We’ve all heard the buzz words “cloud computing” but what is it and how can it benefit businesses?
What is Cloud Computing?
With cloud computing you plug into the services you need via the internet and you subscribe only to the services you need. This means you don’t need to invest heavily in hardware or software licenses you need for a successful business.
How will cloud computing benefit my business?
There is no need for large financial outlay that goes with having your own in-house servers and none of the associated running and operational costs. Upgrades are done for you as part of the service so you will not need to purchase and install upgrades every 3 years, ensuring you are always running the latest software. The ability to access the services anywhere is key for today’s mobile workforce.
How secure is my data?
Get AHead-IT uses Microsoft Online Services to deliver its cloud services, Microsoft has data centres located in various locations around the globe, each data centre has multiple layers of security and is far more secure than most small businesses could achieve in-house. With Microsoft Online Services you also get Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam included as part of the package.
What about disaster recovery?
Microsoft has geo-redundant data centres which replicate each other so if one fails another will take over with your data backed up in “real time”. Microsoft European data centres are in Amsterdam and Dublin. Also if there is an issue at your premises such as a fire you can simply log onto the services from another location and continue to work.
Are cloud services really the way IT is going?
At Get AHead-IT we believe it is, and we are not alone, research suggests that almost three quarters of small to medium sized businesses plan to adopt the technology over the next 3 years, half of the businesses questioned said they planned to switch to cloud computing in the next 12 months.
Why use Get AHead-IT?
We not only recommend Microsoft Online Services to our clients we actually use it ourselves, we don’t have any in-house servers. We offer a complete package of cloud transition services to get you up and running quickly, see our cloud computing page for more details.