The use of the cloud for data storage, sharing and communication continues to grow for both businesses and schools. In fact, virtually all North American organizations (97 percent) use the cloud one way or another, and it’s predicted that 80% of small businesses will solely rely on cloud computing by 2020. For many organizations, this is a positive development due to the many advantages that cloud migration provides. If you’re late on switching to the cloud, or only doing so for a small portion of your business, consider these seven pain points addressed by migrating your data to the cloud.
Hidden expenses
Nearly two-thirds of small businesses and organizations are expected to buy new IT equipment this year, but the costs go beyond the hardware. For example, some organizations have rooms solely dedicated to servers, which not only takes up needed floorspace, but can demand costly cooling and electric bills. The organization may also face potentially high maintenance and repair bills and will need to keep a larger IT team on staff to maintain the equipment. In fact, it’s estimated that 80% of an organization’s IT costs aren’t spent purchasing computers, but on aftermarket tech and labor costs. With cloud migration, however, many of these costs go away.
Data security
One of the biggest concerns of every organization is data security, especially with data breaches and other cybercrimes continuing to grow, both at schools and businesses. These breaches can be devastating to an organizations’ bottom line, and its reputation.
Cloud providers have stringent cloud security requirements they must adhere to and offer many advanced features that can ensure data is securely stored and handled. For example, some cloud security features can wipe a device’s data, and its access to data, in case the device goes missing. (We wrote about data security and other cloud advantages in our previous blog post: 12 Reasons to Move Your Business to the Cloud.)
Lack of accessibility and mobility
The days of working on-site, and only on-site, are long gone. In fact, globally, 70% of employees work remotely at least once a week. After migrating your data to the cloud, resources can be easily stored, retrieved and recovered with just a few clicks from anywhere. Not only is data available even if your team members are at home or travelling, many applications can be run on Internet browsers. This means employees, teachers or even students don’t need access to expensive computers to run many routine, mission-critical apps.
Work-life balance
Since the cloud is always on, employees can collaborate from anywhere, at any time. Cloud migration provides workplace flexibility in both hours and location; employees can work from a doctor’s waiting room, for example, rather than being forced to take an entire half day off. More and more employees expect a great deal of flexibility in their work lives; the ability to offer that flexibility can mean the difference between hiring and keeping a key employee.
Scalability
Different companies have different IT needs, and those needs change as companies expand or shrink. With cloud migration, businesses can add or remove resources easily without the cost and risk of investing in physical infrastructure. This level of agility can give businesses a real advantage over their competitors. Global Dot, a leading web and cloud performance reseller, says: “Scalability is probably the greatest advantage of the cloud.”
The carbon footprint
A 2014 study by New York City revealed that, on average, each student, teacher and staff member in their school districts uses 28 pounds of paper a year. The costs can be surprisingly high–a school with 100 teachers can spend $25,000 on paper a year alone according to Edutopia. That doesn’t include toner costs and energy use: maintaining equipment, including cooling that equipment, can be even more costly. With cloud storage, that money can go right back into the budget.
But the green benefits may be even greater. According the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), cloud computing can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 16.5%. While moving to the cloud is good for the environment, it may also prove to be good for business–more than 66% of responders to a recent Nielsen study would be willing to pay more for products made by environmentally-responsible companies
Disaster recovery
Data loss is a major concern for any organization. What happens to your data in the case of equipment failure, theft or even human error? Storing your data in the cloud guarantees that data is always available, and available anywhere. Cloud-based services also provide quick data recovery after emergencies such as natural disasters and power outages. Yet, despite the potential dangers and risks involved in the case of a disaster, 75% of small businesses have no disaster recovery plan in place according to IT service provider phoenixNAP.
Let’s Get Cloud Migration Started
Incorporating and committing to the cloud can save money, increase productivity and guard against disaster. But navigating your options, training staff on proper protocols, transferring data and more can take a lot of time and effort. That’s where DYOPATH comes in. Our Managed Cloud Services give you access to our seasoned expertise without high initial costs or ongoing investments in upgrades. We can provide lower costs, access to the latest technology, reduced risk, adaptability to changing business conditions and superior support. We work with many organizations, including businesses and schools, and are always eager to discuss your unique situation. Cloud migration can improve security, performance and communication. Ask us how to get started!