Cloud, IT Maturity
Growth is something that nearly every business works toward, but not all are prepared to manage properly. The increased overhead and more complex operations management can often outpace the infrastructure in place. Fortunately, cloud computing can improve the efficiency and results of your business, and remove some of the burden of an IT foundation in need of development and expansion.
Scalability
Cloud computing may not do much for your need for additional office space, but it can certainly increase IT capacity. Cloud services allow companies to increase a variety of IT assets such as processing power, memory and software, almost instantaneously. They can also rule out needs for expensive upgrades, more databases and more processing power. This can be tremendously valuable for companies needing to increase capacity quickly or for limited times, such as a retailer before cyber Monday or an accounting firm during tax season. The cloud allows companies to get the exact resources needed at the right time and in the most efficient way.
Collaboration
Every business wants to get the most out of their employees. Cloud computing can mean they get access to their critical applications and to each other, wherever they are. Apps and data are available all the time, anywhere in the cloud, so remote working becomes much simpler and efficient. You can use a wide variety of third-party tools to support your own network and facilitate collaboration, such as web conferencing, messaging and file-sharing services.
Cost
The “bottom line” is something owners and operators of companies of all sizes regard with great care. And growth requires investment, be it in people, buildings, equipment or whatever your business needs to thrive. Cloud computing can eliminate the need for many of the capital IT expenditures that might be required. Costly physical processor and database server purchases are no longer necessary. Storage is no longer a consideration, because the servers and database infrastructure housing and processing your information are now in the cloud, not on your premises. By changing your costs from capital expenditures to operational ones, the costs are significantly less overtime and have other benefits. Without a high volume of onsite hardware, your business’s overall IT infrastructure can be reduced drastically.
Disaster Recovery
Storing critical apps and data in the cloud not only means they’re available for employees working in different locations, but they’re available in the event data is lost locally. Disaster recovery is something you hope you never need, but critical that you always have. The cloud gives companies flexible backup options tailored to their individual needs and requirements. It can also allow companies to get their production environments back up and running more quickly, getting employees get back to running the business.
