The technology behind cloud computing allows multiple users to have access to the same files and services stored on the internet. This can include applications, schedules, projects, video or audio files, and much more.
Cloud computing is a convenient and cost-effective resource for small business of all kinds. Here are five good reasons to migrate some or your entire company infrastructure to the cloud.
Reduced Costs
Cloud computing is an economical IT solution. It can provide your company with considerable savings if it’s used well. With cloud services, you’re only paying for what you use. You save your company the expense of purchasing and maintaining your own server hardware or costly software solutions.
Using the provider’s network means you save on electricity, IT staffing, rack space in your server room, installation and upgrade time, and more. All you need is an internet connection. Cloud computing reduces overall IT costs so you invest more into other business priorities.
The ability to reinvest more into your core business processes will help you to grow your company faster and drive higher profits. Finding the right cloud services provider for your needs means sustainable profit margins over the long term.
Better Work Mobility
Utilizing online resources allows you and your employees access to your files anytime you want and from wherever you are, such as using smartphones or tablets from the field. With cloud-based storage such as Microsoft’s OneDrive or Google Drive, mobile employees can check and update files or from home or on the road. Team members can share information or collaborate on projects with other personnel no matter how far apart they’re located.
For example, a cloud-based application could allow traveling employees like sales personnel to automatically upload purchase orders or accept payments. These updates are immediately processed by the cloud application so that they’re available within seconds to accountants, purchasing agents, and other related work groups. Cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) can also include reporting tools for immediate updates to scheduled reports or real-time executive dashboards to drive business decisions.
Less Security Risks
Security is often used as an excuse for not using cloud services, as it’s thought that more internet use means more exposure to cyber criminals. However, you can count on a reputable cloud provider to offer a very high level of security, due to more experience and staff expertise. That makes the cloud providers data centers much more secure than your own servers.
As a professional service anxious to please their own clients, cloud services typically provide comprehensive security protection, including professional anti-malware protection against viruses and other threats, data encryption, server monitoring, and restricted access. To better serve business needs, most can help to ensure compliance with consumer privacy regulations such as PCI, HIPAA, and other mandatory cyber security standards.
Using cloud services also provides the opportunity for having your files backed up automatically at a remote location. This way, power outages, mistakes, fires, or other local issues don’t affect your business continuity. As soon as you regain internet access, your company is back in operation.
Higher Flexibility
Cloud computing is also a perfect solution for growing businesses that may have fluctuating bandwidth needs. When your traffic grows rapidly, you can easily scale up your services by requesting more resources from your provider. If business slows again, you can adjust just as easily to a lower capacity so you aren’t wasting money.
Cloud-based businesses also have the option of integrating their existing platforms with cloud services, or combining several different services from one or more providers. This provides your company with a unique set of tools tailored just for your needs. You always have the option of changing or upgrading these services as you grow to best accommodate changing needs.
This flexibility is one of the advantages you won’t get if you’re paying for your own hardware and software. Cloud computing provides you the kind of agility that makes your company more competitive.
Lower Environmental Impact
Using someone else’s servers remotely also means that your company is making less of an impact on the environment. Without the necessity of buying your own hardware, you’re lowering the carbon footprint and power demands of computer manufacturers and your own company. With fewer data centers, you’re also helping to lower the amount of harmful e-waste that goes into landfills.
Cloud computing helps your own company to become more sustainable. By using this collective resource with its easily scalable services, you’ll be conserving energy and materials at all times to preserve the ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
It makes more sense for small companies to migrate operations to the cloud. There is a wide variety of cloud-based apps available, while online file sharing supports both team collaboration and the trend toward more remote employees. Cloud services can provide your company with superior data protection, planning agility, and significant cost savings.