10 Problems Solved by the Cloud
Yes, we just quoted a popular rap song, but we thought it fit nicely with the topic of cloud computing. After all, when you move to the cloud, you eliminate a bulk of the business problems you may currently be dealing with. Here are ten problems you can solve simply by moving to the cloud:
The Problem: IT Focus
With the cloud, your focus can be on running your business – NOT on running your IT. You won’t have to deal with additional hardware or timely installations. These types of responsibilities move to the cloud provider. Your IT team can move its attention to innovation and your entire business team can focus on their roles and the tasks they do best.
The Problem: High Costs
With traditional computing, businesses face high capital expenditure. With the cloud, you can avoid this. Experience minimal upfront spending and instead pay as you go, based on your usage and your business demand. You can avoid spending big money on hardware, software or licensing because the cloud provider takes care of these things – you simply get to use the resources provided to you.
The Problem: Limited Access
Mobility and constant connection are both natural parts of consumers’ lives today. Why not bring these things into the business world? You can take the cloud anywhere, and that means you can take your office anywhere. Applications and data are available to authorized users via the Internet, so as long as you have a device with Internet access you can remain in the loop. And when we say device, we mean everything from a PC, Mac, iPad, tablet, smartphone, etc. This is the easiest way to expand your workforce and make life easier for everyone. Your users won’t be tied to the office anymore. They can be dynamic workers and remain constantly connected to their information.
The Problem: Complicated Environment
Business computing used to be something only the IT team could understand. When systems changed, end users had to go through timely and costly training to figure out a complicated new environment. With the cloud, the transition is easy, and less personnel training is required. The end environment remains familiar and intuitive, so your users might not even be able to tell the difference. There is a minimal learning curve, and once they get going, your users will appreciate the efficiency of your new solution.
The Problem: Risky Security
Security is a constant topic of discussion in the cloud world and for good reason. No business wants to risk the security of their data – and with the cloud, you won’t. Instead, you can take control of your information. Your business information and applications are no longer stored directly on your office devices, meaning that if anything were to happen to these devices, your data wouldn’t be at risk. It’s all stored in one centralized location – your secure cloud. Cloud computing providers put countless measures in place, including encryption, firewalls, network and physical security. Considering the cloud is their business, a provider often offers better security than most businesses can afford to have on-site. The dedicated team ensures that only your authorized users can access business information, while prying eyes remain uninformed.
The Problem: Questionable Business Continuity
Today, business continuity is extremely important. Crises can strike out of nowhere, from natural disasters to power failures. That’s why the cloud ensures that business data is constantly backed up and protected in numerous geographically diverse and redundant data centers. No matter what happens, you’ll be able to access your data again quickly from temporary locations and temporary devices. This allows you to conduct business as usual and avoid the risk of going under.
The Problem: Rigidity and Inflexibility
Traditionally, businesses had to guess the capacity they needed. This resulted in one of two things: sitting on expensive and unused resources, or dealing with limited capacity. Neither of those are good options. With the cloud, you can experience amazing scalability of resources. Whether your needs change throughout the year based on seasons or holidays, or you’re experiencing major business growth, you can get the power and resources you need, as you need them. Scalability is the ability for the cloud to expand or contract based on your individual business needs – and this is a huge draw for most businesses. Access what you need, when you need it.
The Problem: Poor Communication
Businesses can no longer afford to have poor communication. The cloud makes it easy for employees to communicate and share information in new ways, even if they’re in separate locations. If numerous parties are working on a project across disperse locations, the cloud allows you to give all parties access to the same files. With easy collaboration and communication in place, you’ll find you have a more innovative, connected and knowledgeable business team.
The Problem: Out-of-Date Technology
The need to use out-of-date technology due to budget and resource limitations is, well, an out-of-date trend. When you work with a cloud provider, you receive automatic updates throughout the year, whether it’s for software, servers or computer processing power. This allows businesses to remain modern and regularly up-to-date with the latest technology
The Problem: Computing is Time Consuming
With the cloud, it’s easy to get new solutions up and running. New resources are truly a click away, as your cloud provider can set you up with whatever you need, instantly. This reduces the time it takes to get new resources to your users, and that results in greater productivity from your employees overall. As your costs and time consumption lower, your business efficiency will increase greatly.
