Pros and cons of moving your business to the telco cloud
Have you been thinking about moving your business’s computing needs to the cloud? With an increased range of applications and capabilities, cloud computing helps make the latest technology affordable, even for smaller businesses.
Rather than buying servers or hiring a dedicated IT team, you can simply pay by the month for cloud computing services or architecture. But before you make the move, it’s a good idea to take a look at the pros and cons of the telco cloud.
Pros of Cloud Computing
Cost is one of the primary reasons why businesses are moving to cloud services offered by carriers like Nokia Networks at the moment. The cost is scalable, meaning that it can be adjusted to meet your needs as your business grows. In most cases, cloud computing is billed monthly, rather than the lump sum that you would need to pay for servers. This immediately eliminates the upfront cost of setting up a server. From a man power perspective, cloud computing also saves time as you can work together and avoid miscommunication.
In addition to the lowered costs of the telco cloud, another benefit is that your data is backed up in the event that your hardware becomes compromised. Disaster recovery is easier with the cloud, because you can set up regular automatic updates to back up your data and keep what’s stored the most relevant. Cloud computing is also more environmentally friendly, reducing your business’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. It allows for greater flexibility, with employees able to sync their documents and share files or apps from anywhere in the world. If you have a small business, this means that you can hire freelancers or work with clients from anywhere in the world, provided that there is internet access.
Public domain photo/ Bergsten
Cons of Cloud Computing
The internet access required to work within the cloud is also one of the potential drawbacks. You’re relying on a steady internet connection in order to access all of your business applications, so if one of your providers goes down you could be potentially out of business. You’ll need a backup plan if this happens. Security is another issue to be aware of. There have been data breaches in the past, and if you use the cloud you’ll be trusting a third party to manage and store your data.
From a financial perspective, it doesn’t cost much up front to buy into the telco cloud. However, there are some ongoing costs to be aware of, including security and maintenance. Be sure to look over any hidden fees before choosing a provider, and compare the monthly costs over time to the initial cost of setting up an in-house server.
Moving to the Telco Cloud
There are pros and cons to the telco cloud, so how do you know what’s best for your business? You’ll need to think about your business needs. How do your employees communicate with one another as well as your clients and suppliers? Are your employees based in a single building, or do they work from foreign offices or at home? What do your current communication costs already look like? Do you conduct video conferences, overseas calls, and manage large volumes of data?
Can you afford the upfront costs of in-house servers, or would it be more cost-effective to pay for computing as a monthly utility? These are all factors to consider before you make the move.
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