The Cloud and Mobile Devices in Today’s Modern Office

With businesses now able to migrate their computing needs over to the cloud, and with cloud-based mobile devices now able to perform more enterprise-level tasks, many companies are seriously considering going all-in with the cloud and scraping their traditional IT infrastructure. As nice as it would be to clear out a closet full of servers, you will first want to address the pros and cons of such a drastic move.

The primary point that you will want to consider is the data needs of your business. The nature of your business is to either be heavy on the creation side or on the consumption side of data. Depending on which side of the data spectrum that your business lands on, this will make all the difference in your company's ability to smoothly transition every operation over to a mobile and cloud-based IT infrastructure.

Mobile Devices Pros and Cons
With mobile devices becoming faster and more powerful with each generation, they have developed into a great tool for consuming data; but by design, mobile devices are lousy at creating data. The obvious shortcoming of mobile devices is the lack of a keyboard and mouse. Inputting text is a matter of tapping on a small screen, therefore anything longer than a social media post will prove cumbersome. Additionally, even though the OS for mobile devices are powerful, they still fall short of being able to do everything a desktop Operating System (OS) can do. This lack of power and functions means that mobile devices will have a difficult time being able to process large files, and many mobile devices tend to slow down when asked to use multiple applications at the same time.

If your business tends to primarily focus on consuming data, then switching everybody in your company over to mobile devices could work out nicely. A business that uses technology to mainly consume data will not be producing several pages of detailed reports. Instead, their needs will be in areas like communicating with staff and clients, managing company resources, and online marketing. Mobile devices are great at performing all of these assignments, and the mobility provided by these devices will give everybody in your company the freedom to do all of these necessary tasks away from the office.

You will want to keep in mind that mobility comes with a hefty price tag. Mobile devices are more expensive than desktops, and every device will require its own data plan from a service provider. The inability to upgrade a mobile device can also be an expensive problem. With a desktop, if you want to upgrade, then it is a simple a matter of adding a new piece of hardware. Mobile device manufacturers do not like it when you mess with the hardware; they have even been known to void a warranty if the device has been opened. To upgrade a mobile device, you will have to purchase an entirely new product, this will really add up if you need to upgrade everybody's devices throughout the entire company.

Having the Right IT Infrastructure for Data Creation
A company that creates data will want to stick with a traditional IT infrastructure. Desktops, laptops, servers, and all the other well-known office IT tools have been designed specifically to process large amounts of data. If your company creates detailed reports, various media files, and presentations, then you will want to hang on to your traditional IT infrastructure in order to keep the flow of data at the level that you are accustomed to.

If you have made the decision to keep your traditional IT infrastructure, then you will next want to consider what will the cloud's role will be in your business. As we mentioned earlier, the cloud presents your business with a very attractive option to clear out a closet full of servers by hosting all of your data and applications. Hosting your company's data on the cloud is a secure option that will allow for remote access, increased team collaboration on projects, and several more benefits that make doing business more convenient. But just like switching a business entirely over to mobile devices, the cloud migration procedure could be expensive and drastic, especially if your current IT infrastructure is already meeting your needs.

At this point in the development of cloud technology, your best option is to incorporate the best features of the cloud into your traditional IT infrastructure. One example of this is using the cloud to backup all of your company's data, in case a disaster like a fire or a flood damages your traditional IT infrastructure. Computerware can provide this for your company with a backup disaster and recovery solution. You can also gradually incorporate cloud-based mobile devices into your company's technology package, giving key employees remote access to your company's network. Another way to adapt your IT infrastructure to the cloud is to make adjustments to your company's network security policies that will allow for other employees to bring their own mobile devices into the workplace.

Your IT infrastructure might be at a place where a few upgrades could make a world of difference. Computerware offers a service called Virtualization where we take your servers that are underutilized, and combine them with other servers to reduce the total number of servers your company uses. Virtualization will often reduce the amount of servers used by a company by more than 50%. Taking cost-effective measures to maximize the efficiency of your existing technology with processes like virtualization will make it easier to incorporate more cloud features into your IT infrastructure.

The choice to switch over your IT infrastructure over to the cloud, or go with only mobile devices is a big decision that will be dependent upon the unique needs of your business. We at Computerware will happily walk you through all of your options by taking the time to learn about the needs of your company and give you advice that is in line with your IT budget. To learn more about virtualizing your current IT infrastructure, or to find out what cloud features will strengthen your company's network, give us a call at (703) 821-8200. We will be happy to assist you with any of your technology needs.