Cloud technology has created a revolution for Small Businesses. It has changed the way one stores, shares and backup data. While ‘the cloud’ is often hard to describe and understand because it’s neither in the sky or in a single location, there’s no arguing that it’s driving growth across all verticals. Storage concerns are a thing of the past as Small Businesses embrace the flexibility, cost savings, and protections of cloud-based solutions.
The following are Top 5 Cloud Advantages for Small Business and its related particular benefits of making the move.
It’s More Cost Effective
Budget is always a limiting factor for businesses, many of which are further constrained by pressure from management. Some regard investing in cloud solutions as a large expense that can be put off indefinitely. In most cases though, making the switch to cloud storage costs a fraction of the price. Compared to maintaining and powering servers, scaling to keep up, and repairing in emergencies, cloud storage offers extraordinary savings. With one decision, you get access to high-end infrastructure and dedicated support, plus a healthier bottom line. Cloud solutions were specifically created to meet your needs, which means you only pay for what you use. Costs remain capped while the benefits continue to rise, a clear advantage for the budget-conscious business.
It’s Secure
A lot of people like having their data where they can see it. But that’s not always the safest option. Natural disasters seem more frequent than ever, break-ins are a worry, and employees are always losing laptops and phones or having them stolen. More often though, someone simply makes a mistake and deletes important files, or accidentally infects the system with malware. Cloud storage mitigates every single one of these risks, with storage in secure locations, protected against disasters, and committed to robust backup systems. In recent times particularly, we’ve seen many small businesses survive ransomware attacks purely because their critical data was secure in the cloud with clean backups available.
It’s Compliant
We know medical businesses and services need to follow certain regulations when it comes to patient data. This includes security as well as data integrity, plus backups and auditing. Many cloud providers acknowledged this need early on and made sure to offer compliance guarantees. They are kept abreast of changing regulations, often implementing new requirements before you’ve even heard about them. With cloud storage systems, you essentially slash your compliance workload and let your provider do the worrying.
It’s Portable
One of the key benefits of cloud storage is your ability to collaborate remotely. In the past, this would have involved multiple file copies that need to be merged back together, often confusing employees as to which is the ‘right’ file. With cloud storage, your staff can work on the same file, using the same interface and real-
time updates. Even having different versions of software is no longer an issue. Employees can work on a file in the office and then securely access the same file from their smartphone, laptop or other location, without needing to buy additional software or worry about version corruption. Sharing and collaborating becomes easier, more desirable and more secure, which helps puts your business firmly on track to reach goals in record time.
It’s Easy to Migrate
One of the biggest concerns we hear is that it will be too disruptive to migrate to cloud solutions all at once. That’s understandable. But in reality, we don’t have to carry out wide-scale cloud adoption immediately. One could do it in parts, slowing moving backups, snapshots, emails and even remote file storages as one progresses. Adapt it as a cycle of deployment rather than a once off. Downtime can be minimal if the right planning and scheduling are put in place. There’s were our expertise come in. We have the experience and the know-how to implement hybrid solutions that will mitigate significant downtime. This allows you, the business owner and your staff to feel at ease with moving to the cloud and to experience its convenience before “killing” off the on-premise deployment.
Hybrid, private or public cloud deployment models can be achieved for difference use-case and different business environment. Let us know your needs and we can embark on the journey together.
ManagedIT.SG is an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses in Singapore. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!