All this talk about the ‘Cloud’ is rather ambiguous. For many it’s confusing and unfocused. For others, cloud computing instantly raises concerns about security and reliability. Before you dismiss the cloud as a lot of vapor, take some time to consider the advantages of moving certain IT services and infrastructure to the cloud.

In reality, cloud computing has its shortcomings; but small businesses looking to cut computing costs and improve efficiency are finding the many benefits of Internet-based software and services increasingly attractive. Web based versions of software are more cost effective and accessible from anyway. Online storage, such as Box.com and Dropbox, remove the need for backup’s and redundancy as your files are safely secured in the cloud and are accessible from anywhere. These benefits enable small businesses to stay focused, be more collaborative, and bring products to market more quickly, because they’ve got access to the kind of infrastructure that only large companies used to have.

Examples of Cloud Services From Partek

• Online Backup & Data Storage: Store your critical company data in the cloud and make sure it is accessible from anywhere.
• Hosted Exchange Email: All of the benefits of an on-premise email solution, without the need for the big infrastructure or support costs.

So what are the downsides? Many small business owners say that their biggest worries about cloud computing are security, availability, and performance. It’s not difficult to find instances of security breaches in cloud computing, of course. On the other hand, you can’t entirely eliminate risk from any computing environment. Intruders may hack into files stored on your business’s own servers or hard drives. Hard drives may fail. Un-encrypted information stored on laptops may lead to identity theft or lawsuits when the laptops go missing.

If you’re considering cost and efficiency savings for you business, talk to us about the cloud and how it could be a good fit for your business.