6 Tips for Businesses New to The Cloud

Running a business through the cloud has become increasingly popular in recent years. The cloud’s modern approach allows businesses to operate in a new, efficient way. Not only does the cloud allow companies to store large amounts of data, it is also a cost effective way to conduct business. There are many advantages to utilizing cloud services for your business. If you are thinking of transferring your business to the cloud, take a look at our six tips for businesses migrating to the cloud below to understand how you can make the transition smoothly.

1. Use Cloud Based Applications

A cloud application is a program that is used through the internet. You can then access the application from anywhere and on any web browser or device—you just need the internet. When using a cloud based application you will no longer have to pay out large sums for servers and maintenance.

Before you fully embrace the cloud, you should have a clear plan on how to transition your business. Focus on what will benefit you the most by being on the cloud, and consider how you can utilize cloud solutions to improve your business productivity. Make sure to factor in what already works for your business and see if implementing old processes into the new system will work.

2. Keep Up to Date with Maintenance

There are many advantages when it comes to cloud-based maintenance. Your cloud-based maintenance management system can be accessed through the internet, meaning maintenance staff can maintain your system remotely. You can then plan your maintenance updates more efficiently and not have to worry about organizing IT staff to come on site or even dealing with unscheduled downtime during business hours. With a good maintenance system in place, your off-site IT team will receive alerts when problems start, meaning they can fix it quickly before the problem escalates.

3. Prepare for New Security Challenges

Keeping all of your sensitive data online has its risks. Each day hackers find new ways to breach security software, and the cloud is no exception. When companies use the cloud, they share and store documents such as financial records, contracts, HR paperwork, and confidential files with employees and partners. A breach of this data can be devastating to a company and its clients. 

When it comes to security, you can’t treat the cloud like the network you’re currently using. It’s a different system, meaning it will come with its own set of weaknesses and strengths. Prepare yourself by looking into solutions to secure, detect, and prevent security breaches in the cloud.

4. Cloud Staging

Cloud staging will help you test and review before moving your data into production and leaving your old solution behind. It is an adaptive strategy that takes advantage of your cloud-based storage and transfers your desktop to a new DaaS (Desktop as a Service) offering. A cloud staging strategy allows different desktop types to co-exist while still being cost effective. 

Important user-centric data will be synched and hosted on cloud storage, while users remain productive and ready to log on to their new desktop as soon as required. Your staff can utilize co-existing desktop types or you can use staging to shift users to an entirely new platform in phases.

5. Choose What To Put On The Cloud

As mentioned before, when using the cloud there are risks of potential data breaches, which is why you should be careful about what data you put on the cloud. By no means do you have to transfer to the cloud every piece of data that your company has.

Avoid putting extremely sensitive information in the cloud; the information you should keep in a more secure spot includes but is not limited to passport numbers, social security numbers, medical files, and tax information. All your financial data should be kept on a private server.

If you need to put sensitive documents online ensure they are encrypted and password protected. Once you no longer need the document, remove it from the cloud to avoid any potential data breaches in the future.

6. Utilize The Cloud

This might seem like a no-brainer, but the cloud is meant to foster collaboration. The cloud is a great application to connect employees and third parties. It allows you to share, access, and edit work in an instant. 

This increases productivity within the company and allows important decisions to be made quickly and instantly. Being able to access documents online wherever you are will lower your company’s carbon footprint as you will cut down on traveling to obtain and deliver documents, and you will no longer print large, unnecessary amounts of paper.

Using the cloud has many benefits, but ultimately it is up to you to decide whether your business will benefit from using it. Be sure to employ these cloud tips for businesses if you decide to employ cloud solutions.

To speak with an IT professional today, contact Total IT to discuss if cloud solutions are right for your business.