Cloud Computing: A Small Business Guide
Small businesses are always looking for different ways of saving money and they are usually very grateful if someone discovers them how to make their monthly expenses lower. If the reader of this text is a small business owner and he or she is wondering what the cloud from the title refers to, they are probably not aware that they are most likely already using it. The cloud is any service that is used directly online, instead of being downloaded and installed to your computer. Even if you did not know this definition, now you certainly know what cloud feature you are already using – e-mail, of course. You upload some data onto it and then send them to someone but they are still kept in the virtual database of your e-mail service provider. The same goes with the cloud. Instead of storing information and materials on tangible storage devices, you keep everything online. Here are several features that will make your small business blossom and flourish if you start using cloud services.
Easily Adaptable
The greatest advantage of the cloud is the possibility of pay-per-use method. Unlike applications and software that you pay for as an item you buy in a shop and then download it to your computer, the cloud offers a principle that is more similar to the cable TV system. You pay a monthly amount of money for the service which you then use from a cloud-based source (the concept called software as a service). You just pay the monthly sum and that is it. If one month you need to use one program and you know that the next month you will be needing a different one, the cloud concept will help you save money instead of wasting it to buy the needed software. Depending on the needs of your business, you can also choose a provider that offers web hosting, too. In accordance with security measures that are a must-have in the online world, you should always choose the ones that offer a domain name registration to cut the overall costs and improve security.
Data Synchronization and Smooth Access
Now this one seems the greatest advantage of the cloud (it is so great that every advantage seems the best). This one is definitely the most efficient one when it comes to conducting a business. The former one is more budget-friendly, so each one is the greatest one in its field. Anyway, this advantage of using the cloud enables you to have all the data changes and contributions by your workers noticed and memorized by the cloud. Also, you can forget about dragging flash drives and external disks in your suitcase. When you use the cloud, you can get to your data from anywhere in the world. You do not even need to drag a laptop or a tablet with you. It is enough to find a suitable computer and sign in to your cloud account. As an authorized user, you can utilize all the cloud services and apps that are available. Even if you need an application at once, you just pay online for the amount of time that you need and the next moment you will have the desired app.
As soon as you start using the cloud, you will see how smoother your work will flow and how lucrative the whole business will become.
Author’s bio: Dan Radak is a web hosting security specialist. He is currently employed as a consultant in couple of Web Hosting companies. In his free time, he likes fishing and making beer at home. You can reach him on Twitter.
