Though the cloud is now a common enough term, there are still many businesses unsure about making the switch. Their arguments are valid and their concerns are well-founded – but that doesn’t mean the cloud isn’t the right choice for them. There are two sides to every coin and even advantages to be found inside the disadvantages.
Here are a few worries businesses have about the cloud, and why you should make the shift anyways.
1. Isn’t it expensive?
There are still some businesses which find it daunting to make the shift – simply because of money. The expenses of finding the right cloud, paying the experts to make the shift for you, and the money lost during the downtime are very real concerns that make some reject it altogether.
However, as every good businessperson knows, making money is about making investments. The cloud may be fairly expensive to shift to, especially if you’re a smaller business, but with less IT involvement, faster results, ease of access, and new capabilities like big data opportunities, you’ll not only be saving in your overhead for the future, you’ll also be boosting the productivity of your work, allowing you to make more money in the process.
2. Isn’t it time-consuming?
While money scares the small businesses, time scares the large businesses. If your company is on the big side with around 5,000 employees, you’re no doubt envisioning the cumbersome and time-consuming shift of taking all your data and your software and then putting it in a completely different realm. There’s no doubt about it; making the shift is time-consuming.
However, for the long-term life of your company, you’ll be making an investment to ensure future work is faster than ever before. Whether you choose a public cloud, a private one, or a hybrid of the two, you’ll be allowed faster computing that makes projects move along more steadily. If you choose to outsource employees from around the world, the ability to offer instant and easy access to information will allow you to accomplish more, better, and faster than your competition.
3. Won’t the vendor lock me in?
While there are no real “lock-ins” when it comes to choosing a cloud vendor, should you decide to have a change of heart and switch to a new option, you must revisit the two concerns above. Time, money, and effort will be exerted if you decide that your current vendor is no longer amicable.
However, just like any investment, it’s important to not take the decision lightly. If you were to stay with your own servers, you would be effectively “locked in” with the abilities they can offer – which are quickly dwindling, especially if you have older servers. With the cloud, there are countless options to choose from, giving you ample opportunity to shop around for the one that will be best for you. And don’t forget – with all the advantages of speed, scalability, agility, and remote access that the cloud offers, this concern is greatly outweighed.
4. Aren’t there security risks?
We’ve all heard the horror stories about security breaches and data leaks that companies under the cloud have experienced. Whether you’re losing national security secrets, valuable client information, or simply had an embarrassing selfie thrown onto the internet, security risks are a danger with the cloud.
However, those using the cloud and creating their own are aware of this. No one wants that horror to come true for them, meaning increased efforts have been taken to tighten up the cloud and put more security measures in place. In addition to this, with the cloud’s flexibility, should you decide to customize your own cloud experience, you can add in personal security measures until you are comfortable with the difference. In the end, the security you gain from a server is meaningless compared to the disadvantages you also have.
The concerns businesses have about the cloud are well-founded; there’s no arguing that. However, just as you first spent money to make money when founding your company, the cloud takes a small toll now in exchange for rewards in both money, time, and quality, making this the perfect time for you to embrace the craze.