One of the most common questions people ask when I talk to them about the services that CloudApp IT offers is, "Why should we move IT to the cloud?" This is a great question that deserves a simple answer that points out some of the many benefits, as well as some of the drawbacks, to moving IT infrastructure to cloud based solutions. After a few minutes of thought about the question, here is a list of pros and cons that I've come up with for moving yourself and your business to the cloud:Pros
- Mobility - access your data anywhere at any time
- Affordability - cloud services are a fraction of the cost as on-premises infrastructure
- Collaboration - teamwork is king in cloud computing
- Integration - cloud based services often integrate with each other much better than desktop counterparts.
- Scalability - a cloud can expand and contract along with your business effortlessly
- Administration - less local infrastructure means less maintenance
- Business speed - deployment becomes less of a burden and businesses can change technologies quickly to keep on the edge of their industry
Cons
- Overwhelming - the cloud is a new technology that offers a new paradigm to solving IT problems that can seem new and unfamiliar
- Limitations - the cloud has limitations, like bandwidth or performance hits, that make certain applications inappropriate for the cloud
Both a pro and a con
- Reliability - you become dependent on someone else keeping your business going, but you're often in good hands (Google Apps for Business guarantees 99.9% uptime)
- Security - web security risks will always be present, but, as with reliability, you often have smart people working to keep you safe (Google Apps for Business is SAS 70 type II certified, very secure)
- Migration - while migration of smaller, manageable projects to the cloud is easy and robust, sometimes migration can be a bottleneck that will hinder a smooth transition to the cloud.
I've tried to be completely objective as I've attempted to make a quick list of some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with moving your business to the cloud. We here at CloudApp IT believe that the move to the cloud is the best decision your business can make to take advantage of the amazing technology available. The advantages of moving to the cloud, especially at this time, provide such a competitive edge. Collaboration, mobility, scalability, reliability, affordability... now is the time to move IT to the cloud!
