3 reasons your SMB should migrate to the cloud

With cloud computing, the sky’s the limit. No longer will you need to spend thousands of dollars managing your IT systems. Instead, you can benefit from dedicated and automated IT support and create a virtual office where you access data on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

If you’re still debating the cloud, this might help: Experts predict that cloud computing will be worth $162 billion by the year 2020. If you’re not somewhere in those billions, then where will you be?

Here are three reasons your SMB should migrate to the cloud.

1. Reduce costs

Operating in the cloud saves you money. You don’t need to purchase expensive equipment to keep your business running — a cloud service provider will take care of that for you and host your equipment offsite. This means you’ll experience a reduction in power usage, maintenance needs, and support costs. Just think about all the cash you could save!

Long story short, cloud computing proves to be significantly cheaper when compared with a self-managed, on-premise solution. Sounds pretty great, right?

44 percent of medium businesses and 41 percent of small businesses said the ability to cut costs was the top benefit of cloud computing.

2. Prevent data loss

Imagine if a hurricane swept through your company’s neighborhood. Or a fire damaged your onsite equipment. What would happen to your data?

With cloud computing, all of your information is kept in a virtual space, so you can protect it from natural disasters or unforeseen threats. This is incredibly important. For example, consider healthcare. Obtaining important information about patients could mean the difference between life and death.  Having access to your data (even during a natural disaster) is a top priority.

Think of cloud computing as an insurance policy for data loss prevention. You get peace of mind knowing a managed cloud service provider is safeguarding your valuable information. It’s no wonder, then, that so many big companies have invested in this technology. Apple, Netflix, Pinterest — these are just some of the brands that use cloud computing.

3. Better collaboration

Cloud computing lets your entire workforce collaborate on projects without the need for multiple pieces of hardware. Employees can access documents and resources from the cloud and share them with their colleagues in real time — which boosts productivity and mobility.

Coworkers can obtain important information in one place and share files within seconds — capabilities any team can benefit from.

But the collaborative features don’t stop there. In some cases, cloud computing even lets you track your employees’ progress as they work on various projects. But don’t worry. Not everyone can access your valuable information. You can set up access controls that limit certain members of staff from reading and sharing sensitive data.

“Cloud computing is made for collaboration and file-sharing,” says Nick Ismail, writing for Information Age. “Cloud computing lets your team edit files in real time and access them from anywhere in the world. Your team can be anywhere in the world and still work together.”

These are just three benefits the cloud can bring your business. And if you leverage a managed cloud service provider, you can save money during migration, uncover a best-fit cloud solution for your team, and migrate to the cloud in less time. Invest in this technology and you won’t be sorry.