Tag Archive for: Cloud

Cloud computing is very common these days and with good reason. From improving your business scalability to encouraging flexible working practices, the benefits of cloud computing are numerous. But if you are not already there, how do you execute a successful cloud migration. Before you move to the cloud, here are the 5 questions you should ask to make the transition as seamless as possible. 

Why move to the cloud?

While it’s true that around 96% of businesses use some form of cloud computing solution. It’s still important to know why you’re choosing the cloud in the first place. Perhaps you want to reduce costs, improve data security, reduce the expenses associated with maintaining IT equipment, or speed up workflows. 

Whatever your reasons, understand what you hope to achieve from cloud migration before you get started. This ensures that, for example, you don’t waste money and resources on solutions you simply don’t need. 

What kind of storage do I need?

Choosing the right cloud storage means choosing the appropriate storage for your unique business needs. Your IT service provider can help you with this, but when you’re researching cloud storage options, consider factors such as:

  • How often you’ll access the data
  • If the files are read-only or if employees will edit them frequently 
  • The required latency 

To help reduce costs, you can always choose cheaper storage tiers for data you rarely use or archived files. Don’t rush into a cloud solution – make sure it’s the most cost-effective and functional package for your business. 

Is all my business data being migrated? 

Chances are there’s no need to move all your business data to the cloud, at least not right away. To keep costs at a minimum, consider leaving historic data behind until a later date and only migrate the data you need on a daily basis. Migrating all your data can have a noticeable impact on your migration schedule and costs. Only move everything necessary for your business operations. 

If you’re unsure, always consult an IT professional

How to minimize downtime and keep the business running?

It’s vital that you keep your business operations moving during a cloud migration. Did you know, downtime costs businesses up to 14 hours and $1.55 million each year?

Ensure that you keep personnel fully informed of IT changes and provide whatever training they’ll need to get up to speed on a new system. Review your data migration periodically to ascertain how long it’ll take to complete the process and identify potential downtime costs before they become realities.  

How can I keep my data secure during a successful cloud migration?

A recent study revealed that 64% of respondents worry about data loss and leakage from the cloud. Since you’re responsible for data security at every stage of the migration process, you’ll want to ensure that you encrypt data for the move. 

You should also ensure that you’re clear on whether any firewalls will hinder your access to the data once it migrates. Understand how you’ll manage access privileges given that not all file permissions will transfer with the data. 

Bonus tip: once you’ve completed your data migration, check the data to ensure there aren’t any corrupted files and that everything moved over properly. To this end, it’s crucial that you move data to the cloud in stages so you can troubleshoot any issues before they arise. 

Moving to the cloud is a big step, but it needn’t be too stressful. For more information on cloud computing and devising a successful cloud migration strategy, contact the team today

While there was once a time when small businesses needed to make significant investments to compete on a global scale. Cloud computing has changed all that. If you’re intrigued by the idea of bringing the cloud to your business, you need to learn the benefits. Now is the time to go explore them.

You’ll reduce your business costs while growing it

Historically, growing your business was expensive because of the need for resource investment. One of the major advantages of cloud technology is that you cut out the costs of hardware. At the same time, you can increase or decrease your IT resources as your business’s demands change.

Being able to decrease your resources means you avoid wasting money on hardware that you don’t later use. Many cloud computing contracts are flexible, too, especially those that come with pay-as-you-go models. As a small business, this allows you to save money on an area that’s usually expensive. With the money you save, you could increase spending elsewhere and scale your organization accordingly.

Disaster recovery comes naturally in Cloud Computing

Imagine a day in your business operations where all your IT resources are lost. Depending on the size of your organization, this could mean a significant reduction in revenue. To add to this, your clients are likely to lose some faith in you and may begin suspecting that you’re unable to protect their data. As a small business, you probably can’t afford to take hits to your reputation.

Disaster recovery has traditionally been a slightly sore point for small businesses. Many have lacked the financial resources required to navigate periods of system downtime. Thanks to cloud computing, disaster recovery now comes naturally. Don’t worry anymore about what you will do if your IT systems fail because everything is stored on a cloud database.

Employees can enjoy remote working

According to Business Insider, 50% of employees will work remotely by 2020 and cloud computing is helping to facilitate the movement. By using the cloud to host your work files and collaborative databases, it’s easy for employees to work at a distance while remaining on the same page as their in-office colleagues.

Remote working can become an advantage to your business in several ways. In addition to reducing overhead, allowing employees to work from home for two days a week or more could boost productivity. Additionally, you can send employees on trips and to conferences while remaining confident that they can access the same files as everyone else with ease.

Security and updates become easier

Running all your software from your office means you’re the person who’s responsible for security and updates. When you fail to keep up with the pace, you allow your system to become vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Once again, data loss is an easy way to lose your clients’ confidence and it can harm your business’s reputation.

In contrast, using cloud computing ensures that all the maintenance takes place without you having to put in the time and effort. Those who provide your cloud server will manage the maintenance for you, which gives you one less task to do. In addition to reducing the likelihood of you forgetting to perform an update, this approach frees up your time for other areas of your business.

Overall, cloud computing reduces costs for small businesses, it increases security, and it prevents reputation-damaging data loss.

Find a professional to learn more about cloud computing today

PCnet cloud professionals can help you secure your cloud and gain peace of mind, all while getting the ROI you want and expect from cloud services. Contact us today to learn more. 

More businesses are expanding their operations simply by switching to a cloud-based server environment. Offering streamlined application performance and data access, a cloud environment empowers your team with a cutting-edge toolkit that’s designed to address the challenges of the 21st century.

If you’re considering transitioning your server operations to a cloud-based management platform, here are some key benefits you can expect.

Increased Application Performance

Today’s hosted cloud servers offer faster performance speeds than in-house infrastructure. Because data centers offer load balancing between multiple environments, your organization can take application performance to the next level.

Access Data From Anywhere

By storing critical data in the cloud, your team has access from anywhere at any time. If your organization prioritizes mobility, migrating data to the cloud is a crucial first step to empowering your team to get more done no matter where work takes them.

Seamless Scalability

Think your business is too small for a cloud computing platform? Think again. One of the key strengths of cloud infrastructure is the simplicity of scaling your network for ever-changing needs. Whether you have one employee or one thousand, a cloud solution can help you elevate your workflows.

If yours is a growth-oriented business, it can be difficult to predict your technology requirements a year from now. That makes planning infrastructure upgrades a difficult task that can end up costing your business more than it’s worth. A cloud platform enables you to hedge against unpredictable technology requirements by enabling network expansions at a moment’s notice. You don’t have to worry about spending weeks to deploy an on-premise infrastructure, only to discover you didn’t really need it. With a cloud solution, you typically can purchase and deploy network upgrades in a matter of minutes, so you can adapt your cloud environment to your ever-changing needs.

Fixed Budgeting

With on-site network infrastructure, emergency repairs and critical upgrades can quickly surpass your monthly technology budget, which makes planning your network budget more difficult. A cloud solution simplifies budgeting by offering a fixed monthly cost for your network platform. No need to worry about emergencies or unexpected expenses. With a cloud-based network, you know exactly how much you have to pay each month, how much an upgrade costs, and your cloud provider worries about the rest.

Next-Level Disaster Recovery

An off-site cloud solution offers an extra layer of protection for your critical data and applications. Cloud platforms use automated and redundant backups in real-time, so your organization can get back up and running sooner than you thought possible following a disaster. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about an on-site catastrophe such as a fire or flood destroying your most important data. Many cloud solutions offer integrated recovery tools, so restoring data can be as simple as a few clicks.

Minimal Downtime

If your on-site servers go down, it may take days or weeks to restore normal operations. When you move to the cloud, server downtime becomes a problem of the past. Because your server resources aren’t tied to any single server, your environment can always be rolled over to another server, so you can expect almost continuous uptime.

Cloud Services Springfield, MO

Ready to explore the possibilities of the cloud for your business? The experts at PCnet have the hands-on experience to help clarify your goals, develop a migration plan, and design a cloud environment built around your business priorities. Contact our team today, and we’ll work with you to prepare your organization for tomorrow’s challenges with a customized cloud-based network solution.