There are many benefits of cloud services — namely, that they can help your team work more effectively and efficiently while providing a necessary edge in a competitive industry.
While there are several different types of cloud services — some that you may be very familiar with such as Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services — there are many business options that can improve your team’s workflows, productivity, and cost-savings while also helping your operations become more streamlined and adaptive.
What is the Cloud?
If you’ve been on the internet this century, you’ve likely heard of the cloud in some way. After all, anyone with a modern smartphone is very adept at backing up their photos and contacts to the cloud for fear of losing them.
But what is the cloud, exactly? Is it just a virtual holding space for our cat pictures and emergency phone numbers? Well, yes… and no! A cloud is a connected network of computers or servers that can be accessed by users via the internet. So while it can be your personal Cat Picture Holding Zone, it’s so much more than that.
Cloud servers are software and services that you don’t have to host yourself. When needed, you can access them from anywhere that you have an internet connection, saving you valuable memory space.
There are many different clouds, not just one massive space for all to use. Some can be made secure and accessed only by specific authorized users, like those within your company. There are networks and servers all over the world that create their very own clouds. They work for different organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, companies, and more to maintain their data storage and sharing.
The Benefits of Cloud Services
So, a secure, virtual space to hold company data — that sounds pretty good, right? But what exactly are the benefits of cloud services? Why should you be using the cloud? Do cloud services really benefit businesses? Well, you ask some good questions — and here are the answers!
- Data storage and backup – Cloud storage not only securely stores your important files in a way that is organized, easy to access, and protected but also offers the added conveniences of being flexible, scalable, and collaborative.
- Host servers and applications – With servers, you can securely store all of your data, applications, and information under the shared resources of the cloud, such as memory and processor cycles, which frees up space on your hardware and protects your files.
- Content sharing – Sharing documents across different locations and people is complicated, but the cloud makes it simple. Just upload any file and share it instantly and securely with your team!
- Project management – Because of the collaboration available with the cloud and the ample storage options, managing projects is much simpler and more accessible to all members of your team — a virtual one-stop-shop for all the documents needed in each project!
- Analytics – Using cloud-based analytics provides faster results, instant reports, and greater amounts of data. It also offers more access to said results through its collaborative nature, which streamlines your processes and reduces operational costs.
- Automation – Cloud automation services serve as automatic workflows and processes that streamline your company’s operations, reducing the manual efforts and freeing up your team’s time for more important endeavors.
Are You Ready to Switch?
In today’s world, at least some part of your business is virtual — even if you are still a small startup. And one of the largest mistakes that you can make with IT services is using an unsecured cloud server — or worse, no server at all to protect your data and applications. Do yourself, and your company, a favor — plan ahead for the future of your business and switch to cloud services today. Contact Net3 IT now and we’ll show you just how much you and your business can benefit from cloud services!
