Why so many companies are switching to Cloud-computing
An emerging trend in information technology for small businesses is that more and more companies are getting away from having their own servers. Instead, they are moving toward Cloud-computing, which is done online. By switching to Cloud-computing, you no longer have to install all those programs on your desktop computers and laptops.
Instead of purchasing software licenses and installing the programs on every computer, you subscribe to them and access their functions through your web browser. You also save all your files and documents to the Cloud, allowing you to access them from any device that can connect to the internet.
Cloud-computing is highly flexible and cost-effective, which makes it ideal for small and growing businesses. It costs much less than buying your own servers and purchasing dozens of software licenses for every workstation. Plus, it takes what would have been a capital expense and turns it into an operating expense, which offers several financial and tax advantages. (Check with your accountant for details.)
Businesses are switching to Cloud-computing for a wide range of reasons that include:
It’s convenient and portable
Because you access all your programs and files through the internet, you and your employees can work from anywhere. Plus, they can use just about any device they like. If you want to let an employee work from home, or if you have sales reps who frequently travel, or you just need to get something done quickly while you’re at lunch, Cloud-computing makes it possible.
It makes collaboration among employees much easier
When all your programs and documents are stored on the Cloud, multiple employees can work on projects simultaneously, sharing ideas and feedback in real time. And as long as they have access to the internet, they can be working from anywhere in the world, across town, or right down the hall from each other. Collaboration becomes seamless and convenient.
It gives you a lot more space for the storage of data
Without Cloud computing, you’re limited to the amount of hard drive space on each computer or laptop. Even if you get your own servers, you’re still limited because you probably can’t justify the cost of adding servers to meet your storage demands beyond a certain point. While this is an important issue for almost any business, some use more memory than others. For example, creative firms that do a lot of graphic design or video will run out of space quickly without the Cloud. Similarly, engineering and architecture firms, which create a lot of CAD drawings need a lot of memory.
It’s more secure
When people travel for work, it’s fairly common for them to lose a smart phone or laptop, leaving it in a hotel room or at an airport. If that device has customers’ private information stored on it, you’ve opened yourself up to a huge liability risk. When you store files on the Cloud, misplacing a device is much less of a problem because your company data and all the files are secure. Plus, cloud-computing makes it easy to do regular offsite backups.