It’s been said on this blog before and I’m sure it’ll be said again, but we’re big fans of the cloud here at AIS Solutions. We’ve been utilizing it for our bookkeeping services for three years now, and as we move forward we plan on continuing to make it a major aspect of our business and how we service our clients.
That said, there are still many business owners out there who are hesitant to make the move. The fact is, in this digital-centric day and age, the cloud has become a necessary aspect for businesses, not just an added convenience. It doesn’t mean that operations have to be fully moved online – paper can still play a role, as it’s always important to have more than one copy of everything – but there should be some form of action taken that involves storing important files and data on the web.
This is the topic of an article at one of our favourites, the Intuit Small Business Blog, entitled 4 Reasons to Migrate to the Cloud in 2014. As you might expect, it offers some arguments in favour of moving operations online. Here’s one:
3. Access expensive resources at a fraction of the cost. “Small businesses are opting for cloud-based solutions not only for their flexibility and scalability, but [also] for the ability to access sophisticated solutions that, off the shelf, would be cost prohibitive,” says Robert Stanley, editor of ClickSoftware’s Mobile Fever blog. “From appointment booking and scheduling tools to project management applications, small businesses can operate practically every facet of their organizations in the cloud.”
The key is integration. “Small businesses should look for SaaS solutions that integrate with the other applications they’re already using or with other popular applications they may have a use for in the future,” Stanley advises. “This enables businesses to create a cohesive platform that’s perfectly configured to meet precise business requirements.”
IaaS is also more cost-effective than its alternative. Over the average, 10-year life span of a data center, a traditional model costs approximately $120,000 to configure and maintain. The same data center costs an average of $46,600 under the IaaS model.
One of the main reasons we push the concept of the cloud to our customers is because of how cost-effective it is. As the article states, moving everything to one place can help save money on resources that would normally cost much more. We know how much goes into running a business and how the costs of the tools we need for our day-to-day operations can add up alarmingly quickly, and that’s where the cloud really comes in handy. Everything’s more accessible and less expensive to maintain.
The other benefits of the cloud that the article goes into include avoiding the growth plateau, reducing on-site staffing requirements and mobilizing your workforce. It’s a good read for business owners that have been on the fence about moving to the cloud and are researching the advantages.
What do you think? Did you find this article useful? Have you moved to the cloud? Do you plan on doing so this year? Your thoughts are always welcome, so let us know!
November 28, 2023
