moving to the cloud

5 Signs it’s Time to Move to the Cloud

5 Signs it’s Time to Move to the Cloud 150 150 Kerry Butters

For many businesses, in-house servers have traditionally borne the brunt of its networking capabilities. However, there have been lots of innovations in this sector meaning that sticking with older methods is becoming increasingly counterproductive. It’s likely that most of you have heard of cloud computing, but it’s perhaps more likely that many of you have yet to apply those principles to your business infrastructures.

Cloud computing becomes more viable with each passing day and for a business an important first step is one backwards. It’s necessary to step back and analyse your in-house server options and consider why you’ve yet to upgrade to a cloud based alternative.

There are of course numerous reasons why the move towards the cloud should happen soon but we’ll limit ourselves slightly.

Here are five compelling reasons why it’s time you moved to the cloud.

Space saving

 

There are many points in a business’ lifespan when it needs to upgrade for space reasons. In the past this was limited to the need for ample space for employees and office furniture; however, there is now the digital space to consider on top of more traditional space saving options.

An IT infrastructure can become too small for the needs of a business and without using cloud-based services, that infrastructure has to physically grow. This means the implementation of power and cooling needs, an increase in physical tools to run the server, and potential down time that damages productivity.

Implementing cloud based options can alleviate all of the above problems and if the only way for your business to thrive and grow is major changes to infrastructure and office locations, then a cloud based move can neatly side step those issues.

Cloud based options offer plenty of online storage space which is usually highly flexible and scalable, reducing the need for physical hard drives and other data storage types.

Save money with the cloud

Businesses are obviously driven by profit so this could be the most compelling reason to switch to the cloud. Traditional IT costs are increasing, as staff need higher pay and your business needs more staff to run sensitive internet connections. Staff fluctuates and with technological advances IT changes are costing businesses a lot of money.

For a business to avoid staying stagnant and for that business to sidestep increased expense, a move to the cloud can be a huge boon. There are more options that come with the implementation of cloud services – like e-Learning possibilities that make moving to the cloud not only a smart business decision for now, but also an intelligent investment for the future.

Additionally, the cloud uses pay monthly models, therefore reducing the need for capital expenditure and its flexibility and scalability means that it can grow and shrink to suit your needs.

Business changes

If your business is going through any sort of organisational change, like a merger or moving offices, it provides a perfect opportunity to move to cloud-based networking options. During a state of transition it’s always a good idea to reflect on what’s changing. Use this point to assess your IT infrastructure and really consider what kind of upgrades would benefit your business.

Effectively, change can be seen as a blank canvass, as a place to start over. You can use this window of opportunity to mould your IT infrastructures to your exact needs and specifications.

Better costing options

Not every business needs the same volume of internet traffic at every point throughout the year and cloud computing services offer a more tailored package. The cloud can adapt to extreme shifts in the volume of internet traffic and bill your business appropriately. This means that you can use cloud computing as and when you need it and it won’t end up costing you more than you expect.

Traditional IT services are costly and due to the manpower needed, there is little leeway for price fluctuations. Regardless of what your business is using it still has bills to meet and price plans to honour. Use cloud-computing services to deliver a much more specific and bespoke IT upgrade to your business infrastructure.

Make it easier

Early adoption of cloud services can only benefit your business as the older that traditional IT infrastructures get, the more complex they become to maintain. Due to this your IT team can easily become overworked and overwhelmed, resulting in poorly managed systems. This can easily be alleviated and all of the requisite troubles of not upgrading – wasted time, under-used resources, lack of attention in the areas needing it – can be avoided simply by utilising cloud based options.

Anything that can hinder your business should be avoided and the above problems will only increase as time moves on. Cloud computing takes some of the pressure off IT staff and as it’s an area experiencing huge technological leaps and cuts in price plans, it seems only sensible to adopt its practices.

Cloud computing is where the IT structures of the future will be based. If your business is still waiting for a good time to move skywards, that time is now. Remember that the framework of the IT world is changing and the way that individuals access and consume information is rapidly adapting. Use this to your advantage and develop an IT infrastructure that is easy to manage, reflects how employees use the internet, and ensures that your business is future proof.

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