Cloud technology has been around for a while now. Most of us use cloud technologies in our daily lives. From Dropbox to Office 365, the days of desktop software solutions are long gone, and cloud technology is the future. But whilst the cloud is an integral part of life, can businesses really save money by switching to cloud services?
Reduced Capital Spending
Servers and other IT infrastructure is a significant expense, especially for a small business. When you add on the cost of maintaining hardware and upgrading software each time a new version is released, it is hard to justify the expense.
Switching to cloud solutions is far more cost-effective and you don’t have a huge capital outlay guaranteed to give your accountant a heart attack.
Most business systems, including email and telephones, can all be moved into the cloud quickly and easily. In addition, you can use it all straight out of the box, without worrying about spending even more money to have the system set up.
Fewer On-Site Employees
It is expensive maintaining an in-house IT department, plus you have to provide space for it. Outsourcing to an IT provider that offers cloud solutions as part of their service means you’ll need fewer on-site employees.
You won’t need as much office space and most things can be done remotely, such as migrating to new platforms, backing up data, and carrying out routine maintenance.
Lower Utility Bills
Cloud systems offer a better economy of scale. In most cases, on-site servers are underutilized and the cost of running them is prohibitive. In addition,you will need a climate-controlled server room and additional hardware. All this uses power, which is an extra operating expense.
Cloud providers can offer much better prices for the same services. They will charge you significantly less for energy usage than you would pay if you had your own server room or data center.
Reduced Hardware Expenditure
On-site IT hardware needs to be maintained, whereas using cloud-based services means you can forget about problems like maintenance. You won’t need to purchase new equipment and spare parts if something fails and you won’t need to pay expensive maintenance fees to ensure your tech continues to function.
Keep Abreast of the Latest Technology Updates
Cloud systems are future proof. The providers invest a lot of money in ensuring their technologies are abreast of the latest innovations. Software is continually updated and patched with the latest security patches, and hardware is replaced regularly. This ensures your business is not left behind.
Better Data Security
Data security is a big issue today and businesses must remain compliant when data is stored online. Migrating databases into the cloud lets you enjoy better security, as cloud providers are invested in ensuring their clients are protected from the latest security threats. Furthermore, data is always backed up in multiple locations, so disaster recovery is all part of the service.
Switching to cloud services really is a no-brainer these days. Have you made the move yet, and if not, why not?