Cloud Computing: Data Anywhere, Anytime.

Everyone loves that little coffee shop on the corner. It’s familiar, comfortable, and it’s been around forever. While we love that coffee shop, there’s one problem. That corner is the only place you can find it. While Starbucks may be overdone, do you know where you can find them? They are on every corner in every town in this country and around the world. Plus, you can find your same favorite drink at every location you go. It’s the same idea with cloud computing. You have the ability to access your data anywhere, anytime, instead of only one location.

As technology trends continue to change and grow, one thing that is becoming more necessity than novelty is cloud computing. To keep your business competitive, you need the ability to access your data from anywhere while keeping it secure and cost effective to do so. While a lot of small businesses still store their data on a server that’s onsite, the need to move to the cloud is becoming stronger every day.

I remember working in medical offices when there were paper charts. There were warehouses dedicated to just holding medical records. And if one needed a particular file, it could take days turnaround because someone had to physically locate it in the warehouse. When there came the option to digitize the records, doctors were nervous about the impact it would have. Now, they can access records almost instantaneously, from any of their office or hospital locations.

Let’s talk about three ways that the cloud will help bring your business up to its potential. There are many more than three, but for today’s purposes we will cover Cost, Productivity, and Security.

What’s the Cost of Cloud Computing?

Cost is always the first thing we look at. Especially in a time where the cost of everything is going up, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your business in the black. While the cost to move to the cloud seems daunting, over time it will cost more to keep your server. With an onsite data center, you have the cost of purchasing the hardware and software, along with any updates, replacements, and repairs. You have the cost of 24/7 power needed to run them and staff to maintain them. Having everything cloud based eliminates those costs.

How Will It Improve Productivity?

Secondly, productivity increases when your data is on the cloud. It allows multiple people to be working on the same project at the same time, encouraging collaboration. Not only that, they can be working on that same project from anywhere. It gives your team more flexibility and increases efficiency, which in turn boosts productivity.

How Will It Increase Cyber Security?

Finally, cloud computing offers increased security. When you are on a cloud service, they have around the clock staff that are dedicated to the cyber security of the data they house. Unlike on-site servers, which link everyone to the same corporate network and storage, cloud workstations are isolated per user. So if one user clicks on a bad link, the incident becomes isolated. Plus, the data on the cloud is regularly backed up, so if something does become compromised, it should be fixable.

In conclusion, while we love our corner coffee shop, sometimes the overarching benefits of the franchise win in the end. We have to look past what is familiar and cheaper in the moment, to what will benefit your business for the years to come. Talk to B2 Solutions today about how to get set up on the cloud.