Member Article

Cloud can level the playing field for SMEs

Of all the advances in IT over the last decade, cloud computing stands out as a game-changer for businesses, particularly at the small to medium end of the market.

Cloud computing simply describes IT services delivered via the internet or private communications. Choose a tailored model that will deliver the right results for your business, and you could be looking at increased efficiency, flexibility and security, and in many cases a decrease in costs.

Cloud’s big advantages are scaleability, the ability to handle large amounts of data very quickly, and the potential to give staff anytime, anywhere accessibility to the organisation’s systems and data. This allows SMEs to compete with their bigger rivals, who have traditionally enjoyed the advantages of large scale, established infrastructures and big IT budgets. With cloud, businesses can switch from a capital expenditure to an operating expenditure model, renting the computing power they need as and when they need it, with the ability to scale up and down with total flexibility.

This can wipe out expensive start-up costs and allow SMEs to assume the mantle of a bigger business able to compete with the big boys from day one, even on a global stage. Small businesses without dedicated office space can use cloud to allow staff to work from home and still present a professional image, with access to all the systems and data they would have in a traditional office set up.

While it is true that cloud has transformed the SME end of the market, larger organisations need not miss out. It does not have to be an ‘all or nothing’ choice, when cloud-based systems can be easily integrated with legacy systems. Cloud can be applied only where it suits the business, for example in training, application development, testing, reporting, business continuity and disaster recovery.

One of the misconceptions is that it you have to take your existing IT model and replicate it in the cloud. While you can certainly do that, it is by no means the most efficient approach. There is an array of choices and your IT partner should work with you to establish what you want to achieve in business terms and then create the best model for your current and future needs.

It is easy to get caught up in debates about private versus public cloud, but as a business owner all you need to concentrate on is choosing the right model for your needs, and that could be private, public or a mix of the two within one solution. It’s not a case of one size fits all, and as a business owner you are in charge of the decision.

The most important factor in cloud’s success is having the right high speed, high capacity communications pipeline in place. We often meet businesses who tell us cloud has not lived up to its promise, and nine times out of 10 the issue can be traced back to a lack of communications capacity. It is similar to buying a high performance car, and complaining about not being able to access the performance capabilities when you get stuck in a traffic jam.

Your IT partner should guide you through all the options and more importantly be able to demonstrate access to a fast, high capacity connectivity backbone that provides a big enough pipeline to deliver a quality cloud service. There are companies out there that have the expertise to help guide your decision and who should be willing and able to answer your questions on how cloud works and how it can help your business.

While cloud is the biggest step change in IT services delivery in two decades, we do not pretend that it is the panacea for every business problem. It certainly has many advantages for all sizes of business, but do not be tempted to jump on the bandwagon of new technology just because that is what everyone else is doing.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by ITPS Ltd .