Why Your Competitors Are Moving to the Cloud

October 28th, 2022


Smart business owners have taken a different view of IT over the past few decades. Their facilities no longer include large server rooms or data centers, filled with their signature racks and bundles of multicolored cables. Now, there’s minimal hardware on-site. Most of their infrastructure has moved to a cloud environment.

There are numerous reasons businesses are joining the flight to the cloud, but one of the biggest drivers is cost. With SaaS (software-as-a-service) continuing to be the biggest cloud market segment, Gartner predicts global public cloud spending will grow 20.4 percent in 2022 to reach $494.7 billion, surpassing 2021’s total of $410.9 billion. This is almost double the spend from 2020, which clocked in at a mere $257.9 billion.

If your business hasn’t yet reaped the benefits of cloud migration, there are some reasons to get started today. We think you’ll be pretty surprised by number six!

1. Cloud Computing Cost Savings

Deploying new on-prem infrastructure requires making substantial capital expenditures (CAPEX) and then juggling unexpected service fees over its lifetime. Furthermore, as businesses rely more heavily on technology over time, the price tag for infrastructure rises. For small to medium businesses, these services are essential, but can take up a disproportionate amount of the budget.

Instead of getting those CAPEX approvals, cloud migration benefits businesses by swapping these costs for a predictable operating expense (OPEX). More importantly, while on-prem infrastructure is built oversized to withstand your highest need, in the cloud computing model you only pay for what you use. This creates an overall IT savings – and energy cost savings – for some budget relief.

2. Security

A big component of any cloud migration strategy is security. Not all cloud providers are equal in this regard, so part of your cloud migration process must include vetting potential cloud services to see how they protect your sensitive data.

However, when you choose a cloud service provider who prioritizes data confidentiality, you can enjoy an enhanced security environment that’s even more protected that your on-prem servers.

RELATED: Why Customer Data Protection Should Be at the Top of Your Priority List

3. Mobility

Cloud computing got a huge boost when employees went mobile, and there’s a good reason for that. Nothing compares to cloud platforms when it comes to worker mobility, which touts secure access to apps and data from any device, any location, on any connection. Most importantly: it’s easy. We’re well past the dark ages, when employees would take up hours of IT time troubleshooting that pesky remote VPN.

In addition to the mobility of your workforce, at no point in history has it been so easy to collaborate with teammates around the globe. Unparalleled access is one of the biggest strengths of the cloud environment.

RELATED: How To Ensure Every Employee Is a Secure Remote Worker

4. Backup and Disaster Recovery

That on-premises data center has always been vulnerable to local natural disasters, like a fire or a power outage. One of the biggest benefits of cloud migration is the huge increase in resilience against disaster. This is particularly beneficial for smaller businesses, who don’t have the IT resources to do the training and testing required for a robust backup and disaster recovery plan. With your data in the cloud, backups can be switched on faster and easier, for unrivaled protection against data loss.

When you choose a cloud services provider who puts the customer first, like Virtual Systems, you’ll have the expertise of our disaster recovery engineers to walk you through any adverse events. We’re just a phone call away!

RELATED: Your Essential Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist

5. Scalability

Instead of looking into your crystal ball to see what size of data center your business will require long term, your cloud provider gives you exactly what resources you need. The cloud infrastructure scales with your business, whether you have a peak season and a low season, or your business continues sustained growth. The cloud is always right-sized for your unique needs. As an added bonus, this nets a cost savings and eliminates wasted resources.

6. Sustainability

Believe it or not, your cloud migration supports green initiatives. Power-hungry server farms that are location independent can be optimized for renewable energy, which means cloud farms realize huge benefits from solar and wind power. Plus, by supporting remote work, there is less carbon output from commuters and business travelers.

In addition, a public cloud platform is all about shared resources, which means when you don’t need them, someone else can use them. This kind of efficiency creates a much smaller footprint.

RELATED: Learn How Sustainability Can Drive Your Cloud Computing Migration

7. Flexibility

Your cloud migration gives you the flexibility to change on a dime. The ability to quickly meet business needs as the environment changes can be make-or-break for a business. Need more bandwidth? Your cloud services provider can take care of it almost instantly. Regulation changes now require a retention policy that covers a huge amount of data? Your cloud provider can get you more storage, immediately. Everything you need is already there, all you have to do is ask.

8. Business Continuity

Downtime is something that every business has experienced, but will it become a thing of the past now that cloud computing is challenging the expectations for business continuity? Most cloud providers boast upwards of 99% uptime, which is a major benefit of cloud migration. Lost time means lost money, so keeping your business operations flowing smoothly is essential to the bottom line.

RELATED: Take a Big-Picture Perspective When Planning for Business Continuity

9. Integration

What if there was an easy step you could take that would help your workforce improve their efficiency and productivity? With cloud services, you can easily connect systems and integrate datasets, to create a seamlessly unified system and improve operational efficiency.

10. Automation

Another savings for your IT department: much less time spent updating and maintaining software and hardware, because in the cloud these occur automatically. Updates and application refreshes are almost invisible processes, instead of being a company-wide interruption. Your cloud provider is responsible for the physical hardware maintenance, freeing up your IT resources for more important tasks.

Your Due Diligence on Cloud Service Providers

With the promise of all the advantages cloud migration will deliver, there might be a tendency to rush in. But don’t. The best course is to research options, including whether to purchase cloud solutions and services directly from vendors or work with a managed services provider who can provide an integrated package, guaranteed to work the way it’s supposed to.

This is an especially vital concern when using a complex management system – a managed services provider can take the role of advisor and provide support that can help a business increase adoption and get the most value from its investment.

Virtual Systems gives you options, in fact, we’ll work with you to put together exactly the package you need. You only pay for what you use, whether you want to set-it-and-forget-it fully managed solution, or if you want to put together a custom cloud solution.

We put security first, so you are assured that your sensitive data is always safe. We also have extensive experience in the compliance sphere, so if your data is subject to regulation from HIPAA, PCI, SOC2, NIST, and more, we understand your compliance needs. Plus, we’ll always have your back in a compliance audit.

See for yourself what sets Virtual Systems ahead of the competition – connect with us today to collaborate on a cloud migration strategy and see what the benefits are for your business!

RELATED: [YOUTUBE] Talk Nerdy To Me: The Case for Cloud Solutions

Virtual Systems Custom Cloud Solutions

We’ve optimized our systems for a fast, smooth user experience that stays the same no matter where your employees are, no matter what device they’re using. Plus, you can rest assured that your cloud computing environment maintains the enhanced security and compliance needed to stay safe in today’s digital world.

If you’re ready to start your cloud migration process, get in touch with the experts at Virtual Systems to see how our services can elevate your business – even if you’re looking at a cloud to cloud migration. For more information, contact us here and we’ll start looking at a solution that will fit your needs.

Leave a Reply

Let's Talk

+