Everyone has heard of ‘The Cloud’, and almost everyone uses it in their own time. Multiple computer technicians have stated that external storage, like USB and dedicated servers, are outdated and can carry a multitude of viruses that virtual based servers are immune to. They also say that they spend more time trying to retrieve lost data on USB and hard drives in a month than they have from the Cloud in the past few years.
So why would you not use it for your business? The data and documents that you use in your company can be highly classified. You’ll use contracts, have copies of people’s IDs and bank details, and a physical server is easier to hack than a virtual one.
Utilizing the Cloud can save your business money; servers big enough to store all your documents might not take up an entire room, but they still cost a lot of money to purchase. And then you have to pay for the maintenance, any upgrades that they need, extras if you run out of space, and for any technical support, you might need. The Cloud doesn’t need any of these things, and won’t take up any office space.
It’s also so convenient for your office. Rather than emailing documents here there and everywhere, you can upload any documents to the server, and someone else can access them immediately. You can also access them on the go through any device. You do need to be able to sign into the same Cloud as you use at work, or you’ll just be looking at your personal documents.
The Cloud can host other pieces of software, making all your IT dealings interconnect. Cloud hosted ecommerce sites would enable you to edit on the go, have all customer and purchase information saved in the same place, rather than filling up server after server. It’s a great tool if your company deals with shipping as well as ordering – your orders will come through to the Cloud, and both your shipping team and you can pick up the order from the same place – making any mistakes few and far between.
Having a host server like this removes all barriers stopping you from updating software. Without the need for an in-office IT department to deal with any advances in technology or changes in the market, you cut out the middleman and can adapt your technology as and when you need it.
And, on the subject of staff, you’ll be able to develop a more effective technology staff as you will be able to have a couple of IT employees rather than a whole host to keep on top of all the in-house technology you had.