Cloud Computing Services: What exactly does that mean?
We hear the term ”cloud services ” often in today’s age of computing and hosted services, but what exactly does it mean? In general, cloud computing means your company’s data is hosted outside of your office or organization. Information – files, e-mails, or databases – is sent over a secure connection through the internet, to a server or group of servers that is hosted by another company. No one but you has access to this data and all exchanges of information are done securely. Privacy issues are not a concern.
Using Cloud Services to host your business data has several advantages.
Advantage 1: Access your data anywhere, from any device, with an internet connection
When you’re not at the office, you usually can’t get to your data, unless you email a file to yourself ahead of time, or have some way of connecting to your office from home or on the road. However, with cloud-based storage solutions, you can have access to your data anytime, anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. You can also receive documents on your smartphone, too.
Advantage 2: Cloud backup protection for your business data
Most companies backup critical business data to a storage device on their network in case their server goes down. But what if a fire, water main rupture or power outage wipes out that storage device and your business data is destroyed? Your business would come to a complete stop.
However, by utilizing cloud services, you can securely store your data off-site. The long-term integrity of your business is best maintained with a cloud-based disaster recovery plan in place.
Advantage 3: Cost effective when compared to maintaining/upgrading physical equipment
Generally, it’s less expensive to use cloud IT services. Suppose you have to upgrade your business software, or the officer server is failing and needs to be replaced. Instead of buying all new equipment – which can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars – you simply pay an affordable, monthly fee for the use of a server that is hosted “in the cloud.” You pay to use a computer that is managed, maintained, and upgraded by a professional service — and you are provided with immediate tech support whenever you need it. You don’t need to buy a new server, find a place to set it up, have someone program it, and pay for the electricity to run it, because someone else does all that for you.
How can you use cloud migration services to benefit your business?
- Combine cloud-based services with your own local hosting to create a perfect backup solution for your company. This eliminates the added expense of buying a lot of disaster recovery equipment.
- Move all your data, software, and processing to an off-site location that’s secure and backed up.
Migrating into the cloud is an effective way for a small to mid-size company to lower monthly bills and reduce business risk.
Cloud storage services can:
- Save you boatloads on upfront upgrades and hardware costs
- Require much less effort for your business to maintain
- Increase productivity and efficiency by giving you access to your data anytime, from anywhere via the internet.
