7 Urgent Reasons to Move to the Cloud in 2022
We’re all ready to stop talking about the pandemic. We thought this would just be a temporary bump in the road, right? Business leaders were (and still are) scrambling to support a remote workforce and disparate operations with old on-premises systems. Yet, here we are in 2022 and companies of all sizes are still facing some real challenges navigating the new way of doing business. It sure has been a tough lesson to learn, but it’s not too late to turn things around so it doesn’t happen again.
There has never been a stronger business case for moving to cloud technologies, and here are seven reasons why.
1. Security, security, security
How many workers did you have working from their laptop at home through a remote desktop into your server? This scenario is a hacker’s dream. All your employee has to do is click the wrong link or download something from an email (that looks super legit by the way) and boom—a hacker has direct access to your system and your private data. Ransomware is on the rise and it’s a very expensive nightmare you do not want to ever experience.
However, if you had your systems and applications in the cloud, all your data Is encrypted in transit, at rest, and in backups. Microsoft invests more you than you can fathom to protect you from nefarious hackers. And this is the reason many banks and insurance companies have started suggesting or even requiring customers have their data stored and protected in the cloud vs. on-premises.
2. Multiple redundancies
Unless you have data centers located across geographical locations, you do not have true redundancy. What if you lose power at your office? A generator to provide backup power to your office and servers can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Is that a risk you are willing to take when you don’t have to? With your systems and data in the cloud, you have multiple redundancies—even with the most basic Microsoft Azure configurations.
3. Reduced capital expense
If you have already absorbed the costs of setting up a data center—servers, racks hardware, battery backups, power, cooling, VPN software, and even your IT labor—you might be saying why would I move to the cloud now? The short answer—maintenance. How much does it cost you every year to maintain that data center? Moving to the cloud will eliminate these capital costs while helping you become a more agile, proactive, secure organization for your customers and employees.
4. Reduced operational costs
In addition to all the capital expenses you eliminate, you’ll also save on operational costs to upgrade hardware and software, administer your systems, manage patches and performance, etc. Cloud ERP and applications are subscription-based and don’t require hardware and data centers to run. Updates are typically automatic and you are always running the latest version instead of having to pay to upgrade versions every couple of years.
5. Easy scalability to support growth
If your business is just getting started or you project steady growth, the cloud is where you want to be. It’s easy to scale your users, storage space, volume of transactions, and more—on demand. Do you operate a seasonal business like retail or hospitality? Let’s say you have 100 users 10 months out of the year on your ERP system. Your sales double during the holidays and you add 50 people to manage the holiday rush. With a cloud infrastructure and applications, you can add those 50 user licenses for November and December and go back to 100 in January.
Are you on track to double your business the next couple of years? Instead of spending all that time and money to buy and maintain hardware, it makes more sense to get a secure cloud infrastructure in place now that will support your business no matter how much or how fast you grow.
6. Faster performance
You may not have experienced any performance issues when your employees were working in the same office as the server. But this isn’t the case anymore for most companies. When your employees are working remotely from a public cloud server vs. a private server at your office—it can mean a significant improvement in performance. Not to mention the easier access and better security.
7. Remote work is here to stay
Most people have been able to work from home at least part time in the last year or two. Employers must reimagine the workplace and prepare to offer a level of flexibility employees and new talent now expect. The reality is that not all businesses can offer or support remote work. But many can. And if you do, there is a stronger chance you can expand your talent pool and your current employees will want to stay put.
Is it time to move to the cloud?
For many companies, it’s beyond time. Some companies, however, have unique requirements where perhaps a hybrid cloud or phased approach is best. Western Computer has performed hundreds of successful cloud implementations and migrations and we can help you determine the most practical path for your business. Let’s start with a conversation to talk about your business and assess your needs. Reach out today to schedule a call with one of our cloud experts. Be sure to check out our resource portal to learn more about migrating to the cloud.
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