Cloud tools should be sign-up and go, right? Without needing a lot of administration or security customisation? Not exactly! While cloud service providers do make it easy to sign up and begin using their platforms, things like optimisation, avoiding redundancies, and security are on you as the user of the service. For example, companies like Microsoft will provide you with several cloud security capabilities, however, it’s often up to you to enable available features like multi-factor authentication, Safe Links, or advanced phishing protection. Cloud solutions can also quickly overwhelm a business. Companies end up using and paying for several different cloud apps that do the same thing and choose apps without considering integration for an overall cloud strategy. According to the latest Blissfully SaaS Trends report:
- The overall spend on cloud services by businesses is up 50%
- Cloud waste is nearly doubling year over year
- The average number of duplicate apps per company is 3.6
You can’t simply sign up for cloud services and then expect to be able to put your cloud environment on autopilot with everything being handled by the app. This is what has led to cloud data breaches through credential theft becoming the number one cause of data breaches globally. Just as your on-premises devices need managed IT services to keep them operating effectively and securely, your cloud environment also benefits from managed cloud services.
What Are Managed Cloud Services & How Can They Help My Company?
Managed cloud services are similar to managed IT services, but these support services are focused on your cloud environment. Managed cloud service providers like Managed IT Asia will help you ensure your cloud environment runs efficiently, cost-effectively, and securely. We also help to mitigate data loss from the cloud and any potential account takeovers. Here are some of the ways that using managed cloud services can benefit your business.
Decrease Your Cloud Costs
Have you looked at your year-end financials and found you were paying more in cloud costs than expected? This isn’t unusual. Companies and employees will add apps piecemeal and only look at the price of a single app when signing up, instead of at their entire cloud cost impact. Cloud apps can be very inexpensive, so it may seem like a small expense when your marketing coordinator wants to purchase a subscription to a social media scheduling app, or your office manager has their eye on a new task management solution. But those small costs add up fast. The Blissfully report notes that the average number of unique apps used by small businesses is 102. Many small companies would not dream they were using that many apps, but it’s all too common. A managed cloud services provider will look at your cloud environment as a whole and look for areas where cloud costs can be decreased by eliminating overprovisioning, duplication, and other unnecessary expenses.
Avoid Breaches Due to Misconfiguration
Misconfiguration of security settings is one of the biggest contributors to cloud data breaches. Misconfiguration is when your cloud settings aren’t configured properly to protect your account or data. As we noted above, many cloud platforms will have security settings that need to be properly enabled and configured. The average user won’t know this or know what needs to be set up for good cloud account protection. A managed cloud service provider will provide expert customisation of your cloud application settings.
Eliminate Redundancies
Many companies pay for different apps that do the same thing. They may have a Microsoft 365 subscription, which has Teams, but still, pay for another webinar or video conferencing service because they’re unaware Teams has both those capabilities. Managed cloud services will include reviewing all your cloud tools and looking for redundancies that can be eliminated. This improves the overall efficiency of your cloud environment and reduces costs.
Help Formulating a Cloud Deployment Plan
Are you lacking an overall cloud deployment plan? Signing up for the next “big thing” or changing apps regularly is not a cloud deployment plan. Having a plan enabled by your cloud services provider can ensure that all your cloud tools are chosen to act as a holistic and integrated environment. This means fewer instances where data will need to be re-entered and more ability to automate processes and consistent security across all the applications in your cloud ecosystem.
Improve Your Remote & Hybrid Team Security
A majority of companies are now working with remote and hybrid (remote part-time/office part-time) teams. This requires care and expertise when it comes to setting up a cloud environment to enable collaboration and communication from anywhere. Your cloud services provider can offer assistance with solutions that improve productivity, accountability, and security for employees that are working from home.
Sign-Up for Managed Cloud Services Today
Could your cloud environment use some help? Managed IT Asia can help your Singapore business improve cloud deployment and help reduce the risk of working in the cloud. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. Call +65 6748 8776 or reach us online.
MANAGED IT ASIA, we are an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses across Asia. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!