Cloud Based Solutions: Misperceptions and Reality
Enabling your IT with Cloud-based solutions help you proactively manage, prevent downtime, improve productivity and efficiency. Businesses are unable to decide on a cloud-based model due to misperceptions need clarity.
In this article, we discuss and clarify a few common misperceptions, explain the cloud framework and its benefits, so hopefully, you gain a perspective to solve your IT challenges.
We are small a business and not ready to move to the cloud.
Cloud-based model fits any size of businesses. If it can solve your IT problems, then why not?
You can cut costs on maintaining your IT infrastructure, improve user performance, productivity and collaboration.
Our client Level 5 Interiors a commercial construction company chose application hosting on the cloud as they were unable to achieve anywhere access with their on-premise setup.
Thus, cloud-enabled IT can help solve your problem depending on what you’d like to accomplish.
Bredin, an SMB market research agency reports 33% SMBs are yet to move to the cloud. It is about 9 million businesses.
Our IT person says that the cloud is expensive when compared to an on-premise solution.
It may be true but collect the data first. Classify the information into Software, Platform, Infrastructure, and Resource. Doing a cost allocation by this method provides insight on each section and becomes a basis to decide.
Forrester Consulting's research on behalf of Microsoft reports an estimate of $16,000 SMBs can save a year on IT with cloud-based solutions.
We will lose control of the servers if it is not within our office.
Having control over physical IT assets also comes with a cost, don’t you agree? Maintenance, upgrades, and resource to manage.
Selecting a cloud model gives you the same level of control on what you use. Moreover, the cost should be significantly lower than what you already be paying.
Our data is not safe on the cloud, and we have security concerns.
What are your security concerns? Data loss, password attack, phishing, malware attack, or session hijacking.
Discuss with a trusted adviser and ask for solutions to address your security issues.
We host our client’s data on Microsoft Azure and taken measures to address the security at various levels. Cloud is safe if you have the right security tools and process in place.
Microsoft “Cloud security” trends study says, 94% of users report security benefits moving to the cloud.
With a proper understanding of the cloud framework, and the benefits you can easily plan for the right cloud-based solution. Here is a few additional information to guide you further.
What is a Cloud-based solution?
The definition of cloud computing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology is a great source to reference.
Any cloud-based solution must satisfy the five essential characteristics:
On-demand self-service
Broad network access
Multi-tenancy and resource pooling
Rapid elasticity and scalability
Measured service
What can a cloud-based model do for me?
With the cloud, you can easily collaborate, share files and update records in real time, and access your data or application from anywhere with a device of user’s choice. By these benefits, your productivity and efficiency go up.
On the cost, you are free from specific ownership of types of equipment and be paying only for the usage or subscription.
By moving to a cloud-based model, your IT becomes simple, no server to maintain, have one or two vendors to manage and focus your core business functions.
Overall, you can scale up or down when your needs change as the cloud is flexible.
Conclusion
Misperceptions whether the cloud is a fit for our business, it is expensive, we’d lose control over our IT, and less secure are all matter of discussion and clarifying with the right people could help.
To focus on your core competencies and proactively manage IT, cloud-based solutions are essential. It improves user productivity, efficiency, collaboration and prevents business disruptions.
Types of cloud-based examples are Microsoft office 365 suite for productivity and Azure for application hosting, backup, and disaster recovery.
Work with the right partner who can listen to your problems, propose the right solutions and guide you in solving your IT challenges. If you’d like to schedule a no obligation consultation, please contact us or gives us a call at (212) 505-0381.