Cloud Computing Services
Having flexibility-in particular, the ability to scale it up and down very quickly and only pay for what you need, can often give businesses an added edge by helping them make optimal use of limited financial resources. The flexibility inherent with cloud computing services allow small and medium sized businesses to enjoy the same capabilities as large enterprises, but scaled to their particular requirements, and at a much lower cost.
How Does Cloud Computing Reduce IT Costs?
Say you're finding that your IT is lagging behind due to budget constraints--cloud computing services may be the answer. When you migrate your software, files, and even infrastructure to the cloud, these are all stored off-site and can be accessed via any Internet-capable device. However, although everything is off-site, in the cloud, you still continue to maintain full control over who has access, just as you would if everything were housed on your own on-site servers.
Cloud service providers maintain and regularly update and upgrade their equipment to make sure they are always current, and they build redundancy into their systems. When you run your applications on the cloud, you significantly reduce your IT costs because you no longer need as much computer hardware on-site. This in turn means less money needs to be spent on IT services and maintenance. When you run your compute and graphics intensive software applications on cloud servers, your employees also don't each need their own high-powered computers any more. All their machines will need to do is transfer data back and forth, so less expensive, more basic devices will do.
Access More Advanced Computing Power
Faster, more powerful servers are necessary for immediate access to files and for running software. However, for a small business, it's not always within your means to buy every employee a high-end device, or invest in powerful on-site servers.
Cloud computing services give you access to more advanced, higher performance computing power. You don't have to own it, either-you just rent it. As new computer technologies are released, cloud services upgrade accordingly, ensuring you always have access to cutting edge computing power. This means you have one less expense, and one less thing to worry about.
Only Pay for What You Need
The problem with investing in hardware, software, servers, and a full IT team to support it is that it's usually overkill for most small to medium-sized businesses. With cloud computing services, you only pay for the capacity you need. If you don't need terabytes of storage, why pay for it?
Instead, pay just for the exact amount of storage, computing power, and features that your business currently needs, based on the number of users and storage needs. The only other thing you need to invest in is high performance, reliable, network connections.
Access Files and Systems from Anywhere
One of the most obvious benefits of cloud computing services is "anywhere access". Employees can easily access your systems from anywhere, at any time. This is ideal for remote workers, or those who need to do a lot of travel as part of their jobs.
With cloud computing services, no matter what device your employees are using, or where they are, their desktop applications are right at hand. They never have to wait until they're back at the office to get work done.
Scale Your Services as Needed
As your business needs change, cloud computing services can scale to meet those needs. Growing rapidly? Easily add storage and features to meet demand. Need less during slower times of the year, or need to cut back? You can scale down just as easily as you scale up. By not having to pay for what you don't need, or being constrained by having to simply work with what you have, you're free to expand or reduce those resources up and down, as often as you need to.
Adopt Greener IT
Cloud computing services also allow your business to adopt a greener IT support strategy. Through virtualization, cloud servers can run numerous applications and even multiple operating systems on the same cloud hardware. Since you access and run all this remotely, you'll need far less equipment on-site. You only use what you need, which means you reduce your business's overall demand on the world's raw materials and energy, and generate less electronic waste.
The result is a smaller carbon footprint, while you still benefit from up-to-date technology and more efficient IT.
How Much Does Cloud Computing Cost?
Unfortunately, there is no "one-size-fits-all" way to calculate how much cloud computing will cost you. The costs will vary based on the specific needs and regulatory requirements of your business. For instance, some industry standards require that your data be stored on a dedicated server with an Internet connection, while others are much more flexible. Every business has different requirements for compute power and storage capacity as well.
However, whatever your situation, cloud computing will save you money!
Need Help?
GSDSolutions can help you determine what's right for your business needs. We'll assess your goals and requirements, along with any industry-specific regulations to create a cloud computing strategy that's more efficient and cost-effective than an in-house hosting solution. Give us a call at (650) 282-7695, send us an email at mailto:info@GSDSolutions.io, or click the button below to set up a free, no obligation consultation on how cloud computing services can help your business.
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