Cloud Archives | TechWerxe

We’ve all been hearing about the cloud for years now. In fact, most people use it every day, even if only in their free time. After all, popular programs like Facebook, Dropbox and banking apps all rely on the cloud. If these apps sound familiar, you’ve already seen the value of cloud computing. But maybe you haven’t quite made the decision to move your business to the cloud. Here’s why you should take that next step if you want to propel your business toward success.

1. Enhanced Security

Every computing device that stores your company’s sensitive information is a security risk for your business. If even one employee loses a laptop, tablet or smartphone that has private information on it, there’s a chance it will get into the wrong hands, causing your security team to panic. There’s also the danger that comes with a disgruntled former employee handing off private information to the public, including your competitors. Clearly, simply storing all your data on a hard drive is not always secure.

But when you store it all on the cloud, you have complete control over who gets to see it. For example, when an employee loses a laptop, you can use the cloud to remotely wipe the sensitive information from it before anyone sees it. You can even use different logins to decide which people get to see certain data, controlling the amount of access current and former employees have. When you rely on the cloud, you can keep a clear head next time a device is lost or stolen, since it only takes a few seconds to make sure your sensitive information is secure. That peace of mind alone is worth a move to the cloud.

2. Cost Effective

Moving to the cloud is a cost-effective solution for most businesses. After all, when you do all your computing on a laptop or desktop, you have to pay for that device upfront. You also have to pay for any software you need, as well as installation help if you need it.

However, when you start using the cloud to store all your information, you don’t need as many devices, reducing your upfront costs of computer equipment. Instead, you can make monthly or annual payments to a cloud service. Additionally, you can scale up or down depending on how many employees you have at the time, meaning you only pay for the number of users you actually need on your account. And as a bonus, when you move your business infrastructure to the cloud and use less equipment, you save money on electricity. Clearly, it makes financial sense to use the cloud.

3. Backup & Disaster Recovery

Depending on computers to hold your most important information means you’ll be facing catastrophe when those devices are damaged. Unless you’re careful to backup your information every day, disaster recovery can be difficult and time-consuming. Whether your computers are damaged by a fire, flood or other disaster, you could easily lose lots of critical information. Even if you can recover it, expect to spend a lot of money and time before you get it back.

But when you store your data in the cloud, disaster recovery is a breeze. When a laptop is destroyed, you can simply go to the cloud to get the information you need without skipping a beat. There’s no waiting period or big expenditures associated with this step, which means your productivity isn’t affected. You can order new equipment and work from another computer in the meantime without interrupting your workflow.

4. Improved Collaboration Between Employees

If your employees are not constantly in the same place at the same time, collaborating can be difficult. If you have employees at different offices or even in different rooms of a large building, communication is often by email or chat programs. This may work fine when they’re exchanging ideas. But if they want to make any changes to documents, they either have to get into the same room to use the same computer, or they have to email back and forth for every adjustment. This can be time-consuming and impractical.

That’s why it’s easier to collaborate using the cloud. When all your information is stored online, employees can all view, edit and share documents from any computer. In fact, they can typically access the cloud from mobile devices, allowing them to collaborate on the go. If you want to make your employees’ day simpler and more productive, allowing them to update documents in real time from anywhere will help.

5. Work From Anywhere

The ability to access documents from any device isn’t just good for employee collaboration. It’s also good for everyone in the office, including you. When everything is uploaded on the cloud, you can track the progress of your employees in real time, meaning you see exactly what’s getting done in a current meeting. You can approve or request changes and schedule meetings on a shared calendar from anywhere, even in line at the store.

In addition, if one of your employee’s computers needs repairs, you can simply assign that employee to another computer rather than having to give him or her the day off. There’s just more flexibility when you’re not tied down to one device.

At TechWerxe, we’re keenly aware of the benefits of cloud computing. That’s why we want to help move your business to the cloud so you can start seeing its value firsthand. If you’re ready to reach out to an IT partner you can rely on for your technology-related needs, contact us today to schedule a free consultation!

Sources:

http://smallbusinessesdoitbetter.com/2016/09/the-benefits-of-moving-your-business-to-the-cloud/
https://www.salesforce.com/uk/blog/2015/11/why-move-to-the-cloud-10-benefits-of-cloud-computing.html
https://www.inc.com/russ-fujioka/5-reasons-you-need-to-move-your-business-to-the-cloud-right-now.html
https://www.wired.com/insights/2012/10/5-cloud-business-benefits/
https://blog.rackspace.com/4-reasons-to-move-your-small-business-to-the-cloud

You have a lot to keep track of in your business. Customer information, sales data, employee details, and more. Although there’s no longer a worry about someone breaking into and destroying the papers in your filing cabinet with all of your business intelligence, there are new concerns to consider. With the digital age, you must now be aware of how your business data is stored online and in the cloud.

What is the Cloud Anyway?

The cloud remains a bit of a confusing concept for many people. Yet most people with a smartphone or Internet connection access the cloud on a daily basis.

Simply put, the cloud is the way computing services are delivered over the Internet. For example, storing images, accessing data on servers, networking on social media, accessing software, and more all make up the type of services made possible by the cloud.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Dropbox are just a handful of examples of cloud-based programs that are commonly used today.

What does this have to do with your small business? A lot.

To run your business in today’s world, you need to have a server to store your company’s information, access software, and more. This lets your employees access data from anywhere.

Where this server is located makes a big difference. With the cloud, your server equipment won’t be located on site but you still might need to own and manage the equipment depending on whether you choose a public cloud, private cloud, or a hybrid of the two. There are pros and cons to each, so let’s dig in.

Public Cloud

A public cloud service means you’re sharing hardware with others. This hardware is owned by a third party provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or a local IT company.

The Pros

The reason many small businesses choose to use a public cloud is because they don’t have to fork out a large upfront investment. You pay as you need to without having to be burdened by the costs of the hardware, upgrades, or maintenance. You can also scale up or down easily.

Because you’re using a third party’s server, you get IT resources quickly. The provider manages all of the backups and server monitoring so downtime is minimal (if there’s any at all) and you can be confident that you’ll always have access to the information you need.

The Cons

There is a downside to sharing hardware. Specifically, it’s not as secure as if you owned your own server.

If you’re using a large third party provider such as AWS or Microsoft Azure (instead of a local IT company) you’ll also have more ‘cons’ associated with public cloud.

First off, these large companies aren’t usually as selective with who they’ll share your infrastructure with. Local IT companies generally use strict application processes with their public cloud offerings to ensure your data is secure. Also, if you’re working with a large provider, you’ll usually have a slower response time for any problems or issues that arise.

Private Cloud

If your hardware and software is located off-site and is solely dedicated to your business, you have private cloud. Private cloud delivers similar advantages to public cloud, but offer proprietary architecture and dedicated hosting behind a firewall, so it minimizes the security concerns some organizations have around cloud.

The Pros

This is the most secure option because you aren’t sharing your hardware with other businesses. The hardware is dedicated to you and you can physically access it if need be. Your data is more secure because you can decide who will help you manage it. Typically, this is a local IT company or your internal IT department. You can actually have your local IT provider own and manage the hardware, but still provide you with a private cloud environment that is dedicated to you.

Any problems or issues that arise are quickly resolved because the company hosting your data is local.

By having your own dedicated server you can customize the computing, storage, and network components. This is ideal (and often times required) for high compliance industries, such as healthcare, insurance, and financial markets.

A private cloud provider will generally use Tier 3/4 hardware (tier 1 is the low end) such as high end servers, high throughput switches, and enterprise class firewalls in a fully redundant configuration to provide the best performance possible and guarantee uptime for your business.

The Cons

If you own the equipment (not always the case), you’re the one responsible for any issues, as well as management of the hardware. If you’re working with a local IT company, they will often provide maintenance in their offering including upgrades, software, security patches, 24/7 monitoring, and backups.

But, depending on who you work with and the plan you pay for, you may be responsible for all of the above if you are the owner of the hardware.

A Hybrid Solution

A hybrid solution is simply a blend of public and private cloud options. There are many iterations of what this looks like. For example, you can use the public cloud for non-sensitive business information, and store your more sensitive business data on a private cloud.

What’s Right for Your Small Business?

Ultimately, you have to decide what’s right for your business. If you’re in a high compliance industry, you might not have much choice. However, if you’re in a position to be a little more flexible with your business hardware, a hybrid solution might be your best option.

TechWerxe Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

We generally recommend private cloud environments due to the growing number of cyber threats. Our private cloud service surpasses industries standards. TechWerxe utilizes all Tier 3-4 hardware, meaning all of our equipment exceeds industries standards. We use industry leading hardware and software to provide the best platform to our clients. Our networking backbone is fully-redundant using enterprise class switches that can handle high throughput allowing clients to truly feel low latency from start to finish. We also have our own tier 4 data center.

TechWerxe infrastructure utilizes a full 10G network allowing us to provide the most efficient and highest performing virtual private cloud (VPC) to our clients. Our cloud platform truly isolates each clients’ data by utilizing secure end to end VPN connections along with unique VLANs and private IP spaces. TechWerxe does not take security lightly, we use Enterprise Class redundant firewalls to provide deep packet inspections of all traffic entering and leaving your VPC. TechWerxe solely utilizes the power of VMWare from front to back, providing endless scalability and performance to our clients. All of this is housed in a secure facility accessible only by our dedicated NOC team. Due to the vigorous security measures we take, our services are compliant with PCI, SANS 20, SSAE 16, NIST, SOX, and HIPPA. No matter what your compliance needs are, chances are we have it covered. Our platform is more than just a service, it is an investment not only for us, but our clients as well.

Not sure what’s right for your business? Let’s talk! We’re happy to discuss your options based on your company’s specific needs. Call us to learn more.