Diving Into The Cloud For Your Business - GroupOne Consulting, Inc.

Is your business considering a move to cloud computing? It’s a smart move that many companies have made. In fact, 88% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020. However, you may be hesitant to dive into the cloud. You may have concerns about costs, implementation, security, and employee training.

Those are all normal concerns, but the reality is, cloud services can offer an abundance of benefits for your organization. With the cloud, it’s much easier to scale and be flexible. If you are on the fence about cloud computing, you’ll appreciate this practical guide.

What is cloud computing?

Let’s start with the basics. The cloud is basically a virtual workspace that connects users from anywhere and allows them to store and exchange information. It’s a model of sharing resources, software, and information through a network.

What are the different types of cloud computing?

There are three primary cloud types:

Public cloud: services delivered through the internet
Private cloud: internal usage by a single organization
Hybrid cloud: a mixture of public and private

Beyond these three cloud types, there are different types of cloud computing services, including:

SaaS (software as a service): applications accessible by users via a web browser
PaaS (platform as a service): a space for application development and testing
IaaS (infrastructure as a service): computing resources in a virtual environment used for data storage, virtualization, networking, and servers

According to a recent survey, 89% of companies use SaaS. So, you may be already using the cloud in some way, depending on what type of software you use. But could you be leveraging the cloud further?

Advantages of cloud computing

Securely access your data

The security of your data is always top of mind. And you may feel uneasy about it living in the cloud instead of on a server on-site. With the cloud, you’ll have all the security protocols you need as well as direct control over access to the data. With a private cloud, you have the security you need to remain compliant and ensure the protection of your data as the network is only accessible by your employees. Feel confident in accessing, sharing, and storing data with cloud services.

Improve efficiency

Cloud computing can have a positive effect on your company’s efficiency. With the cloud, you’ll eliminate the need to upgrade your IT infrastructure constantly. Plus, you won’t have storage concerns or challenges with sharing information amongst your team. Instead of constantly emailing documents back and forth, they can remain in the cloud for collaborative workflows.

Ensure flexibility and reliability

A cloud infrastructure allows you to run all your critical applications. Even if there is infrastructure damage, your applications won’t face any downtime. Plus, with a cloud, you can easily scale as your business grows. This agility can also enable you to adapt quickly to changing environments. This type of flexibility can provide you with a competitive advantage.

Diving into the cloud doesn’t have to be swimming with sharks!

At GroupOne, we build strategic cloud computing services for companies that fit their needs and their budget. Our process includes getting to know your business and what matters most to you. Then we can design a cloud service ecosystem that meets your needs today and tomorrow.