It’s no exaggeration to say the Covid-19 pandemic is causing one of the biggest transformations the modern world has ever seen. This is true of how we live, work and, of course, how we do business together. While confusion reigns for many business owners, one thing is for certain: there’s no going back to the old ways.
This is why, in this post, we wanted to highlight how cloud migration could potentially help your business transition to a new way of working and prepare for the future. We’ll see why the technology has been increasing in popularity in recent years, and how it could help your business remain future-proof, even in an age of drastic uncertainty.
Cloud Migration is what enables remote work
One of the most surprising facts about the current crisis is that, unlike a natural disaster, it did not affect any infrastructure. Meanwhile, current social isolation measures mean we need the Internet more than ever, both to stay in touch with loved ones, and to connect with colleagues. This is precisely where cloud migration has been an incredible benefit for companies who successfully implemented it.
By sharing storage, workflows and online tools, staff members working remotely can maintain a good level of productivity from the comfort of their homes via smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Moreover, cloud computing affords enough flexibility to connect on-site and in the office once the social distancing measures are relaxed, or at least to operate on multiple sites with the least amount of face-to-face interactions.
It Was designed for business continuity
One of the greatest advantages of cloud computing was always its ability to store and retrieve huge amounts of data, making an ideal technology for disaster recovery. While businesses of all sizes should have appropriate backup solutions in case of data loss, this often proved to be an expensive mission for IT departments.
But with cloud technology, even the smallest businesses can enjoy a future-proof backup solution that saves time and reduces large upfront expenditure.
If the current pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that you shouldn’t just prepare for disaster: you have to actively find ways to mitigate it when it happens. Businesses who relied on their data to be retrieved on site are currently facing a great challenge: force employees to work from the office, which could be a health hazard, or work without the appropriate data.
Cloud computing software will always be up-to-date
Traditional IT infrastructure required constant upgrades of hardware and software. This “rip and replace” mentality meant prohibitive costs, and an overwhelmed IT department every three to five years when systems needed an upgrade. And since working on-site is going to be challenging for the foreseeable future, you have every reason to ensure these updates can be automated.
This is exactly what you get with cloud computing. Since services are hosted entirely by third-party companies like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, they take care of all the maintenance, bug fixes, and other annoyances. All you need to do is click on update, restart your computer, and reap the benefits: you’ll have the very latest technology available at your fingertips in seconds, whether you’re doing it from home or the office.
The safety features can bring you peace of mind
One of the main concerns for traditional IT teams was the security of cloud computing. However in recent years, the standards for information security have drastically been scaled up, due to demands from customers and increased scrutiny from regulators.
In fact, the security measures that can be taken by Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services are of such high standards, that they can be impossible to replicate for smaller businesses. If you were ever worried about data protection while working remotely, it should at least ease your mind during this pandemic.
You may save on expenses during a tough time
Last but not least, most businesses will be facing losses in revenue due to Covid-19. So it is a small silver lining to know that migrating your IT operations to the cloud is more cost-effective than traditional setups.
In fact, a study of 1300 organizations in the UK and US found that 54% of them increased profits through cloud services. This is thanks to cheaper updates, reduced investment in data centers purchase and fewer expenses for equipment or facilities.
IT support and maintenance are similarly less costly, which can help you recoup some investment in the initial cloud migration - not something to be sneered at when Q3 of 2020 could show a significant downturn for most businesses.
Key Takeaways
Cloud migration, while sometimes daunting, is now more imperative than ever for businesses. The current pandemic has clearly shown that those who are ready to work online, with more agility and flexibility will be able to remain efficient and competitive in these challenging times.
And while organizing a cloud migration can seem particularly daunting following the Covid-19 epidemic, Sirma is dedicated to helping your business with our cloud migration experts.
There is no question too big or small, and we are there to guide you at every stage of the process, whether you’re interested in cloud servers, virtual private cloud solutions or fully customized cloud infrastructure solutions.
To see how Sirma can help your business transition to cloud services that include disaster recovery, high availability and email archiving technology for complete peace of mind, just contact us today.
