The shift to the cloud has been one of the most important developments in business technology of the past few years. Benefits like instant access to data from anywhere or the ability to expand storage with the click of a button has convinced many businesses to their important assets to the cloud.
Not every business is there just yet, however. The cost of cloud services, the potential for disruption to daily work and technological barriers have encouraged some business owners to hold off on the move.
However, pivoting to the cloud is one of the best moves a business can make right now. These six benefits are part of why businesses should move their assets to the cloud by the end of the year.
Cost Savings
Without the cloud, your only option for storage is to continue relying on on-site servers or storage technology. The cost of maintaining these servers and buying new ones can build up fast.
Potential cost savings for businesses that switch to the cloud will vary, but they can be substantial. Customers of Oracle's cloud service, for example, save between 30 and 50% on storage costs when they switch. Other cloud providers have reported similar numbers . . .
Moving to the cloud is probably the easiest way to slash your data storage budget. Pivoting to the cloud now will help you maximize your savings.
You can also secure further savings by moving telecommunications to the cloud. Voice over IP (VoIP) technology makes it possible for businesses to replace PBXs and similar telephone systems with cloud-based virtual phone services.
Easier Backups
For many modern businesses, data loss can be devastating. If your business doesn't regularly maintain backups, the failure of your storage could mean the loss of critical files, WIPs, communications and stored data.
Shifting to the cloud makes it easier than ever to maintain up-to-date backups.
If you lose data to hardware failure or malware, you can easily turn to your cloud backups to restore critical files. This can minimize or even eliminate the downtime you could have experienced and help ensure you won't lose important info.
Scalable Storage
With the cloud, more storage is always available. If you need more room, you can simply purchase additional storage space, and it will be accessible within minutes. You can also scale down just as easily - meaning you only have to pay for the storage space that you need.
If your business is spending money on cloud storage space you're not using, you may be able to instantly downgrade your cloud storage plan, saving the business money.
With physical and on-site storage, scaling can be both more difficult and a lot slower. You may need to wait for a shipment of new hardware, and connecting additional storage space to your network can take time.
If your business's storage needs are constantly changing, the cloud is probably one of the best storage solutions available. Whenever you suddenly need more or less storage space, you can contact your cloud provider and adjust your plan as needed.
Collaboration Readiness
The cloud makes business collaboration a lot easier - especially for businesses with distributed workforces, or companies with non-local clients. Documents and programs stored on the cloud can be accessed anywhere, meaning that you don't have to be in the office to grab a copy of a critical document.
This makes switching to the cloud a great solution for businesses that have struggled to make collaboration easy for both in-office and out-of-office employees.
As more and more businesses move to the cloud, you'll also find it's easier to collaborate with your business partners if you're also cloud-based. For example, moving files and software to the cloud makes a "cloud-first" approach possible - an IT infrastructure strategy where cloud solutions are considered first, helping the business adopt new technology with the cloud in mind.
Environmental Friendliness
Moving data storage offsite means that you won't have to spend power on your servers or other storage devices. This can help any business to seriously reduce its carbon footprint.
The high scalability of cloud storage can also make your business a little more eco-friendly. Because you only use the data storage you need, you won't dedicate power to mostly empty servers that need to stay online, anyway. You'll draw exactly the amount of power you need as a result.
Simplified Security
The cloud can also make security much simpler. Many cloud services for businesses have security features built-in, like monitoring and logging access of cloud resources. It can also be easier to keep cloud-based apps up-to-date, compared to applications stored locally on various in-office computers.
Effective cloud security practices can make a business's data even more secure.
The cloud isn't always more secure - but pivoting to the cloud can make implementing good security practices much easier.
How Businesses Can Benefit From Moving to the Cloud
If your business hasn't moved to the cloud yet, now is the time. Moving assets to the cloud can reduce data storage costs, make backups easier and simplify scaling data storage. It can also help your business manage a distributed workforce or collaborate with business partners that have already moved to the cloud.
The sooner you move, the greater the long-term savings you can secure. Shifting to the cloud now will also help you adopt a cloud-first IT strategy, ensuring that all the technology you adopt will be well-suited for the cloud.
Authored by Eleanor Hecks
Eleanor is editor-in-chief at
