Cloud computing is a hot subject at the moment, with more and more business contemplating the move. However, talk grows into discussions and information is being increasingly passed around. It is no surprise that misconceptions and myths start to sprout.
Making decisions based on facts is imperative if you want to make the correct decision for your business. For many SME businesses looking to grow or replace old obsolete hardware and software, cloud services are an option that should definitely be taken into account. This article will hopefully push you to for or the against, separating fact from fiction and make the dilemma of whether to adopt cloud services a bit easier.
Myths supporting the cloud
You will never face any technical issues: We wish this was true, but there is the universal law of ‘nothing is perfect’ and this applies to the cloud. However, there is a very slim chance that you will face an issue. To reduce downtime, we have power and connection backups along with a disaster recovery solution to ensure your cloud is always in the sky and available (99.99% of the time).
Personal devices are completely safe: The accessibility of the cloud is a huge advantage, you can access your files from anywhere on your personal devices. The security on our (vendor) end is totally secure but if you’re accessing your data from an unprotected free WIFI in a café, we can’t guarantee your safety.
You can fire the IT department: We do provide technical support, but that is only supported for the cloud service. If your local network goes down or your printer fails or your business adopts a cloud hybrid, you still need your IT department. Cloud services can reduce, but not eliminate the need for an IT department. These guys are still our heroes when things go wrong.
You can use an ‘off the shelf’ solution: A solution that can take months to deploy can now be done in a couple of minutes. Great. However a good solution that is effective and works towards your goals isn’t going be off the shelf. It’s going to take a bit of time and effort to get a solution that considers your future goals.
Cloud is always the best option: How could anyone know without looking at your business needs? This applies to a lot of businesses but not all.
Myths opposing the cloud
Touching back on the last supporting myth, the cloud isn’t for everyone. Whereas if any of the points below are stopping you from using cloud services, we think you need to re-think your reasons. It could be holding back your business.
We will be spying on your data: Data privacy is at the heart of our business and should be for every other provider. We are not going to risk our business by compromising on our data privacy policy. Going through the accreditations we have, we know how important your privacy is.
Security Issues: We adopt end-to-end encryption techniques and the latest security methods to keep your data in a format that cannot be read, even by ourselves. Data decrypts are only issued to authenticated users at the user-end.
Cloud requires high expenses: Yes there are expenses, but compared to replacing your hardware and the maintenance of it thereafter. Cloud can be very cost effective.
You don’t need the cloud: As mentioned before, you may not. However, do you use Gmail or Facebook? Dropbox or Google Drive? Use a hosted website? All of these are a part of the cloud services and if you utilise any of them, then you are already part of the cloud. There is also a lot more ways in which your business could use the cloud.
It keeps your business small: Cloud services are extremely flexible and you can always switch to larger plans as and when needed. Cloud services can save you a lot of money on physical set up, allowing you to apply your savings in other areas of development. Some of the biggest businesses e.g. Netflix use cloud services, so it’s hard to see how it keeps your business small.
Cloud is inefficient and slow: Features like flexible device sharing, remote access, change trackers, real-time collaboration, etc. can increase your productivity ten-fold. How is this inefficient? In terms of being slow. If you have a slow internet connection, then it’s not the cloud that is slow, it’s your connectivity. The cloud is always accessible.
Conclusion
Like any technology, the cloud has its pros and cons. It is now up to you to decide whether adopting cloud is beneficial to your business. It won’t work for every scenario, but it will work for most. It is highly beneficial to you to have an in-depth look at your current situation and how the cloud could be implemented.
If you would like to talk to one of our members of staff about cloud services and your business, please get in touch.
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