As we head deeper into the 21st century, more and more businesses are migrating critical operations to the cloud. Large enterprises are leading the way, of course, and it’s not hard to understand why. The cloud allows widely distributed work teams to interact in real time, synchronising their efforts and pooling resources in an environment where time and place are wholly irrelevant. It also allows corporate management more timely access to performance metrics across the whole company.
Small and medium-sized organisations are poised to benefit from cloud solutions, too, but many assume the technology is either unaffordable or ill-suited to their modest needs. We find precisely the opposite to be true. In fact, precisely because they’re small, such organisations stand to benefit more immediately than larger enterprises as a result of lower up-front costs and fewer transitional hurdles. Bearing that in mind, we’d like to offer four reasons why we think smaller organisations should be looking to this technology sooner rather than later:
New workflow opportunities
Imagine how your employees might work differently if they could access their data and applications anywhere, anytime, from any device. Offices suddenly become more flexible, and increased telecommuting becomes a possibility. Work processes no longer revolve around typical office hours–or even around a particular office site. Truly virtual organisation structures are possible. Synchronization of data eliminates redundancies and bottlenecks in certain operations, allowing all stakeholders instant access to the most current versions of their files. For small organisations whose managers wear many hats and travel frequently, cloud computing may even define the difference between a 60-hour and a 50-hour work week.
Reduced overhead
Let’s face it: technology is expensive, and huge up-front investments can easily cripple a small organisation. Cloud solutions offer a subscription-based alternative to wholesale investments in an in-house solution. You only pay for the level of features you need, and only for the number of users who will have access to them. Your utility bills are lower because you’re not running a high-draw appliance 24/7 in your back office. Things like that add up for smaller organisations operating in competitive markets.
Stronger resources
One of the hallmark benefits of cloud computing is real-time access to the most current, up-to-date versions of your technology. It completely eliminates the need for periodically updating legacy applications on each worker’s computer and constantly patching your network hardware. All of that is done in the background; you simply log in. That helps level the playing field between small organisations and their larger competitors by providing both with the same functionality of the latest, greatest technology resources.
Better data security
Many organisations worry that moving their operations to the cloud will make them vulnerable to hackers, but this simply isn’t true. The Internet presents risks, but smaller companies are often already more vulnerable to data compromise than they realise because they lack the dedicated IT personnel necessary to keep their hardware up-to-date and continuously monitored for unwanted intrusions. Not so with the cloud. Hosted applications and data are stored on enterprise-level hardware that is monitored 24/7 in an industrial data centre with robust anti-intrusion protections and routine daily backups. Which effectively means that, for most small organisations, data is far safer in the cloud than it is residing on in-house servers. Meanwhile, off-site data storage provides peace of mind in the event of
Many organisations worry that moving their operations to the cloud will make them vulnerable to hackers, but this simply isn’t true. The Internet presents risks, but smaller companies are often already more vulnerable to data compromise than they realise because they lack the dedicated IT personnel necessary to keep their hardware up-to-date and continuously monitored for unwanted intrusions. Not so with the cloud. Hosted applications and data are stored on enterprise-level hardware that is monitored 24/7 in an industrial data centre with robust anti-intrusion protections and routine daily backups. Which effectively means that, for most small organisations, data is far safer in the cloud than it is residing on in-house servers. Meanwhile, off-site data storage provides peace of mind in the event of fire, theft, or other catastrophes at your primary office.
Migrating your most critical business operations to the cloud may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. It helps to work with a seasoned partner who knows the terrain and can anticipate your needs–and who won’t oversell you on features you’re not equipped to use. For over 25 years, we’ve been helping small and medium-sized companies optimise their technology infrastructures, and our team is eager to demonstrate how you can leverage the power of the cloud for your business, too. Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to guide you through the whole process.