Cloud Onboarding

Posted on 18th May 2016 Under Cloud

Why should SMB’s make the move to the cloud?

SMBs stand to gain much from the promise of cloud computing technologies as it offers them the opportunity to enhance and improve IT capabilities in a way they previously could not. Cloud solutions are highly scalable, the number of licenses and users can be adapted each month, meaning no long term commitments. Cloud computing services are often pay as you go and faster to deploy, which result in minimal start-up costs.

Once migrated to the cloud, SMB’s no longer have to worry about power requirements, server space and software updates. The cloud provider will assist in fixing any issues and completing security updates and software upgrades, as most SMB’s have limited IT staff, it enables them to spend their time more efficiently.  A cloud solution provides added security measures, resilience and disaster recovery, which SMB’s might not otherwise be able to afford. If a laptop is stolen or broken, and everything is stored in the cloud, you can still access your data, no matter what has happened to the machine.

A cloud solution will allow you to sync your documents, apps and calendars and share them with all employees  Garner suggests that 41% of SMB’s selected tablets as one of the top five investment initiatives during 2012. To prove this point, almost half of the SMBs stated that they are either testing iPads or using them in production. More than another 20% stated that they plan to invest in iPads within three years. At this point, an iPad is not deployed as a PC replacement, but rather as a purpose-driven or companion device. As tablets become more popular with SMB’s, cloud solutions will also, as the pair together will enable you to access files from anywhere with an internet connection. For employees who work from different locations, this will also be a great help.

For SMB’s, energy use and carbon emissions could be cut by 90% through switching to cloud computing. By eliminating on-site servers, you will be decreasing power consumption and reducing your energy bills, this is because you are instead renting virtual server space. This also means saving valuable company time and resources spent on in-house servers. With a cloud solution, you can also use video conferencing instead of business travel, so not only will you significantly cut your carbon footprint and energy use, you will also save yourself money.

There are many positives of SMBs switching to a cloud solution, it can provide them with the resources they need to respond to customer and industry demands, and it can overall boost their ability to perform against larger competitors. A cloud solution is providing SMB’s with the advantage they require to run their businesses effectively and efficiently, to help compete in today’s demanding marketplace.