Gas, Electric, Water….. and IT?
“Cloud” is the industry buzzword that most IT providers use to dress up their newest offering. Cloud IT is essentially providing your IT as utility?
The cloud computing vision is for businesses to purchase IT as a service and not worry about how it’s provided, in the same way we expect to plug in and just get electricity whilst not contemplating if it comes from a nuclear power station, coal plant or an offshore wind farm, all that matters is ‘it’s just there’.
So far Cloud computing has been much more complicated than a utility provision, with multiple service providers offering components such as Server & Desktop virtualisation, then there’s a CRM cloud provider and another offering cloud storage and backup; trouble is these systems will simply not integrate, nor interconnect or be a flexible interchangeable service for you. In fact, most IT providers are intent on in locking you into their solution.
So ‘Cloud’ may be good for marketing ploys but is it good for your business?
Will it really feel like electricity?
A comprehensive IT service needs to meet some core criteria before it can be labelled ‘cloud computing’ and in each case the comparison with electricity is helpful:
Cost. Days are long gone when you risk paying three times what your competitors pay to gain advantage.
Transparency. You need to be able to use as much as u need and when you need it. If you need more, you should be able to get it. Much like electricity, if you wish to consume more, you don’t have to call your energy provider and request it and you certainly don’t pay for what you don’t use.
Reliability. Very few providers will take accountability for data loss and or data integrity. However, data preservation is essential in all businesses. Ensure your cloud partner is an IT support specialist and not just a hosted service provider.
Trackable. Most importantly ensure your IT power is predictable and understand how much it costs.
For further assistance in determining if the Cloud is right for your business, contact us for a no obligation review.