It is no secret that many companies have moved most of their services to cloud. Gone are the days of brick and mortar retail stores. E-commerce has changed how customers interact with brands and purchase items.
For a business to remain competitive in a fast-paced IT world, then they need to consider cloud computing when making infrastructure decisions. There is no point walking with a large hard disk while you can access all your important files online.
Cloud computing services take various forms including SaaS (Service as a service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), and DaaS (Desktop as a service).
Here are a few reasons why you should consider cloud computing for your business.
Cost Savings
This is probably the most prominent reason most companies turn to cloud services. When you look at the costs of server infrastructure,you notice there are considerable savings to be made when you engage in cloud computing. A business exists to make a profit,and one way to do this is to keep their expenses low while increasing revenue. Servers can be costly to maintain; you have to factor in air-conditioners due to overheating, power source and back up. When you have an off-site server, you save on these operational. Cloud computing doe’s wonders in small businesses that have not invested heavily in IT. The costs for upgrades is also reduced when you use cloud computing. Cloud computing secured by trusted VPN servers in Canada is more reliable when compared to having the IT infrastructure in-house.
Manageability and reliability
Since your service provider manages everything, you do not need worry about managing your IT staff. Cloud computing is more reliable when compared to having the IT infrastructure in-house. You do not have to worry about hacking and power outages as this are handled professionally off-site. The service provider scales down on IT services, and these costs savings are passed on to you. Should any of the servers fail, your applications and data are easily shifted to other servers. If you are still using a private network for sending and receiving data then it is wise you consider our list of the 10 best VPN services.
No more stress for backups and recovery
The safety of your data is paramount when you are dealing with servers. However, you need to perform regular backups so that you have the latest data on the backups. This is crucial when you work in an industry like finance or investments where data changes every second. Losing just a single file can be catastrophic for your organization. Cloud computing simplifies this process because details saved in various servers and this eliminates constant monitoring of backup files. Should they have, a problem with one of their server’s recovery becomes easier and safer.
Strategic edge when scaling
IT infrastructure becomes obsolete more frequently than other assets. If your business is growing and you need to scale up on the IT infrastructure cloud computing offers a cost-efficient way to do this. You do not need to hold lengthy meetings with your IT department for this; just call your service provider with your updated list of items and they will sort you out within a short time. You do not need to incur costs for hardware changes because the service provider already has them in place. When you engage in cloud computing, you are left with the time and resources to focus on your core business.
But before you jump into the cloud computing bandwagon, there are a few issues that you need to consider.
Internet connection
Cloud computing relies on the internet for it to be a success. If your internet service provider is slow, then you will have challenges accessing some of the applications available online. Downtimes can cost you time and revenue. There is no way around this,and you just have to be extra careful when selecting internet service providers.
Security Breaches
This can be a real concern especially for people who handle highly sensitive data like banks and security agencies. The decision to go for cloud computing when you are a small business can be straightforward,but for the larger companies, they may need to way the costs of security breaches against the savings when using cloud. For some industries, it may be prudent to secure the servers themselves. You may also have challenges with data compatibility. Cloud computing being a public facility opens up data to security challenges. If it is easy to procure the services of a provider with little vetting, then it means hackers can also do the same. They can scan for any vulnerability in the system. However, this should not concern you much because some of the best providers have put in place high-tech security procedures that are changed and checked for loopholes frequently.
Customer support
You also need to factor in the response time for the service provider whenever you are experiencing internet downtime. Some service providers maybe overwhelmed with a large number of customers to offer quality client service. You can check out this before getting hooked with a provider. Some of the customer support facilities to look out for include chat, forums, email,and 24/7 technical support.
Hard to shift providers
The vendor of the cloud computing services can offer a contract that makes it hard to switch providers. This is because they have invested lots of money in infrastructure. To recoup the fixed costs and still provide high-quality services the provider may require the clients to get into long-term contracts. It is also hard to move your data and applications to another provider because you may find that the later systems are not compatible with your applications. As the number of cloud service providers increases, you should find it easier to migrate from one service provider to the next.
Conclusion
Cloud computing has been on the rise, and many businesses are turning to it to cut costs. With cloud computing, you do not need to keep a workforce dedicated to server maintenance. It is also easy to scale up because the service providers can acquire new equipment’s cheaper than individuals. However, clients need to study their needs before choosing a service provider and be aware of the risks of security breaches.
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