Migrating to the cloud makes a lot of sense for businesses. With so much business being dependent on technology, it is always a good idea to leverage the newest technologies. This allows a business to improve efficiency, coordination, and convenience with a single step, but migrating to the cloud isn’t always necessarily the right move. While it offers many great benefits, you should read the following list before making a firm decision. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of migrating to the cloud.
Pro: Greater Technological Versatility
The cloud can duplicate many other forms of IT tech, delivering them as cloud services that can be accessed on demand. This allows for a greater degree of versatility when planning any sort of IT-related job. With the cloud, you will normally have multiple options for any given task.
When you use the cloud, you and your employees will no longer be tied to the limitations of any particular machine. The cloud is almost like one big operating system that everyone uses at the same time. That might sound ridiculous, but the structure of the cloud makes it work. This, again, adds to the versatility factor because you can access the same desktop and the same resources from any device.
Pro: Third-Party Security
Cybersecurity is something that all businesses must consider, and it should not be a small consideration. The potential cost of a successful cyber-attack can range into millions and billions, so don’t underestimate the value of good security. Of course, finding the right cybersecurity people is a challenge, but a third-party company can help with that.
Cloud services can and should include a variety of security services, including network monitoring, monitoring of sensitive files, intrusion detection, disaster recovery, and all sorts of other things. In any case, though, it’s not a bad idea to have an off-site security partner. They can provide you with secure storage for your crucial backup files, while also allowing you to access them quickly if they are needed. If nothing else, third-party monitoring services are a blessing because these represent the surest means of detecting an intruder.
Pro: Less Maintenance
If you’re going to run a network of any size, maintenance will always be a concern. If nothing else, software and hardware will have to be updated from time to time, which does count as maintenance. Also, there will be repair costs whenever something happens to malfunction or break. Even if no new materials need to be purchased, there is something to be said for wasted labor dollars.
When you go with a cloud provider, they will take responsibility for most of the network maintenance. You might have to tweak a few settings on your end, but they should handle the heavy lifting. Technically, they own the cloud network and you are simply renting its services. Thus, just as your landlord is obligated to fix certain things in your home, your cloud provider is obligated to provide maintenance and repair for their cloud networks.
Con: Possible Difficulties In Finding A Good Cloud Provider
If you decide to utilize the cloud for your business, there is one big initial hurdle that you must jump. You have to start by finding a cloud provider that is up to your needs and standards. If you are not able to do this, then you might as well look for another solution. It would be better to have no cloud provider than to have a bad one.
However, we should mention that this problem can be dealt with rather easily. In this case, it’s all about vetting your cloud provider properly and making sure that they have a history of good customer service, no recorded cybersecurity breaches, and a trail of good reviews. Still, it can be difficult to find a cloud provider that is good enough to meet the needs of a thriving and busy company.
Con: Migration Pains
If you choose to re-work your IT situation for the cloud, there will be a transitional period to consider. You can’t just instantly switch everything from a normal network to a cloud network without making changes. First of all, you need some new rules and policies to govern the use of this technology, and you will have to take the time to make sure that those rules are widely known.
There are also likely to be technical issues to consider. When your existing tech is set up to work with a standard wireless network, you can’t just instantly switch from one to the other. Everything will have to be reworked and tested to make sure that functionality and productivity will not be hampered. Still, this disadvantage can be greatly reduced with intelligent planning and good coordination among the various departments of your company.
Conclusion
After having examined our list of cloud computing pros and cons, you should be thinking about how these matters apply specifically to you. As you can see, the pros are definitely more numerous than the cons. Most businesses find that they can save money, time, and effort by moving to the cloud, and the only real downsides are the initial hurdles of finding a good provider and planning for the switch.
If you need help with this kind of thing, feel free to call PCH Technologies at (856) 754-7500. As one of the best-managed service providers in Florida, they are in a great position to provide you with the help you need.