Is your head in the clouds?
26th April 2022
What is Cloud technology?
Instead of putting your IT in your office, files which would normally sit on a server are placed on the internet.
You can use the internet to provide a service. Or you can use it to provide computers to use. Both are done on a monthly subscription. A good example of a service is Microsoft 365. This can do email and your files. In the past, businesses would run their email through a server in their office but now Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is used to provide employees with email addresses. Files would be stored centrally, but now Sharepoint or Egnyte offer secure locations to keep your files safe but accessible.
Azure, Amazon AWS or Windows 365 can provide internet based computers. You can use these to run your line of business applications. This enable applications that are not yet “cloud ready” to still be moved online.
Why use Cloud technology?
The advantage of internet based services or machines are that they can be accessed from anywhere. As employees work more from home, companies have had to find secure ways to get them access to the organisation’s resources. To do this, money can be spent on appliances that enable the right people to connect to the office. Or cloud services can be used to avoid this capital spend.
Is it for everyone?
We would advise cloud services are the best option for most businesses. For email, we would no longer expect an organisation to put in their own email server but would instead use Microsoft 365. Some large files cannot be accessed online easily and some organisations are limited by regulations so here a blended approach can be used taking the best services that can be used and still retaining some on site elements for those things that cannot be put online. Large cad files is a common example of something that often needs to remain on a local server.
What about security?
Some organisations will go and purchase Microsoft 365 to “go it alone.” Doing this can leave them open to business risks, such as data leaks and third parties gaining access to their email accounts. We would advise using a Cloud certified Microsoft Partner who can help you apply the right controls to secure your cloud systems.
To find out if cloud technology is a good fit for your business, contact us today.