According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly 1 in 5 businesses reported using paid cloud-computing services. Other surveys such as the 2015 Telsyte Australian Infrastructure & Cloud Computing Market Study have this number up over 50%.
While there might not be consensus over the numbers, cloud storage is gaining in popularity and chances are you’ve heard of it even if your business hasn’t started using it yet. What’s really important is understanding what the cloud actually is and whether it’s a good option for your business. So let’s start at the beginning.
What is the cloud?
Believe it or not, it’s not just a trendy tech-term used to confuse people, but we admit it’s not the easiest concept to understand. Basically, the cloud isn’t hardware or software; it’s essentially a network of servers. When something is said to be on the cloud, it’s stored on services on the internet instead of your computer, and somewhat importantly can be accessed remotely.
Simply put, anytime you store information without using up your own computer’s internal data, you’re storing information on the cloud. Gmail, Instagram and Dropbox are all examples you’ve probably used or heard of before.
What are the benefits of cloud migration?
Cloud storage can mean big benefits for businesses. In general it allows businesses to be more nimble, efficient and cost effective. Often the decision to move to the cloud is financially motivated, and really what better reason is there? Instead of having to invest in your own hardware equipment, which will only depreciate over time, you only pay for what you use. No upfront investment, no need to worry about aging hardware.
While a positive effect on your bottom line is possibly the most important factor to consider, it’s definitely not the only way the cloud can impact how an organisation operates.
Migrating your everyday business to cloud storage means better file sharing and collaboration between employees. They can do it anywhere, anytime. It’s not always practical to work in the office, or maybe you have some remote workers; whatever situation your business is, the cloud allows more flexible working arrangements that can fit in with how you want to operate.
Is cloud migration right for my business?
So, is cloud migration the best option for your business? Think about these questions:
- Do you have remote employees that need to access software?
- Are you a small business? Cloud migration can be especially attractive to smaller businesses as it allows them access to enterprise-class hardware that could be otherwise unaffordable.
- Is your server aging or overloaded?
- Do you predict that your company’s bandwidth will fluctuate? Upscaling is easy with no need to invest in further infrastructure or equipment.
- Are you looking to reduce IT operational costs, while increasing IT effectiveness?
- Do software upgrades and application deployment take longer than they should?
Answer yes to any of these and moving your business over to the cloud could be a strategy worth exploring.
Need help? Contact us and we would be more than happy to explore the options with you.
