The cloud: a simple definition
The cloud. Mention the term and an array of thoughts spring to mind: data in the sky, something not to be trusted or a technology that is reserved for corporate giants. The cloud is none of these. In simple terms, the cloud is a platform offering remote storage of data amongst other services vital in keeping your IT infrastructure optimised and fully supporting your business operations.
Using it without knowing
Many of us use the cloud without realising that we are doing so. By creating a wish list on Amazon, uploading photos to Instagram, using Outlook or Gmail, or using Dropbox to store files, you are accessing some of the fundamental features of cloud computing.
Take emails, for example. If you have a Gmail account, all your correspondence is stored on physical servers somewhere on the planet. The data is not on your device, but in the cloud where it can be accessed on any laptop, smartphone, or tablet, at any time using the appropriate credentials.
The advantage is that if you spill a drink on your laptop, or if the device is lost or stolen, you haven’t lost any of your Gmail data, even if you have failed to backup your hard drive. Of course, you regularly back up your drives … who doesn’t? If you don’t, make backup a priority. When data stored on a hard drive is lost or corrupted, it’s gone forever.
The cloud analogy
Putting the cloud in the context of a real-world situation helps you to understand the benefits for your small-to-medium size business (SMB). Spend a few moments examining this cloud analogy. You’ll see for yourself some of the immediate advantages that the cloud offers your SMB.
Imagine that you are the owner of a start-up. With your business in its infant stage, you and two colleagues occupy a small cramped office. You all share one large desk, cluttered with laptops, paperwork, coffee cups and random personal items. Your premises are so tiny that there is no room for storage. Operating on a shoe-string budget, you are aware that it will be a long wait until you are able to afford large office space.
With storage facilities being non-existent, you seek assistance from building management. They offer you an empty filing cabinet in the basement for which you need to pay a monthly rental fee. There are several cabinets and lockers in the basement, used by other SMBs in the building. Although you share the basement with other tenants, only you and your team have the keys to your cabinet in which all your pesky clutter is stored. Compared to other SMBs, your rental costs are relatively low. You are only paying for a cabinet while other companies are leasing large, expensive lockers.
Benefits of the cabinet
You all heave a sigh of relief. Your workstations are clean and shipshape and you have space to work efficiently. More importantly, the files you need for effective business operation are stored nearby. They are under lock and key, safe from everybody else in the building and from strangers on the outside. An added bonus is that they cannot get soiled by coffee stains or spill ketchup.
In essence, you have avoided a significant increase in operational expenditure required to secure larger premises. All you needed was storage space in the form of a filing cabinet. Better still, the money you have saved can be invested in developing your SMB and providing your clients with quality products and services.
The cloud versus the cabinet
The cloud is much like the filing cabinet. Firstly, you only rent the space that you need. Reputable cloud providers have enhanced network security which means that your data is as safe as it can ever be from hackers. Also, by storing your data remotely, it is safe from accident-prone employees and local system failure. Check out some of the main features and benefits of cloud computing that follow.
Scalability
Cloud services are perfect for growing SMBs or those with fluctuating storage requirements. By drawing on remote servers, it is easy to scale up your cloud capacity as your needs increase. Conversely, should you need to scale down that too is easy and inexpensive. The agility associated with cloud computing gives you a quantifiable advantage over your competitors. Business IT experts often claim ‘operational agility’ as the primary reason for cloud adoption.
Disaster recovery
Businesses, large and small, should have in place a robust and tested disaster recovery (DR) plan. For SMBs that lack cash at hand and expertise, DR is often on a wish-list, and not a reality. The cloud is now assisting SMBs in implementing appropriate DR protocols. According to the Aberdeen Group, an American technology and services company, SMBs are twice as likely as their corporate counterparts to have cloud-based backup and DR solutions. Using the cloud for your backup and DR means saving time, money and tapping into third-party knowledge and expertise.
Software and security updates
As discussed earlier, cloud servers, similar to the cabinet in the basement, are off-site. Cloud providers manage and maintain servers, so there is less technology for you to take care of. A trusted provider will roll out regularly scheduled software and security updates. Updates are automated, so you don’t need to worry about when or if they are taking place. At the end of the day, this means you can focus on growing your SMB and look forward to greater revenue generation.
Collaboration benefits
With the cloud, you and your employees can access, edit and share files at any time and from anywhere. You are able to work on online documents together and hence produce a better, collaboratively created product. Cloud-based workflow and file sharing applications enable colleagues to make updates in real-time and provide full visibility of collaborative effort.
Anywhere, anytime, any device
To reiterate the heading above, cloud computing means that you can work from anywhere, at any time and use any machine. All you need is an internet connection and a Wi-Fi enabled device. Also, established cloud providers offer mobile apps, so you can use almost any device to complete the work at hand. The advantage here is that you can offer employees greater working hour flexibility. Your staff are content because they have a work-life balance that matches their needs. You and your SMB executives are content because you know productivity remains uncompromised.
Document management
The greater the number of employees and outside partners who collaborate on documents, the greater the need for a strict document management system. Before the cloud-enabled real-time collaboration, staff members had to send documents as email attachments. The documents were sent back and forth and could only be edited by one user at a time. The result was a dishevelled collection of documents with conflicting file content and having a range of formats.
Moving to the cloud turns disorganisation into the organisation. All files are centrally stored and everybody is the one and only version of the truth. Greater visibility has the knock-on effect of improved collaboration and increased productivity. If your SMB still applies the old method of document editing, maybe you should consider streamlining this function and migrating to the cloud.
Data loss and security
A loss or stolen laptop is problematic for any business, whether it is company-owned or a BYOD device. Besides the cost of replacing the technology, there is the expensive loss of data stored on the machine. Cloud clouting provides greater security in the event of device theft or loss. Your data is stored remotely meaning you can access it no matter what happens to your laptop.
Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools are especially useful for mobile devices. RMM tools monitor all data endpoints and, should a device go missing, they can remotely wipe data from it. Sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands.
The cloud is green
You can see that there are many financial and work-related benefits of cloud computing. But moving to the cloud isn’t entirely an act of selfishness. The cloud lends a little love to the environment as well. Put simply, as your cloud needs fluctuate, your server capacity is scaled up or down to match needs. As a result, energy is not wasted and your data storage and processing don’t leave a giant carbon footprint in their wake. In essence, the cloud offers sustainable IT solutions with minimal environmental impact.
The cloud and UK business
The cloud is fast becoming the new normal. It is estimated that by the end of 2018, more than 90% of UK businesses will deploy at least one cloud service. SMBs are moving to cloud computing because it increases efficiency and promotes cash flow. To cut a long story short, the cloud provides scalable data storage without massive incremental increases in fixed costs. When will you make the move?
