After arriving home from a business trip, you realize you forgot to get your laptop out of the trunk of the cab. The repercussions immediately run through your mind. What customer information have you lost? Can you recover those files? Is there a backup stored anywhere so your business doesn’t miss a beat? With the cloud, the answer is yes.
We’ve all heard of “the cloud,” but what is it, how does it work and how can it help your business? The cloud refers to software, services and storage you connect to online, instead of house locally on your computer. Think of Gmail or Netflix – you can login to these services to access your accounts and files from anywhere with an Internet connection.
It used to be that data was typically stored on your computer’s hard drive; everything was physically close to you and it was fast and easy for that one computer, or others on local area networks, to reach the data. Today, the cloud has given businesses the ability to access their information virtually, creating a way of accessing your data from any place, at any time.
How can the cloud help my business?
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery is the single most crucial component to your technology.
A disaster recovery program based in the cloud (cloud DR) is an area of security planning that aims to protect an organization from the effects of significant negative events. With proper planning and implementation, you can recover from accidental data loss or a serious security breach. DR also enables an organization to maintain or quickly resume mission-critical functions following a disaster like a major natural disaster.
Small businesses that previously couldn’t afford to dedicate significant resources to disaster recovery now have cloud DR within reach. Cloud DR reduces the need for data center space, IT infrastructure and resources.
Cost Savings
Cloud services can lower costs associated with a business’s IT infrastructure. Instead of spending capital on expensive equipment that requires upkeep and maintenance, businesses can sign up for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) through the cloud.
Collaboration
We’ve all gone through having multiple versions of the same document and struggling to know which is the right one. The cloud enables real-time collaboration between teams, keeping everyone up-to-date with the latest version and allowing edits from anywhere – on the go, in the office or across town in a meeting.
The cloud also makes it possible to share files that are too large to email to coworkers. When organized correctly, it’s a platform that makes it easier for employees to find what they are looking for on their own without interrupting their coworkers to ask for the latest changes.
How to Get Started
Splashwire has the technology solutions to help your business leverage the cloud. We tailor solutions to fit your goals and budget.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your needs.