Should I Move My Business to the Cloud?

Three options to provide a clear picture for Cloud newbies. 

If you are a business with a server or several servers who is facing a network upgrade, then you definitely want to continue reading! 

As the owner of Tarrytech Computer Consultants, I have the opportunity to meet with lots of businesses.  Most businesses have some type of server, or server-esque type device in the back closet of their office, where the IT stuff lives. 

This was probably setup years ago by your “IT guy”, and hopefully you’ve been fortunate enough that device is still running and is still managed by your “IT guy”.  However, if you’re speaking with me, you probably don’t fall into that category.

Several years ago, there was a buzz about “the cloud”, and there was a lot of misconceptions or misunderstandings of what constitutes the cloud.  Today, I think many businesses have a clearer understanding of what it is, and many have taken that leap of faith to move their business, or at least some components of their business, to cloud technology.    

As a company that is intimate with the cloud, and supports and recommends cloud solutions, there are two comments that I would like to make. 

The first is that there are more options than ever to consider when considering the cloud for your business, adding to the level of confusion. 

The second is that the cloud has definitely matured, and should be embraced as a solution where it makes sense. 

Let’s dig into these a bit!

When considering moving to the cloud, I like to summarize the options in the following categories.  If I were to debate toe-to-toe with others on the subject of cloud categories, I think we would disagree on how I have categorized these options. 

However, for the purposes of this article, I would like present the following options, as I think they provide a clear picture for cloud newbies. 

The three options are as follows:

1.   Sofware-As-A-Service (SAAS)

SAAS options are widely available cloud solutions for common applications that you “rent” from a cloud hosting service provider. 

I like to use the example of hosted email.  This is certainly a common application for which your business will need a solution. 

Historically, many of the companies we have worked with ran Microsoft Exchange on a server that was located within the office.  In my opinion, Microsoft Exchange is by far the best solution for a messaging, calendar, and contacts solution for your business. 

Years ago, the only way to provide this for your company was to host the server on premise in your data center.  Exchange servers were costly and difficult to manage, and if you had a problem with the server or the Exchange installation, it was a BIG problem. 

Email for your entire company was affected, and could possibly have been disrupted for extended periods of time. 

However, fast forward to development cloud email SAAS solutions.  There are many great options, each of which will provide a robust messaging solution for your company.  Some examples are Microsoft Office 365, Intermedia, and AppRiver. 

Tarrytech strongly recommends replacing your on-premise Exchange Server with one of these options.  They are highly cost effective, and they provide a bullet proof email solution for your company. 

Another example of a SAAS cloud solution are file sharing applications.  There are several great, cost effective options including DropBox, Box, and Google Drive.  These can easily be deployed for your organization, eliminating the need for an on premise server!

Next- Two more Cloud options for newbies