What It Is and How to Utilize the Cloud to Grow Your Business
During COVID-19, many companies had to pivot and adjust to survive. Many of them discovered the power of cloud services for their company.
The cloud is more than a survival mechanism for global pandemics — it is a robust tool that can help your company stay at peak performance no matter what happens in the market or the world, for that matter.
Let’s go through Cloud Services 101 to see how the variety of services in the cloud can make your company more powerful and profitable.
Cloud Services 101: What Are Cloud Services?
Cloud services refer to the ability to access servers, storage, developing tools, networks, and applications through an internet connection. This means the company doesn’t have to buy all of the equipment and software themselves or hire an entire staff of IT employees to keep everything running.
Cloud services are cost-effective because organizations pay only for the portion they use, nothing more.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology offers five key characteristics of a cloud computing environment:
Internet Access
Reaching the cloud can be done by anyone in the company with internet access. This access is available anytime, and a user can connect from any location. This frees up employees to work at remote locations.
Measured Service
Cloud managed services come as a pay-as-you-go model, and your company only pays for the services it uses. Most services have different options based on how many of your people need access and your storage requirements.
On-Demand Self-Service
This service gives your company the ability to change what you need quickly based on your needs. You can add programs and storage requirements in conjunction with business fluctuations. The pay-by-use structure also allows companies to better manage cash flow based on usage.
Shared Resource Pooling
Shared resourcing gives your team the ability to use the same application without having to buy individual programs. Programs like Office 365 and Quickbooks Online are examples of how companies share resources.
Rapid Elasticity
Cloud services providers give small and medium-sized businesses the ability to scale up or down their usage as their needs change. This flexibility creates robust solutions for companies to expand or contract based on the market, seasonal fluctuations, or product/service life cycles.
Cloud Services 101: Types of Clouds
There is no one type of cloud service for everyone, as the different cloud services are designed to accommodate the varied needs of the market.
Private Cloud
Private cloud services are geared toward companies that need security and complete control of their data. Private Cloud service is convenient for companies with compliance challenges to maintain their compliance and protect from vulnerabilities.
In a private cloud, the company owns and maintains the connection to their servers themselves. The network is located on dedicated servers, and their employees sign in to work on it.
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud is when a company utilizes a combination of cloud options. Based on their clearance and credentials, employees can access various cloud utilities across multiple clouds. A hybrid cloud structure can also encompass a combination of cloud and on-premise infrastructure.
A hybrid cloud structure frees up the company to use several options, so they aren’t entirely reliant on a single cloud system. These features give small-to-medium-sized companies flexible options that can save them money.
Public Cloud
A public cloud is when different companies share services on the same infrastructure. Each individual has their unique sign-in, and all information is separate, but the programs are located on shared servers.
A public cloud allows organizations to share the expenses and makes the services much more affordable for smaller companies. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are examples of this type of public cloud system.
Cloud Services 101: Benefits for Small to Medium-Sized Companies
The cloud gives companies the ability to use the latest version of products without a significant up-front investment. They also save money by not having a large in-house IT squad.
Cloud services usually have 99.9% uptime and also protect your data during loss or disaster.
The cloud service features include all of the server maintenance and network availability.
Providers have the resources to maintain these large infrastructures as well as keep everything up to date. The cloud service companies also provide extra security to protect the data on their servers. The included security service frees the individual companies from these expenses, which can drain their ability to innovate, thus limiting their competitive advantage.
Cloud services also provide the latest version of all their products. Your company doesn’t have to worry about expensive upgrades because you will always be working with the newest version of the product.
Cloud Services 101: Why Companies Use The Cloud
More companies are switching to cloud-based services because it makes sense financially, and it can also increase productivity and communication within the company.
When companies share technology like Office 365, Google Apps, and Quickbooks Online, they can communicate quickly within these products. Someone can write a presentation and have colleagues leave comments quicker than communicating through email.
Plus, different departments can review information quickly, which keeps everyone up to date.
Similarly, the calendar function in Google Apps gives everyone a quicker way to schedule by seeing each other’s schedules. The shared calendar function streamlines communication and connections.
There are also a growing number of cloud services used for project management in companies. Services such as Asana, Trello, and Basecamp provide an online way to connect people to the same project.
These cloud products (Saas or Software as a Service) increase productivity and communication even in today’s remote working environment. Teammates do not need to be down the hall to work together; they can be in different parts of the country and still focus on the same project.
Your Cloud for Your Company
According to S&P Global, 60% of surveyed organizations say most of their IT will be off-site within two years. This migration to the cloud makes sense with the apparent benefits for small to medium-sized companies.
Cloud services help companies remain flexible in this ever-changing environment and saves much-needed finances at the same time.
Our goal is to provide the best cybersecurity and worry-free IT to the different market segments out there. Whether your business is manufacturing, medical, non-profit, or some other company, we are here to help.
Contact us and let us protect, defend, and fortify your information technology from vulnerabilities and increase your productivity and growth.
About GlacisTech
GlacisTech is a managed service provider (MSP) and managed security solution provider (MSSP) for small to medium-size businesses in the Dallas and North Texas region. GlacisTech helps businesses grow by providing innovative, state-of-the-art IT solutions that allow its customers to reduce network downtime, increase operational efficiencies, and cost-effectively scale their IT to meet the demands of their growing businesses.
GlacisTech’s suite of Worry-Free IT services includes managed IT, cybersecurity, virtual CIO, managed compliance & remediation, and cloud services.
Glacis Technologies, Inc
1130 East Arapaho, Suite 184
Richardson, TX 75081
24/7 Customer Support 469-522-2022
ITsupport@GlacisTech.com
