When moved to the cloud, businesses can access their data anywhere, anytime, and via a variety of devices. This flexibility enhances reaction time to changes in business and can allow companies to better serve their customers. For example, customer complaints can be dealt with on the fly and orders can be taken while a sales representative is onsite.
One of the newest wrinkles in network security is cloud-based computing. How your business uses the cloud is a big factor in determining how safe the cloud is for your business.
Let’s break down what the cloud is, and what that means for your business…
[S]: Secure
Sensitive customer information, like account numbers or Social Security info, is the number one target of hackers and identity thieves. When big corporations can be hacked, what’s a small business to do? Storing this information in the cloud lets off-site professionals protect it. Many ISPs that provide cloud services also proactively monitor your network security for intrusions and performance issues. They have top-of-the-line hardware that keeps hackers out, along with updated software that adjusts to your needs and the security of your data. Cloud computing puts the important information you need in the safe hands of experts keeping the tech that runs your business up-to-date.
[A]: Accessible
The cloud’s main advantage is mobility. You send an instant message to your administrative assistant on your smartphone, who checks inventory with a tablet, then emails an order to your warehouse where the workers there track the box you need with RFID. As long as there’s an internet connection, the cloud provides instant information you need to conduct business. When employees can use their own devices they already know and love, the opportunity for real-time collaboration is revolutionary.
[F]: Fast
The speed of the cloud comes from the vast network of computers working together. State-of-the-art data centers owned by several big names in the industry provide a lot of options for service. Cloud computers become high-tech data centers that you rent rather than own. Working together quickly produces better results—so when your whole staff is connected to the cloud, you don’t have to wait to get back to the office to make sure things get done during the workday.
[E]: Effective
Are you a small business looking to grow? Knowing where to go on the cloud can speed up that growth immeasurably. The cloud also scales to your needs. You pay for what you need for your business rather than one-size-fits-most programs. Not only can the cloud speed up your business, it can protect you like an insurance policy. Data loss and recovery plans protect you when, not if, your systems go down and retrieve your data as quickly as possible.
The cloud can protect your data, give your employees better tools to use on the job, speed up your reaction time and allow your business to run better. Your first steps toward dispersing some of the mystery of the cloud is to make decisions about how you want to use it. If you want to focus on your business, not your IT, contact a team of qualified IT professionals for answers to your cloud questions.
