Moving to cloud computing: five benefits for your business

Have you been considering moving to cloud computing?

You’re not the only one – 42% of IT decision makers will increase their spending on cloud computing in 2015, according to Computerworld.

Moving to cloud computing is still seen as a radical departure by some sceptics, who are often worried that there would be negative implications for security.

Yet many businesses with concerns about it actually use several cloud-based services themselves, sometimes without realising – Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Spotify and so on.

Here are five of the key benefits of moving to cloud computing:

1. Security

Let’s tackle those security concerns straight away then.

A recent Microsoft survey found that 94% of SMEs using cloud services have actually gained security benefits which they did not previously have.

There are lots of reasons why security can be stronger in the cloud, including having regular updates which combat the very latest threats.

A simpler reason too is that laptops and smartphones are sometimes lost, along with any documents which were stored on them – however keeping them stored in the cloud instead means that misplacing hardware only results in a lost device and nothing more.

2. Cost savings

Different businesses will save money from moving to cloud computing in different ways.

A key one is the reduced expenditure on hardware, such as backup servers – a cloud computing service provider often covers this in the service fee.

Other cost savings might arise from reducing the reliance on in-house IT staff. Additionally, energy costs will decrease as there would be less idle hardware in use – cloud computing uses much less electricity.

3. Scalability

Many of the cost savings will result from scalability.

Most businesses experience fluctuations in demand during any given year and without the cloud, this often means needing to invest in extra hardware.

Unfortunately, this additional hardware will remain unused during the quieter parts of the year.

Cloud computing provides economies of scale and flexibility as businesses’ storage needs increase or decrease.

4. Ease of access

With cloud computing, there’s no more realising once you’ve left the office that you can’t carry on working because the documents you need are only saved on your office computer.

Cloud applications can be accessed securely from any device, anywhere.

They also allow staff to work into the same document simultaneously, so there’s no need to save multiple different versions of a document just because the original is already open and is ‘read only’.

5. Speed

Our final point is about the time that can be saved through moving to cloud computing.

Traditionally, commissioning and implementing new services can sometimes take months, but a cloud provider can set up new services within hours.

Virtual servers can also be delivered rapidly, vital when demand increases suddenly and your business needs to respond instantly.

Moving to cloud computing: summing up

There are many advantages to cloud computing, such as increased security, accessibility and scalability.

These economies of scale can lead to faster implementation and lower costs.

If you have any queries about cloud computing, or IT support services, why not contact our team today? We’d be happy to talk through the full range of considerations in greater detail.