Does Moving to the Cloud “Spook” You?

Does Moving to the Cloud “Spook” You?

First off, Happy Halloween!

It’s the time of year where fright is fun and scares are expected. Whether or not haunted houses and ghoulish decor is your cup of tea, you might have experienced a few spooks in your business recently too. Specifically – the illusive cloud.

What is the Cloud?

The cloud is a frightening place for some business owners, mostly because it’s unfamiliar to them. You’ve probably heard of it, but do you know what the cloud really is? Let’s clear that up.

The cloud delivers services through the Internet.

It seems simple enough and it truly is. In fact, you probably use the cloud every day to do things like post on social media, upload pictures, or login to certain types of software. Programs, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Dropbox are all cloud-based.

What does this have to do with your business? A lot. To run your business in today’s world, you need to have a server to store your company’s information, access software, and more. This lets your employees access data from anywhere.

But, despite how prolific the cloud is, many businesses still get the shivers when they think about transitioning their business data to the cloud. Here’s why, and why it might not be as spooky as you think.

Fright #1: Not Knowing Which Cloud Service to Pick (Public, Private, Or Hybrid)

Where the server is located makes a big difference. With the cloud, your server equipment won’t be located on site but you still might need to own and manage the equipment depending on whether you choose a public cloud, private cloud, or a hybrid of the two.

A public cloud service means you’re sharing hardware with others. This hardware is owned by a third party provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or a local IT company.

If your hardware and software is located off-site and is solely dedicated to your business, you have private cloud.

A hybrid solution is simply a blend of public and private cloud options. There are many iterations of what this looks like. For example, you can use the public cloud for non-sensitive business information, and store your more sensitive business data on a private cloud.

If you want to learn more about which cloud solution is right for you, check out this blog post.

Fright #2: Security

Reading about the hacks, such as the Equifax data breach, can leave any business fearful of storing data in the cloud. If it’s available via the Internet, can’t anyone access it? If you’re transferring your business data, isn’t there a higher chance of it getting intercepted and stolen?

Let’s take these fears and put them in a grave.

Your data is actually quite secure in the cloud. Cloud providers go to great lengths to secure data from outside threats. Between regular backups, the constant watchful eyes of experts, and advanced security measures, your data becomes almost impenetrable.

Fright #3: Speed

When you need your information, you need it fast. Will the cloud deliver? Yes, as long as your internet connection is.

As long as you have a strong internet connection, the cloud is an almost instantaneous way to access your information. The best part is, you can access it from any device, any location (with an Internet connection), and any time of day.

Fright #4: The Transition Time

Okay, you’re starting to feel comfortable about the cloud, but now you’re probably wondering about the setup process. How much time will you have to spend transitioning your data to the cloud? You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Cloud-based solutions do require some amount of setup. But, unlike their hardware counterparts, the setup and transition time tends to be much faster. Depending on the amount of data you’re sending to the cloud, you can usually have your cloud-based service uploaded in less than 24-hours. And often much faster.

Training your team typically takes less time too. Many cloud-based services come equipped with user friendly interfaces and training systems, so getting your team used to something new tends to be quite faster than it used to be.

Fright #5: Cost

The cloud is cost-friendly. Plain and simple.

Depending on the cloud based service you select, public, private, or hybrid, the cloud is much more cost effective than on-site.

You no longer need to pay for bulky hardware systems that you’re not using at full capacity. And, you don’t need to buy expensive servers with the anticipation of growth - the cloud enables you to scale users up and down as required.

The Cloud is Truly Spooktacular!

We get it. There are many things that can feel spooky about the cloud. However, by doing your due diligence, picking a cloud solution doesn’t have to frighten you.

One of the first steps to this process is talking to an expert in cloud services. We invite you to call us at 905 660 4118 for a spook-free (and cost-free) cloud consultation with one of our experts to clear up any other concerns you might have and learn more about how the cloud can help your business flourish.