Is Cloud right for my business? - Amit Gupta, CEO & Founder, Rapyder Cloud Solutions
Cloud is the most sought-after trend for quite some time now. But a majority of the businesses are still apprehensive on how can cloud computing be adopted to accommodate their business needs. Most people consider cloud computing as a complex concept while in reality it is quite simple. Cloud computing refers to housing your data offsite in someone else’s data centre, unless your business has its own private cloud.
Should your business adopt cloud technology?
Businesses usually adopt to cloud for various reasons. It could be scalability, low cost, flexibility, adaptability is some of the primary reasons. There are few other reasons why businesses opt for cloud like backup, disaster recovery etc.
Cloud is beneficial for companies of all sizes. For SMBs, cloud is an affordable solution since deployment is easy, reduces infrastructure costs, and simple to manage. For businesses with limited means, using cloud also means that projects can be completed faster cutting the time to market in half.
Factors to consider if Cloud is right for your business
Before opting for cloud from a strategic perspective, it is important to evaluate if cloud is right for your business. Once this is achieved, it is imperative to evaluate current set-up before moving to cloud especially:
• Migration strategy: Do you have the right resources who can help migration or moving from your current outdated systems and to cloud?
• Technology landscape: Check your geographical presence and future expansions. This will help you decide how much of your investments must go towards cloud computing. Depending on the number of the users, you can decide cloud computing for your business
• Data regulation: One of the most important things to factor in would be the various data regulations and policies applicable across various geographies. Check how much of them comply with your business and how many have agreed upon your guidelines.
If you are in highly regulated business such as the banking, then specific standards must be followed about data and security. It is important to note that your cloud migration plans must ensure that your security needs are met.
• Remote workforce: With the pandemic still looming at large, we have seen how businesses have opted for cloud computing technology to achieve business continuity. Remote working is gaining more popularity than ever before. To support your workforce, it is imperative businesses opt for cloud to enable work to run seamlessly. It not only helps improve productivity but achieve security without compromising on it.
• Storage efficacy: If you are facing storage issues very often, then cloud can be the appealing alternative because it helps achieve flexibility and allows you to scale and upgrade as per your business needs. It is definitely cost effective as compared to investing in on premise physical storage.
• Outdated hardware: Hardware in small businesses play an important role and represent significant investment. When the current hardware being used by business is approaching end-of-life, investing in new replacement systems could mean during in huge amount of money on infra. But integrating cloud can definitely help achieve enterprise level technology and security at a very low cost.
• Decrease redundancies: If you are trying to expand your business to few locations, rather than opening new office spaces, buying servers, additional routers etc can add up to costs hugely. But moving to cloud eliminates these redundancies.
Protecting Sensitive Information: When you are a small business owner, data protection becomes more important. A single data breach could destroy your reputation and cost you the trust of your customer. Moving to cloud will definitely protect sensitive information, save time, maintain compliance and eliminate risks. Cloud offers end-to-end encryption and secure storage, helps you protect proprietary company data, sensitive customer information and everything else your business needs to function on a daily basis.
Most of the above-mentioned things can be made much more easier with the right Cloud Service Provider. They can resolve most of the issues that your business may face and help you with smooth transition so that your business doesn’t have to go through unforeseen expenditures during migration.
With all the above-mentioned key factors, the question that arises is no longer if cloud computing can help my business, rather which platform to use. All you need to do as a business owner is choose the right cloud which is aligned with your business goals and infrastructure.
Cloud is an ever-evolving trend, so if you still have concerns about moving your business to cloud, watch out for the upcoming trends that may help you decide if Cloud is right for your business.