Forecast Your Needs When Considering the Cloud

A lot of businesses are migrating their computing needs over to the cloud, and even more are planning on it. Gartner research found that 60% of businesses plan on increasing their budget for cloud services through 2014. The market for cloud services is also expected to grow 18.5% this year. Before you sign up for the cloud, you will want to know what you are getting into.

The more that you understand cloud computing, the better you can make the cloud work for your business. In the same way that not every business has the same IT needs, and every network is unique, so too are there different models of cloud computing and different types of cloud services. A cookie-cutter cloud services package will not work for every business.

The best route to take when adopting cloud computing for your business is to gradually integrate the right services. Going cloud crazy and migrating your entire IT infrastructure over to the cloud may hurt your company when all the costs are totaled. Not only do you have to know the specific IT needs of your business, but we also recommend that you take into consideration your company’s growth projections.

Knowing the future needs of your business will make it so that you are not hit with any surprises on your cloud bill. This is because cloud services are offered through contracts, and if you use more data or services than you originally signed up for, then you will be charged extra. Be sure to educate your staff on this billing aspect of the cloud and also make sure that the data being backed up is important. It is a waste to pay for a cloud data storage space for data that is unimportant.

With cloud computing, you will also want to consider security concerns and the performance of important applications. Data stored over the cloud is stored offsite by a third party. Data storage companies are known for their security. Be sure to ask your cloud provider about the security measures they take. If you are uncomfortable with handing your sensitive data over to a third party, even after reviewing the specs, then don’t do it. You will also want to take into consideration that hosting an application on the cloud does not equate to increased performance. If an application performs poorly on your in-house network, then it will likely stink on the cloud.

Migrating your computing needs over to the cloud is a major move for any business. If adaptation of the cloud is done properly, then it can yield big savings over maintaining a traditional IT infrastructure. To get the most out of the cloud, call Computerware at (703) 821-8200 and let us walk you through the cloud migration process as your trusted IT advisor. We will audit your network for free and point out the areas that we think the cloud will provide you with the most savings. In the foggy world of cloud computing, think of Computerware as an IT lighthouse shining a light on what’s important. Don’t get lost in the cloud, call Computerware today!