Can IT Managed Services Help Businesses Move To The Cloud?
Since the early 2000s, the cloud has moved from being a networking concept to one of the central infrastructural domains of modern technology. With cloud computing, your data and processing are hosted remotely. Standalone software products are typically being replaced by service models (SaaS, or Software as a Service), whereby access and support is secured for a monthly subscription. Platforms like Microsoft Azure and Office 365, Google Drive and Apple iCloud are now more common than older desktop models of the same software.
The Cloud Future
The cloud is undoubtedly the direction of travel for modern IT and it offers many efficiencies for modern businesses. Cloud computing eliminates many of the old costs of IT software and hardware infrastructure for small businesses and is vital for business growth. Where formerly businesses owned their office IT equipment and invested in one-off software purchases, now this infrastructure can be provided as a service model with predictable monthly payments. Furthermore, this cloud infrastructure allows for much more flexible and efficient working, with key data and services available from different locations.
Businesses looking to gain a competitive edge in future need to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the cloud. However, it is not necessarily clear how to proceed. Managed IT services can be a great resource in this case, helping to determine a business's cloud requirements as well as judging which services are the best choice and managing the migration process.
Cloud Difficulties
Since the cloud is a relatively new and rapidly developing technology, many businesses may find that migration is not as fast or straightforward as they would like. Even while their requirements may not have changed, existing software may require adaptation or redevelopment to be suitable for cloud operations. When such applications were written, perhaps five or ten years ago, developers may simply not have considered the need to operate in the cloud.
In cases like these, the expertise of a knowledgeable IT service provider is invaluable. With experience of cloud migrations across many industry sectors, a service provider like TMB can help draw up a migration plan as well as executing the necessary technical steps to bring it into action. Managed IT services partner with companies to make this process as clean as possible, making sure that key business objectives are kept at the forefront of the process.
Cloud Migration
Migration of data is one of the most vital aspects of moving to the cloud, but it can also be the cause of some anxiety. Data is a central asset for any modern business and therefore securing it against loss or corruption during migration, and ensuring its on-going availability is of paramount importance. Where data is moved between different formats and applications, you want to be assured that it is still available as easily as before.
It is important, therefore, to entrust this operation to experts, who are capable of ensuring that no data is lost and that any technical reformatting is conducted in the right way. A good IT service provider, such as TMB, can also manage your data in the cloud on an ongoing basis, making sure it is stored securely and safely for the future. To find out more about the benefits of cloud-hosted applications, and the practicalities of migrating your infrastructure and data to the cloud, please get in touch today.
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