The Cloud's Top 10 'Greats' and 'Gotchas'
by Courtney Kaufman, Marketing Manager of Accent Computer Solutions, Inc.

Cloud computing is again a hot buzz word in the business world. In technical terms, cloud computing is the on-demand provision of data and software via a computer network rather than from a local computer. Essentially this means that programs like Microsoft Word and Excel reside on the Internet and not on the user's hard drive, similar to Google Docs.

I think "the Cloud" is great, and never has there been a more agile technology solution for businesses, but there are also some major "gotcha" moments that you need to be aware of.

Cloud big shots such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google suffered huge problems in the past few months that shut down services and websites, temporarily paralyzing companies that use their services.

The cloud is not all bad, but it needs to be used wisely. If you're a business owner, you need expert advice on this matter, that way you'll be able to reap the amazing benefits of the cloud while bypassing the potential risks.

Here are 10 great and not-so-great things you should know about the cloud as you plan your next major business move.

Great

1. It grows and shrinks with you. Gone are the headaches of buying your own hardware and software and then being stuck with it if you don't need it anymore. And if you outgrow what you originally purchased and you need more to support your business, you won't be left in a pinch. With the cloud, you just tell your cloud consultant and they'll get you set up in no time.

2. Less hardware to deal with. Hardware maintenance is nearly irrelevant with cloud computing, because you don't have to mess with servers anymore. No more fixing, updating, and replacing servers because that responsibility falls on your cloud service provider.

3. Access it from anywhere, anytime. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can work from anywhere at whatever hours work for you.

4. End the Mac vs. PC war. With cloud computing, it doesn't matter what kind of device you use since cloud software is run on other servers, not your own. So now you can pick your favorite device and get to work.

5. It can save you a bunch of money. Many cloud products can cut your IT spending in half.

Not so great

1. You can lose a bunch of money. If you can't access your information when you need it, it could be a big issue for your reputation and your bottom line. In April, both Microsoft and Amazon's cloud services went down, leaving their clients in a pinch. They eventually came back up, but not having access to critical information for any period of time is problematic.

2. Hackers could get to your personal information. Your cloud provider is in charge of securing your data, and if they don't do a good job, there's nothing you can do about it.

3. It still has bugs. There is so much competition in the cloud services world right now that companies are pushing products out before all the bugs are worked out.

4. You may have to increase your Internet spending. Since you'll be accessing a majority of your information via the Internet, you'll likely to have to increase your bandwidth to keep up with all the added Internet usage.

5. Good cloud consultants are rare. Cloud computing is not a new concept, but its adoption by the businesses world just started happening a few years ago. Not many IT guys know how to handle this new technology adventure yet. Good IT consulting firms, however, invest heavily in ongoing training for their team and are ready to educate and assist you with any technology transition.

The bottom line is if you want to go down this route, you need to talk to your IT provider and figure out if moving to the cloud is right for your business.

Please call your account representative at Databranch to figure out whether moving to the cloud is right for your business.