You may have heard a lot of talk about managed cloud services being a great solution for small businesses. But many companies are not even sure what this suite of services entails – or for that matter, what the cloud really is. If you are a business owner or in charge of your organization’s IT network, you need to understand what your options are. Only then can you decide if managed cloud services are the right choice for your company.
FAQs Regarding Cloud Services
There are several definitions and explanations which will help you to better understand the structure of cloud computing, and to decide if the services are right for you.
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- Cloud computing utilizes a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data. Cloud computing replaces the need for a local server or a personal computer for storage and processing. A common example of cloud computing is a social media account.
- Because cloud computing providers build a network with redundancy and employ an army of experts, the services are very reliable and can generally guarantee greater uptime than a small company can expect to experience on their own.
- There are several types of clouds which are available to small business. Clouds can be public, private, or hybrid. Public clouds are shared with other organizations, all of which use the same cloud services. Alternatively, private clouds are generally reserved for more sensitive information. They are often utilized in the financial or government sectors. Hybrid clouds separate sensitive and non-sensitive information, and handle them each according to the appropriate level of needed compliance and security.
Is the Cloud Right for Your Business?
The many benefits of the cloud include flexibility, scalability and cost savings.
Flexibility: Whether you need to add more licenses or additional applications, cloud services allow your organization to move quickly and be guaranteed the support you need. Companies can scale up and down easily without committing to additional internal resources.
Scalability: Cloud computing allows companies to increase the volume of transactions and processes without a corresponding increase in staff and overhead costs. The need to purchase ever-increasing storage capability decreases, and the organization does not have to continually invest in hardware or software programs.
Cost Savings: Cloud computing can result in a marked reduction in operational costs. This savings come from the decrease in onsite operating, overhead and maintenance costs. Companies pay for capacity on an as-needed basis, rather than installing a server which is under-utilized.
How Can Managed Cloud Services Help?
Cloud computing can help to streamline your daily operations and relieve the workload of your operations staff.
Managed services move many of your IT and network responsibilities to an offsite professional team who can better manage maintenance and growth.
By combining the two concepts, organizations can take advantage of all the benefits these services offer. Not only can a small business now enjoy the state-of-the-art technology and scalability once reserved for large companies (and large budgets), they can do so without overtaxing their own staff. There are no learning curves, long hours and missed deadlines. Instead, your company can concentrate on building your business. Allow the professionals at Alliance IT to handle your technology plan, firewalls and cyber security, software patches and updates – and your overall growth strategy to maximize your productivity and profit.
