Is the Cloud Right For Your Business?

The introduction of cloud data storage inevitably resulted in the question of whether shifting to cloud computing was an excellent idea. Back when cloud computing was a new idea, most business owners had a lot of legitimate questions and few answers that provided enough guidance for making informed decisions. Currently, things are different making it easier to determine whether cloud computing is a perfect choice for your business or not.

This application is a unique type of computing paradigm that combines both software applications and data out of a local office and stores it in a secure location on a specific server. The server is owned, controlled and maintained by third-party providers in a cloud-based scenario. The firm’s data and other applications are safely stored off-site and can only be accessed through the internet. In locally storage cases, the firm would have its computers on which information and applications are stored.

Your organization may be already using at least some of the applications installed in the cloud. Some of the applications include Microsoft Office 365, Google Drive and Docs. Also, social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube are cloud-based. Concerning the question of whether cloud computing is right for your business or not, you can only know the answer by comparing the pros and cons of cloud usage including intellectual property protections, cost, and security.

Cost Savings

Cost savings is the most significant cloud computing benefit in terms of information technology expenses. Most companies no matter their size and type exist to make profits while keeping their operational expenses and capital to a minimum. With the cloud, your company can save a significant amount of cash with zero in-house data storage and application requirements.

Also, the absence of on-premises infrastructure removes the associated operating expenses in the form of air conditioning, power, and administration costs. Companies pay for what is utilized and disengage whenever they like since there is no invested information technology capital to worry about. It is a common misconception that large enterprises can afford to use cloud computing when these services are affordable for smaller companies.

Security and Intellectual Property Protections

The major hang-up that most companies have when it comes to cloud computing is the issue of data security and intellectual property protections. The primary function of cloud computing is to monitor security that is significantly more efficient compared to a conventional in-house unit. A firm must distribute its efforts and applications between a myriad of information technology concerns with data security being the top among them.

While most firms do not like to consider the possibilities of internal information loss or theft, the truth is that a high percentage of information thefts mainly occur internally and are perpetrated by workers. If this is the case, it will be safer to store sensitive data off-site.