How to help your business operate on ‘cloud nine’

This paid piece is sponsored by IT Outlet.

The cloud has become more than a place to store pet photos or selfie duplicates. Its evolution in the tech space has made it more than an off-site data backup solution or out-of-sight alternative to physical servers and hard drives. Today’s best cloud offerings — some accompanied by additional services — showcase just how far the magic of tech has come.

If the early cloud offerings were white, puffy and barely understood, today’s versions are just the opposite. Think massive, intricate, complex systems with features that can maintain or make a business.

Understanding the modern cloud, including its new features, capabilities or even shortcomings, can help you optimize the way you utilize tech at home — chances are you have a lot of pet photos or selfies like us. And, utilizing the capabilities of a modern cloud system in your business can increase productivity and security. More than anything, the cloud systems available today can help give your company’s growth goals and long-term financial aspirations a chance to soar, until — you guessed it — you and the team are riding on cloud nine.

Cloud basics

The basic staple of all cloud services is the ability to provide off-site storage solutions for data instead of on-site storage drives. Such drives require investment in utility-provided energy, physical space to house hardware, backup power and manhours devoted to maintenance and security. A cloud system in its simplest form is a footprint reduction on physical hardware and everything else just mentioned. For several years, tech giants have built up their own physical storage footprints at massive server farms situated in remote locales that seem like something for a sci-fi movie in order to offer customers around-the-world access to their cloud services. While the concept might seem to offer ease of use and a simple process to get remote data storage, new cloud services and features show us that “simple” rarely provides what you truly need.

Make your cloud special

Tech firms tapped into the latest, cutting-edge options for cloud storage and services have dedicated cloud specialists on staff. Innovation in the cloud sector moves fast, and there are constantly new options and better systems coming online. IT Outlet has multiple specialists skilled in the art of virtualizing a network. The IT Outlet team also doesn’t rely on a single cloud storage and service provider because it knows that there are always new, different or potentially better options hitting the market that it might be able to provide to clients. Different providers serve different markets and fulfill different needs, the team says, noting that it always works to provide the best of the best.

Find the right cloud

Although it may come as no surprise, no cloud system is the same. Some offer strict data limits, limited access and require lump payments for an entire year of access. Finding the right cloud setup for your business should be about need first. IT Outlet’s cloud specialist team can work with your team to design a custom option that meets your budget and needs. Do you want a private cloud for security and control? Do you need a public cloud for cost savings, scalability or availability to remote workers? Does all of your data need to be accessible via cloud at all times, or do you simply need to store records? Some entities choose not to invest in cloud fees, knowing that such fiscal leverage doesn’t make sense if they just need to store long-term assets that don’t provide a return. In many other cases, digital access to actionable data is not only worth it but also crucial to business growth. IT Outlet has a proven process that works to help clients determine which cloud is right for them.

Consider the hybrid

Today’s savviest tech managers and chief tech officers are now looking to hybrid options that combine a mix of on-site storage and cloud capability. Service providers such as Pure Storage offer hybrid systems that combine on-site hardware that’s managed by an IT firm like IT Outlet in connection to off-site cloud services — also run by IT Outlet. The hybrid model is quickly becoming the popular choice because it offers on-site control and flexibility in cost.

What if the cloud disappears

Moving your business onto a cloud service is an excellent way to improve your ability to back up and store data. However, there are always questions. What if your system crashes? Could your information be compromised? What can you do to keep your cloud a cloud? IT Outlet’s team can combine its data solutions options with cloud servicing to keep your info safe and secured and, most importantly, ensure that you’re never down a day. And, they will help you retain your most valuable information when disaster strikes — and, as this article shows, it’s not if, but when.

Know the cost of the cloud

While you might think cloud service fees have gone down as technology evolution has gone up, you’d be surprised. Although you don’t see the cloud in your office, the more users that adopt it, the more the backend provider has to invest in hardware and maintenance to keep it running smoothly. Sometimes, those costs are passed on to the end-user. Some companies are choosing cloud services based on payment options allowed by the provider. Public clouds can provide flexible storage utility pricing models that use a “pay per use” approach while leaving IT assets off the balance sheet. Other flexible cloud payment options include those that provide a monthly fee. IT Outlet works with numerous cloud storage providers to give its clients a range of cloud setups and payment options, along with hybrid models or other choices. It’s important, the region’s leading IT company says, “to provide you with the best digital innovation on the market.”

Bring the latest in cloud innovation to your complex and important business, pet photo collection or a hybrid of both, by talking with the cloud specialists at IT Outlet.