Moving Your Office IT Into The Cloud: What You Need to Know
Use of cloud computing and storage is increasing rapidly. IT directors need to understand the potential benefits.
Cloud storage technology has become one of the major buzzwords in terms of business information storage during the past few years.
This is no coincidence, for advancements in technology, security, accessibility and implementation are now causing a growing number of businesses to embrace this approach. There are a number of turnkey advantages that this methodology provides. We should look at these in more detail to appreciate why cloud storage is likely to be the top solution in the years and decades to come.
On-Site IT Concerns
Back-office IT departments can represent a substantial expenditure of limited resources. This is particularly the case if the enterprise is in a state of growth and its team of professionals will be placed under a substantial workload. So, tight budgets can experience even greater duress and a great deal of time will likely be spent trying to keep up with the changing demands of information storage. This is just as relevant in terms of time spent as well as issues with delegating responsibilities to different individuals within your IT team. Cloud storage all but eliminates the bulk of these concerns. To validate this perspective, a recent study illustrated that no less than 82 per cent of surveyed companies observed that they saved time and money by moving into the cloud.
Flexibility And Security
Another advantage that cloud storage boasts over traditional IT services is that these systems can be quickly upgraded or downgraded when necessary. There will be no need to physically change out any hardware and as the entire infrastructure is contained within the virtual world; little (if any) downtime will be experienced with such modifications.
In the same respect, the security protocols associated with cloud storage are typically much more robust than those encountered within an office setting. All data is backed up remotely; eliminating the risk of loss in the event of a server failure or a similar unforeseen incident. Security protocols are quite strict and constantly evolving. As opposed to having to implement time-consuming (and costly) solutions through a dedicated IT team, your security is seamlessly improved when necessary. Not only will this keep potentially sensitive data safe from theft or corruption, but your company can return its focus on core competencies such as product development, sales and marketing.
Potential Implications
One of the issues which should be mentioned is that certain industries tend to be more hesitant to reallocate their information into the cloud. The three top sectors within this list are:
- Banking
- Insurance
- Government
There are two primary reasons behind such a viewpoint. Unlike sectors including retail, manufacturing and media, the regulations involved with certain industries are quite stringent. Therefore, the storage solutions in question must meet and exceed what can certainly be called challenging demands. Providers of private cloud services offer solutions that include the inherent advantages of cloud storage, while fully complying with local regulations on such data storage. The second primary reason for this hesitance has more to do with the fear of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. As there have indeed been breaches of personal information from time to time, these concerns are not entirely unfounded.
Nonetheless, Cisco forecasts that the amount of data being transferred into the cloud will reach an astronomical 7.7 zettabytes by 2017. So, it is easy to see that even regulated sectors such as finance are appreciating the benefits to be enjoyed.
What To Consider
So far, we have taken a look at some figures and statistics which tend to back up the benefits of cloud storage. How are you to know whether or not this solution is right for your business? You should first take into account the time needed with your current IT staff. Weigh this against the potential money saved if such efforts were placed into a hosted cloud storage solution. A few other variables to ask are:
- Is your business forecast to grow substantially?
- How strained are your current in-house resources?
- What are your data security concerns and can these be adequately addressed?
- How much would such an infrastructure change cost?
The answers to these questions will help you to determine whether or not a move to the cloud is right for you.
It is an undeniable fact that cloud-based IT services are on the rise. As this technology becomes more available and affordable to countless businesses, we should expect that this sector may well replace the more traditonal in-office IT administrator roles.
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