Should your business be in the cloud in 2018 and beyond? Chances are, it should – and here are 10 reasons why. Cloud computing offers businesses of all sizes and industries a way to reduce IT costs, conserve resources, and connect individuals and entities around the globe for collaborating, sharing information and coordinating services at any time, from any location. Cloud computing is expected to become the dominant model for business computing needs within the next five years – and businesses of all kinds can expect to need a cloud presence of some kind in order to connect with partners and customers, and to respond to innovation and change in the rapidly evolving world of data management.
Cloud Computing Brings Global and Local Benefits
Cloud computing is growing faster than any other IT sector – so fast that some IT experts say that within the next ten years a business lacking a cloud strategy will be as disadvantaged as one without the internet at all. Cloud based services are expected to claim at least half of all IT spending in 2018, growing to at least 70 percent by 2020.
This means that businesses of all sizes and in all sectors can expect to grapple with the decision to migrate some or all data storage and other IT functions “to the cloud.” The proliferation of new cloud service providers and an ever-increasing number of cloud options can make that decision a daunting one – but the cloud offers a long list of benefits for businesses ranging from small startups to large scale enterprises who want to save money, increase productivity and collaboration, and work smoothly with partners and customers around the globe.
The Cloud Offers Economical Solutions
Maintaining a local business computing network can be expensive. Costs for hardware, the relevant software, and a staff of IT professionals to maintain and update the system can consume an escalating share of a company’s budget. Migrating data storage and management to the cloud eliminates many of those expenses and allows users to take advantage of the latest developments in technology and applications through their cloud account at little or no extra cost, with no need to buy or install additional software on local machines.
With most technical support provided by the cloud service, users can also reduce or virtually eliminate their on-premises IT support staff and divert those resources to other uses. And because providers offer both “a la carte” packages via the public cloud and customized cloud services designed for a company’s specific needs, users can choose – and pay for – only the services they want, and add others at any point when the need arises.
Scalable Services Support Growth
Today’s small startup may become tomorrow’s global enterprise, and the cloud can accommodate every stage of that journey. Cloud services can be scaled to accommodate business growth and changing priorities, and a customized cloud service provider can work with customers to add or expand services as a company develops.
Because cloud services can be scaled to fit a company’s needs at any stage of its development, those services can be purchased when appropriate, so that a new business can keep costs low with a smaller cloud presence in early stages of growth.
Follow along with our mini series for part two next week!