Cloud Computing and the SMB (Guest Blog)
Picture your business…now think about cloud computing…what are you thinking?
“Cloud computing’s designed for large corporates isn’t it?”…”Oh, no we don’t need cloud computing, we’re only a small business.”…”Cloud? Oh, no we couldn’t afford a big solution like that.” …
Right? Wrong.
While it’s true that cloud computing is indeed a corporate grade solution, the beauty of it is that it makes enterprise level solutions accessible to smaller businesses. Though that’s not to make the assumption that cloud computing is right for you...
So how do you know whether cloud computing is right for your business?
To establish that, you’d need to first look at your business strategy. Goals – both short and long term – how you plan to reach those goals and how your IT infrastructure will support that journey.
Are you planning for growth? Do you need the ability to scale up your IT network quickly and easily? Do you have remote workers or employees that travel? Do you need to improve your disaster recovery plan…what procedures do you have in place to ensure business continuity in the event of an outage or data loss? Would your business finances run more smoothly if your IT spend shifted from a CapEx to an OpEx model?
If you’re thinking…yes, then cloud computing will be of benefit to you.
How? Well let’s look at these benefits in more detail…
Flexibility
Cloud brings anywhere, anytime access to your company data and business apps. All you need is the internet. Instant remote working, whether that be from home, a satellite office, customer site, airport, hotel, conference or even on the train. Business as usual…which means increased productivity.
Security
Where’s your data kept now? On a server in the corner of your office perhaps? How secure it is? Are you sure it’s completely safe from theft? Hardware failure? Fire? And where’s your data kept if you move to the cloud? Data centres, that’s where. Huge expanses of data centres that boast unprecedented security. Microsoft’s cloud services give you industry-leading best practice security including Security Centers of Excellence, Security Development Lifecycle, Operational Security Assurance and incident response teams. Can you say the same about that server in the corner of your office?
Cost efficiency
So let’s go back to that server in your office…How often do you need to replace it? At what cost? Big expenditure every three to five years we bet. Now imagine turning that spend into a monthly running cost, improving cash flow and cost efficiency. With cloud you’re effectively renting server space, which works well for many smaller businesses.
So is cloud computing right for SMBs? In fact it has little to do with the size of your company, rather how your business works and what you need to achieve. But it’s there, it’s accessible, and it’s SMB ready. According to Gartner, the bulk of new IT spending by 2016 will be on cloud computing platforms, and this includes SMBs.
Interested to find out more about the options and challenges that cloud computing brings? Maybe we can help? (www.axon-it.com)
Author biog
A lover of gadgets and all things tech, Tim Mears is managing director of Axon, a cloud solutions company based in Cheshire. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Axon utilises its expertise to enable the provision of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions, VoIP telephony and technical support to customers across the North West of England.
www.axon-it.com
Twitter @axonIT