Does the cloud deserve its clout?

We understand why you may feel some skepticism about allowing us to explain why you should sign up for our services. Some providers have sold their clients unnecessary solutions, essentially painting cloud computing as the snake oil of the 21st century. So, how do we convince you of the benefits of one of the greatest tools in modern technology? By explaining all the benefits of a cloud migration and presenting all the potential exceptions.

The term ‘cloud computing’ gets thrown around so often nowadays that it seems to have lost its luster. And because of its ubiquitous nature, a quick review seems necessary. Understanding cloud computing is as simple as doing your laundry at the local laundromat. Instead of buying expensive technology to keep and manage in your own home, you throw everything into a bin.  Then you outsource the workload to a bank of machines specially designed and maintained to perform the task for you. In 2015, the cloud industry was worth $175 billion, and its value had increased by an average of 17% every year since Steve Jobs first announced the consumer-level iCloud.

Cost savings

Skeptics may wonder, “Who cares whether the industry has been making money? How does that help my bottom line?” In almost any cloud migration, expensive and bulky hardware, like servers, get eliminated in favor of a provider’s off-site computing power. And if cloud services don’t eliminate expensive hardware, they drastically reduce time wasted on monotonous software maintenance. These are far more than just industry talking points: In a survey of 1,300 company executives, 94% reported that the cloud saved them money, and 62% said it actually increased their profits. If you’d rather pay for the acquisition and maintenance of onsite servers, then maybe the cloud isn't for you.

Hardware and software maintenance

Since it’s infrequent that a business owner chooses sizable upfront capital costs over inexpensive subscription services, we’ll discuss maintenance. When your laundry machine breaks, you fix it; when the laundromat machine breaks, you just move to another machine.

In a cloud environment, if a cloud server goes down a backup immediately takes its place with no interruption in service. Better yet, software updates are deployed immediately and apply to every user. If you consider installing updates on individual machines more efficient, or risk downtime to repair a server yourself  -- then maybe the cloud isn't for you.

Security

Although sending your data over the internet to be stored and processed on an off-site server may seem dangerous, it's not. One of the riskiest data-types is electronic medical records (EMRs), and recent history has taught us it doesn’t matter whether it’s lost hardware (like the NFL trainer whose laptop was stolen) or localized data infected by ransomware -- cloud storage is an increasingly secure alternative.

Providers are mandated by government regulations to meet stringent security standards. If privileged hardware falls into the wrong hands, it can be remotely scrubbed of sensitive data. If you prefer poring over hundreds of pages of legislation per data type, then maybe the cloud isn't for you.

Scalability

So, you’re standing firm with your expensive, locally maintained and secured hardware and software. Let’s imagine, however unlikely, that this model still manages to turn a profit. Now that you have room in the budget for an expansion, what’s next? Unfortunately, more of the same: more upfront capital, more micromanaging software deployment, and more security exposure.

Contrast that with augmenting your footprint within a cloud solution. It is as straightforward as just moving to the next empty washing machine at the laundromat. When you need more from your provider, all you need to do is ask. If you favor a fully staffed and funded in-house IT department, then maybe the cloud isn't for you.

Mobility

There’s only one consideration left when evaluating the potential benefits of the cloud in your organization: mobility. With data, software functionality, and even hardware functionality hosted in the cloud, you’re can access your data from anywhere.  Whether you’re just switching to another workstation or opening your laptop on the beach; the cloud goes where you go. It totally liberates you from the confines of the office. But if inflexible work solutions with none of these benefits suit your business, then maybe the cloud isn't for you.

All joking aside, the perks of cloud computing can’t be denied with a straight face. It existed long before Apple’s popular iCloud, and its enterprise-level solutions, still growing every day, range from elementary web-based document storage to intricate desktop and server virtualization. We guarantee that if you don’t sign up now, you’ll regret that decision when you’re playing catch-up down the road.

Ignore the notion that we’re selling snake oil and take a look at the years of experience among our professional staff. We love working in this industry, and we love helping companies of all types and sizes realize the benefits of the cloud. When you’re ready to move your business forward with faster, cheaper, and more functional computing power, the answer is SimplyClouds -- contact us today.