What is the cloud, when it is not white fluff floating high in the atmosphere? Simply, cloud computing is any service not hosted in your environment. Chances are, some or all of your business is using cloud computing to get things done.
When you purchase software as a monthly service, such as Quickbooks, rather than buying physical disks and installing the software on your computer you are using the cloud. Think of this as a type of cloud that offers a service.
If you are using any type of social media, you are using the cloud. You may take a video and save it on your computer, but when you upload it to a social site it is now hosted on the cloud. Think of this as a type of cloud that stores your data.
Three benefits of cloud computing:
- Financial Savings ~ Businesses and people often find savings when they don’t have to buy an entire software package but rather pay a monthly fee. The benefit is seen when the software is updated and patched, but the customer is not required to pay for a new version. There is a large benefit in knowing your software is running with the best coding possible rather than risk using outdated and unsupported versions.
- Remote Access ~ As people move to a more nimble working environment it is very important they they can access their from from varying locations. Being able to use a coffeeshop with wi-fi or find a file while on a client’s complimentary server is essential to the way things are getting done. Accessibility with security is how things get done and the cloud offers both benefits.
- Stressfree Productivity ~ Hardware issues, software malfunctions, bandwidth usage and firewall security are all issues that become nearly obsolete when cloud computing. There is a staff, not paid or housed by your business, that ensures the services and storage you need are available and running at peak performance. The size and depth of the cloud is almost too much to comprehend – a full Exabyte! An exabyte is equal to 4Million Macbook Pro Hard drives according to this infographic.
Ready to move some or all of your computing to the cloud? FLI can help you evaluate your needs and set up a solution that provides you with the best return on your investment. It’s worth a call for your business and your information.