Businesses of all sizes are adopting cloud computing for their business needs. The move is not only limited to cloud storage or cloud backup, but other SaaS applications are also being widely used for performing a multitude of business operations.
Cloud based applications that are offered via Software as a Service allow many small business to access different applications at nominal costs and use them according to their needs if they aren’t satisfied, they can switch over to an alternative solution.
Whether you too should consider giving cloud services a go or not depends upon what advantages it can offer your business; we will have a look at some of those and also the measures that must be taken before purchasing a cloud server.
We begin with the migration process and how you should go about it. Depending on your requirements, if you are only looking for a cloud backup solution then the migration process may not be too complicated, but it you want to move your entire business function then it may need better planning.
When you are in the process of migrating your data to the cloud you must make sure that you have a local backup of all your data to be on the safe side. However secure the cloud may be compared to traditional storage options, there are still occasional glitches and the cloud is not immune to data theft either.
Despite some issues it would be wrong to say that the cloud is not secure, as otherwise fewer businesses would be moving to it. Beyond the well-known advantages of the cloud, which include flexibility and scalability with on demand resource allocation, there are many other benefits like the applications one can use.
There are various kinds of software and application that are offered by SaaS for your business to make use of. Be it Finance, HRM or ERP there are all sorts of applications for business use that can be used on the cloud platform.
Traditionally you would have to get your IT staff to install applications on all systems and then it would also need to be regularly maintained and updated, which would involve the cost of the software as well as the admin charges.
However, with a cloud-based solution these hassles are no more. You simply sign up and subscribe for the application you wish to use; it can then be accessed by any user from any workstation. The cloud service provider is responsible for all maintenance and updating of those applications so that you can focus more on your business aspects.
While shifting your entire business processes can be a time consuming affair and would involve a lot of planning, you can always begin to gradually move data starting with the non-essential applications first to test the water.
As moving your data to the cloud will provide lot of benefits in the long run, the sooner you choose it the better it is.
