Use the cloud responsibility and you will reap the rewards

 2017-06-01

With the widespread availability of cloud computing, businesses everywhere have gone global rapidly. A small business based in a town of a few thousand people can run outreach campaigns now to customers across all corners of the globe and one of the major reasons why this is so easy now is due to cloud computing.

Now, business owners don’t have to be sitting at a desk or have an entire IT setup running 24/7 to manage their online operations. With a simple internet connection, businesses everywhere have access to everything in a matter of seconds without the need to download or even ensure formats are the same.

Cloud Computing and the Vast Potential

The term ‘Cloud Computing’ may seem highly technical in nature. Just a few years back, it was. But now imagining something as simple as Google Drive, Google Docs, Microsoft 365 and even Salesforce doesn’t seem as scary as cloud computing would generally have.

All of those services are part of cloud computing and just some of the benefits small businesses get from having everything in the cloud.

From cloud storage like Dropbox to cloud backup, Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud hosting to run websites and media, the opportunities for expanding business has exploded. There is no need to make sure whether the document format is viewable by all receivers and there is no longer a reason to send large documents through email attachments and wait hours for everyone to have successfully received them.

Services such as accounting, digital marketing, sales, advertising and many more have all gone into the cloud and run seamlessly no matter which part of the world a team is situated in.

But there are certain drawbacks which come with cloud computing as well. Nothing is without its limitations and this also does apply to having everything in the cloud.

Cloud Services Business Use and Their Drawbacks

Primarily, there are three types of cloud services which businesses integrate and use. They are public cloud services, private cloud solutions or having a hybrid cloud setup.

Getting access to the cloud and having all business operations running from a paid service while not having an in-house setup is an example of public cloud services. A private cloud solution would mean having a complete arrangement in a business’ own four walls, while a hybrid is a mix of the two.

With cloud computing becoming more and more common, unfortunately so have the terms ‘hacks’ and ‘leaks’. This is when sensitive corporate information gets into the wrong hands and can cause unmeasurable damage to a business, regardless of its size. A security breach is still a matter of great concern for all organizations, but amazingly and despite how insecure the cloud may seem, it is still a lot more advanced than technologies of the past.

To protect data from being breached, there are some ways to ensure maximum security.

Ways to Ensure Cloud Data Remains Safe

No matter what sort of measures are taken, there is always the possibility of a breach. But, when best practices are adopted and processes are made to keep sensitive information intact, risk automatically is minimized.

Training staff and everyone who has access to your business cloud services is the best way to start and teach methods to keep devices and access points safe. Having redundancies to protect data from being wiped out or lost is a must while encryption of data ensures it isn’t seen by prying eyes.

Being updated with the latest in security needs, certificates and protocols, along with proper implementation adds on to the overall layers. In all, there are important measures which always need to be taken. If carried out correctly, organizations will continue to thrive and businesses everywhere can focus on growth rather than fearing the unknown.