Is Cloud Computing the future? My sources say “yes!”

Is Cloud Computing the future? My sources say “yes!”

First impressions of the Cloud will snare your thoughts and shape your views about Cloud Computing. If you continually hear from your IT department that the Cloud is a fad and that data is not secure, moving forward, you will be not be open to learning more about it. However, if early on, you heard that the Cloud is the future and you took the time to learn more, the Cloud is not the monster that some make it out to be. I have already discussed in past blogs why some may not be as objective as you would think about Cloud Computing. I will not dwell on the issue but encourage those of you who have put the blinders on to learn more. Granted the Cloud may not be for everyone. However, chances are, it is a perfect fit for you. Isn’t it at least worth your time to understand why?

Without getting technical, let’s briefly take a look at what the Cloud means for the future of business:

No hardware
Stop paying for servers and the hassle of refreshing them every 3-4 years. When you deploy applications in the NjevityToGo Cloud, your applications are hosted on our servers in our secure environment in a data center. This means that environmental conditions, security and backups are no longer your responsibility.

No Software
When looking at the Cloud, you can’t just look at the cost of the application software licenses to determine how much you will save by moving to the Cloud. You also need to consider the infrastructure software that you won’t need to purchase as well. This includes Windows, SQL Server Software, and backup software.

No Maintenance
This will probably make your IT team a little weary because it threatens their positions within your company. However, with hardware and software hosted off premise, this means that the hosting company provides all maintenance and ensures optimal uptime. When you consider that most Cloud providers like Njevity guarantee at least a 99.9% uptime, this means that you won’t be down for more than 8.75 hours per year. How much is your system down now? Chances are it is down more than that. But what if my internet goes down? Well, grab your laptop, iPad or smartphone and drive to a location that does have internet access and read below to learn why mobility is another great advantage of the Cloud.

Anywhere, Anytime Access
Let’s face it, we are living in a mobile world. We no longer need to be tethered to a desk for 8 hours a day to optimize our workday. As long as you have internet access, you can have anywhere, anytime access to your business applications hosted in the cloud; including ERP and CRM applications. Need the ability to work from home on occasion? Need to do a lot of traveling to stay in front of customers? Deploying applications in the Cloud means you have the ability to work anywhere in the world with an internet connection. So go ahead, take another “vacation” to the beach because now you can work just as easily laying poolside as you can sitting in your office.

Scalability
Do you have a seasonal business? In the past, have you had a need to scale users up or down through new hiring or downsizing? You still paid for user licenses that are now going to waste. In the Cloud, you have the ability to add or remove users as necessary.

Complete Office Cloud Solution
The best news is, you have the ability to move all of your business productivity applications to the Cloud. With Njevity, you can host Exchange Email, SharePoint and Lync with Office 365. You can also move CRM and ERP including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Dynamics GP or Dynamics SL to the Cloud. You will simply pay a per user monthly fee. When you keep in mind what you no longer need in hardware, software or maintenance costs, the savings become apparent and you too will see that the Cloud is the future. The question becomes, when will you embrace it?

If Cloud Computing is truly a fad, why would software giants like Microsoft be investing so much into their Azure Cloud and spend time preparing products like Dynamics GP’s next release to be Cloud ready? Why are we seeing SaaS ERP solutions like Acumatica quickly capturing so much market share with an explosive 300% growth in Q1 of 2012? The reason is simple. The Cloud adds value and where there is value, there is investment.