Can Cloud Computing Help your Business?

Cloud computing has rapidly become mainstream technology for large and small businesses.  From online backup to virtual servers to Software as a Service (SaaS) there are many benefits to using cloud computing.  Here are some of the many benefits your business may receive from cloud computing:

Capital Expense vs. Operating Expense

Cloud computing provides businesses access to enterprise infrastructure, without having to make the upfront investment in data center, network and server infrastructure build-out.  By using available cloud computing resources, businesses can subscribe to these services, instead of using precious working capital for an unnecessary up front investment.  As a result, business owners may avoid making high capital expenses.  Instead, the monthly subscription cost of cloud computing may be treated as an operating expense.  As always, consult your tax professional for your business’s specific issues.

Predictable IT Costs

Cloud computing subscriptions enable the business owner visibility into predictable costs for IT Services.  For example, online backup costs may be a function of the amount of data stored and bandwidth used each month.  Software as a Service (SaaS) Email or Sales Force Automation (SFA) services may be charged based on number of users each month.  Fixing these costs can be a huge advantage to small businesses.

Improved Reliability

Public cloud computing options may provide your business better IT Infrastructure than you can afford on your own.  By taking advantage of economies of scale, your company can tap into enterprise class data centers that are monitored, managed and maintained by 7/24/365 support teams.  What’s more, these facilities providing online backup, hosted exchange, SaaS CRM and other applications may have additional IT security beyond what comparable premise based solutions have to offer.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Data and applications based in the Cloud may help you recover from a disaster scenario in a timely manner.  Having your business up and running quickly, is of the utmost importance.  In the event of natural disaster, such as, fire, hurricane, earthquake or flood you may not be able to access data or applications if they are stored on-site at your company location.  In some cases, data or applications stored on site may suffer irreversible harm.  By having your data and applications in the cloud, your business may have immediate access to mission critical information, bringing your business systems back online, even when your doors are still closed.

There are many ways companies may benefit from cloud computing.  To find out more about how your business can take advantage of the Cloud, contact your IT Service professional today.