3 Ways Businesses Can Get the Most Out of the Cloud in 2016

As the cloud becomes widely adopted by SMBs the world over, companies have come to expect more from their cloud services. If you’re not taking full advantage of cloud computing, then you may be missing out on the many ways that it can help you meet your company’s goals.

According to Forrester Research, there are three goals in particular that the cloud can be leveraged for in order to enhance the operations of SMBs. Consider the following:

• Decreased administrative burden: One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is its ability to outsource its required maintenance and management to someone outside of your company. Considering how stressed for time most managers are in SMBs, they will appreciate having yet one more responsibility taken off their plate. Think for a moment of all the other, more profitable things that your managers and IT team can do for your business if they’re not being bogged down by managing company files and software solutions.
• Increased implementation speed: When a business chooses to implement a new solution, they want it ready to go as soon as possible. With the cloud, taking advantage of its many services is as easy as setting up an account for you and your team. Compare this to the effort it takes to install hardware and cables if you want to add a new solution to your in-house IT network.
• Enhanced security, with minimal expense: Cloud security has improved vastly over the years, along with its affordability. When working with IT professionals like those at ZR Systems, you can protect your cloud offering with as little, or as much, security as you feel you need. This is yet another responsibility that the cloud removes from a manager's plate.

The one thing that all of these benefits have in common is that they’re part of the public cloud computing option (which is different than the private and hybrid cloud options). While the hybrid and private cloud options have their own sets of benefits, the strength of the public cloud is that it provides organizations the most functionality, while only requiring a minimal amount of maintenance and oversight on behalf of you and your staff.

For the average SMB, the public cloud is the right fit, due to its ease of use. However, don’t let that discourage you from considering other cloud options. For example, a private cloud option is best for a business dealing with sensitive data, like health care records or credit card information. Additionally, the private cloud is good for businesses that have an adequate amount of capital on hand they can use to purchase in-house IT equipment.

At the end of the day, what it comes down to is going with a cloud solution that’s the right fit for your company. After talking with the IT professionals at ZR Systems, you may even decide that the hybrid cloud option is the right fit for your business (which combines the features of both the private and public cloud offerings). Whichever cloud computing option you go with, ZR Systems is here to help with its implementation and maintenance. To go with a cloud computing option that will be utilized to the fullest, give us a call (808) 369-1000.