Moving to the Cloud in 2016—Exploring Customized Cloud Solutions
Small businesses are moving to cloud-based systems such as Dropbox, Microsoft Office 365 and Google Drive in droves, according to a new survey.
The reason: Owners want to make their businesses more mobile and data easier to access.
When evaluating their options for these products, business owners are more concerned with functionality (43%) and security (38%) than cost (10%) and privacy (9%), the survey found.
“Small business owners are less concerned with data breaches that might set them back than streamlined systems that can move them forward,” The Alternative Board Vice President David Scarola said in a statement.
Last year, we saw more and more businesses leverage the benefits of cloud solutions. If they weren’t migrating fully to the cloud, they were opting to use a hybrid solution that provides greater flexibility for data control and security.
“As a small business with a team that spends most of their time in the field, having our applications in the cloud gives us flexibility and protection,” said Blair Koch, chief executive officer of The Alternative Board Denver West.
But here’s what’s changing—rather than going it alone, organizations are looking more and more to trusted IT partners (like iWise) to ensure IT alignment with business goals when choosing a cloud solution. Here at iWise, this means helping our customers transform their current IT into something that’s more efficient and ideal for today’s diverse business needs.
Let’s address the cloud elephant in the room, your data.
It’s important to remember that transitioning to the cloud doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” deal. When migrating to the cloud, know that you have options in regards to controlling your data—you can choose a simple, cut-and-dried solution (like Office 365), you can choose a cloud solution that gives you direct access to OS and apps and data (Iaas), or you can customize your cloud solution even further by considering a hybrid implementation.
Your IT partner should have a lot more to offer than just being your “stepping stone” to the cloud. They should have understanding and expertise in creating the right IT environment for your business and become your strategic partner in achieving your company’s short and long term goals.
This is something that iWise has done since inception. For us, it’s never just about selling a service–it’s about becoming a reliable and integral part of your business.
To become a trusted partner, we focus on lending you our technical expertise and experience to build solutions tailored to meet your specific needs, including:
- Carefully working with your IT staff (if you have any)
- Studying your existing IT environment to see what cloud solutions we can use to improve capability and efficiency
- Proactively monitoring and adjusting things as needed
- Providing exceptional, personalized support
If you think you could benefit by having a reliable IT partner, contact us today. We’d be happy to talk about how we can combine the advantages of the cloud solutions with your existing system to improve security, network access and compliance standards.
Reference: https://www.datapipe.com/blog/2016/01/04/2016-the-year-of-the-msp/