What’s new in the cloud—and what’s in it for you?
The transition to cloud computing has changed everything in IT. Virtually every company in every industry now utilizes the cloud for some or all of their business applications, not just data storage and backup.
In fields ranging from healthcare to manufacturing, cloud computing has streamlined operations and made them more cost efficient. Statistics show that 82% of companies that transitioned to the cloud reported saving money, and 80% of the businesses saw improvement in their operations within six months of moving to the cloud. http://siliconangle.com/blog/2014/01/27/20-cloud-computing-statistics-tc0114/
As cloud usage continues to grow exponentially, organizations are looking to realize cloud benefits in a much broader range of applications. This includes applications involving sensitive data, making security in the cloud a top priority.
In public clouds, which tend to be more cost-effective because they’re not proprietary, many different organizations and a vast number of individuals use the same servers. For that reason, a public cloud is not an ideal solution for industries like healthcare and financial services—where confidentiality and data security are essential to the services that are delivered to customers.
What’s the right cloud approach? Well, that depends.
Many businesses are now opting for private (proprietary) clouds or a mixture of public and private (hybrid) cloud solutions for greater control and peace of mind.
Strategic priorities and the nature of the services a business provides are also factors to consider in determining the cloud solution that makes the most sense for an organization. In addition, every industry has specific operational requirements and “rules of engagement” that shape how companies in that industry use the cloud.
In short, there’s no such thing as a “one size fits all” solution. Determining what’s right for your business requires a thorough technical understanding of the ins and outs of cloud computing, what’s involved in implementation, and how to change or amend your business processes to derive the greatest efficiency and maximum ROI from your cloud investment.
How do you make the most of the cloud?
The answer, especially for small and mid-sized companies, is to employ a managed services provider (MSP).
First of all, finding a cloud specialist with specific expertise in your industry for a staff position won’t be easy and will be expensive.
And if you’re like most businesses, your existing IT personnel (if you have an IT staff at all) are already working at maximum capacity.
MSPs are brought in for the vast majority of cloud implementations because they have the knowledge, the resources and the vertical industry expertise to serve as a company’s “bridge” to the cloud. They can also be a cost-effective solution to managing a company’s entire IT function.
Our head is fully in the cloud.
If you’re looking for help transitioning to the cloud or need a reliable resource to manage your IT operation, talk to us at Next Dimension. We’ve helped companies in a broad range of industries successfully implement cloud computing and now manage some or all of their IT functions.
Leveraging our partnership with Cisco—and drawing on their strong enterprise network, data center, collaboration and security resources—we can offer you a range of fully remote hosted cloud services. From servers, web hosting and email to security, backup and disaster recovery, the Next Dimension team can take care of managing your IT infrastructure so you can focus on running your business.
Next Dimension can serve in an advisory capacity as well as take a hands-on role in helping you make the most of your IT investment. We can help you accelerate the adoption and management of new technologies to help simplify operations; maximize how your company utilizes technology, including mobile devices, in your day-to-day business operations; monitor problems areas and troubleshoot problems that could potentially slow down your operation; and help ensure the security of your network from cyber threats and data breaches.
In short, we can help your business realize the promise and potential of cloud computing. Don’t attempt to do it alone.