of cloud-based recovery solutions are now available.
With all this in mind, the decision to move your company to the Cloud is necessary and easy to make. Cloud migration means performance, growth, business continuity, security, and an investment that pays off quick for most. Book a meeting with our cloud experts and revamp your business operations.
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Over 85% of our partners started with a demo!
We support and guide IT professionals like you to grow their business in the most efficient way.
Take advantage of consultation according to your and your clients’ needs now!
