Working smarter with the help of cloud computing.
If you had the opportunity to extend the life of your current computer equipment (especially that server that you bought in 2003) without a large capital outlay, would you consider it? Would you like to access a client file stored on your hard drive while you're having lunch with that client?
You can with cloud computing. Like leasing a car, you can enjoy the advantages of the latest hardware without the long-term commitment of buying it. And by storing your data on a service provider's server in a secure data center, you and your employees can work from anywhere.
According to an article published on the Forbes website in February, two-thirds of organizations that use cloud services believe that cloud computing has reduced their IT costs, with nearly 60 percent reporting a cost savings by not purchasing additional IT infrastructure.
Looking beyond the benefits to established businesses, the cloud can be beneficial to start-up companies as well. A startup can purchase just the services they need, then scale upward as the business grows. The Forbes article references a UK study of 1,300 executives that measured effects of cloud computing on their businesses. Twenty-five percent of respondents agreed strongly with the statement that “cloud computing is a key factor in the recent boom of entrepreneurs and start-ups.” Sixty-two percent agreed totally or somewhat with the statement.
Nearly half of those participating in that study started their businesses within the past three years. Of the startups, 52 percent reported they would not have been able to open those businesses without access to cloud-based resources. Other findings from the survey include cost savings through avoiding IT infrastructure costs (58 percent); the ability to scale up cost-effectively (48 percent); easier to deploy, use and manage than on-premise solutions (46 percent); an ability to buy only what we need, without paying for additional service element which we will not use (45 percent); productivity gains due to less time dealing with IT issues (41 percent); more control over what we spend (38 percent); predictable monthly costs to help manage cash flow (36 percent); access to industry expertise from cloud providers (27 percent); and access to the same caliber of high performing services that larger competitors use (24 percent).
Moving your business to the cloud is a simple procedure. The provider will evaluate your needs, then will make an appointment around your schedule to move your data. The provider will organize the data to ensure that your procedures don't change.
It's pretty painless — your cloud service provider will set up the cloud so it's very similar to how you currently use your computers. In most cases, you will just log into the cloud and all the icons to your programs and files will be on the desktop. Once the cloud server goes live, you are usually back up and running within an hour or less.
One of the questions I'm asked most often is “How secure is my data?” The answer is “Very Secure.” Our client files are placed on a virtual private server (also known as a VPS). This protocol is like having your own offsite server. When you make a connection to the server, the information is encrypted; standard safeguards include routers, firewalls, and username/password protection.
Another question references backing up and archiving data. My company's services include continuous backup of data. If your Internet connection is lost, everything you were working on is still there when it comes back. We also backup all of our servers so our client data is always safe. Archiving is available as well.
Visit the Best Servers website at www.bestserversllc.net for more information.
Peter Jordan is president of Best Servers LLC in Merrillville. The company provides IT consulting, system administration, cloud computing solutions and disaster recovery for all sizes of businesses.
