The growth of cloud services has been a very important development in the business IT world. This new technology provides a host of IT solutions which can save you money, improve the security of your business data and enhance the flexibility of your working practices. But how do you know when your business is ready to go ‘full cloud’? Here are some good indications that you may be ready to make the move.
1. You are already struggling with certain areas of your existing IT infrastructure
- Manual data backups are failing or are not being done regularly
- You are worried about how secure your data is
- You are struggling to manage your email mailboxes on your in-house server
- You are failing to keep your anti-virus up to date on all your devices
- Your server is getting old and you are experiencing a lot of downtime and growing maintenance costs
- Your business is growing and your server is struggling to meet the extra demands
If you are regularly experiencing these types of issues moving to cloud-hosted services can help. Solutions such as online cloud backup, cloud file share, managed anti-virus and exchange email are popular services that reduce the hassle and expense of managing and maintaining your own in-house IT systems. Cloud services can provide your business with enhanced data security, robust disaster recovery procedures and services that are easily managed via a basic user interface.
2. You want to provide cost-effective remote and mobile working opportunities for staff
- You want staff to be able to work as securely and efficiently outside the office as in the office
- You want staff to be able to collaborate and share files from different locations
- You want to manage and facilitate better communication between staff whether they are in the office, on the go or working externally
If you want to offer staff the flexibility to work in different locations, different offices or even work from home, cloud services can help. Hosted VoIP (a cloud-based telephony system) and hosted File Sharing allow staff to work securely and efficiently, via a laptop, smartphone or tablet from any location with access to an internet connection.
3. You need to reduce the cost of your phone bills
As mentioned previously, cloud Hosted VoIP telephony offers advanced communication between offices and their workers but in addition, it can
- Drastically reduce the amount of money spent on calls and line rental
- Provide the flexibility to reduce or expand the number of live phone lines quickly and easily as your business changes
- Provide enhanced business features such as voicemail by email, auto attendant etc.
4. You want to avoid any large unexpected IT costs
Anyone running a business will be only too aware that IT costs can be very unpredictable. Large unexpected costs can be difficult to manage, particularly for smaller businesses. The pay-as-you-go model that cloud services offer allows you to keep more control of your costs. You can set a monthly budget for IT costs and add and subtract resources and services as and when you need them. This is one of the top reasons businesses choose to move their services to the cloud.
It is clear that employing cloud services has many advantages. However, it is important that whether you are ready to go ‘full cloud’ or just dip your toe in one or two cloud services you take the time to find an experienced IT support company to guide you through the process. They will be able to explain all your options, help you choose exactly the right cloud services for your business and plan a detailed step by step migration strategy to ensure the move goes smoothly.
DATA Computer Services provides professional IT support services for businesses throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. If you are interested in cloud services and would like to find out more, please get in touch or give us a call on 0131 657 1666