Every aspect of the system is stored “In The Cloud” but what does that actually mean?
Basically when you host something in the cloud, what normally happens is that the company supplying the cloud services (such as Amazon AWS, Windows Azure or Rack Space for example) manages everything for you such as storage, network resilience, load balancing and operating system updates.
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That means that your data is Geo redundant (replicated across multiple data centres) so in case of a major failure at the primary data centre, all of your data is still available at the other data centre hundreds of miles away.
The databases are also replicated multiple times so that if the database server has a problem, you are automatically switched over to a “hot backup” to minimize down time.
Here are some of the reasons why companies are starting to move to the cloud:
In the past, to get quality products to help you run your business you had to purchase server hardware along with software to install.
This resulted in a massive up front cost that was usually too high for most small businesses.
This isn’t the case with cloud service providers because they offer pay-per-user plans.
Small businesses can start small and add users as they grow, thus saving a lot over the traditional model mentioned above.
The old way of working by sending emails with document attachments is no longer viable in the modern internet age.
It is too time consuming to manage your business workflows via email.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) based tools allow teams to work more efficiently.
Everyone has access to the same company data and updates can be seen in real time.
With mobile devices becoming more and more popular every year, it is now more important than ever that staff members can access their data on the go.
With a cloud based solution, you can access your data on any modern internet enabled device.
Taking backups of your business data is critical but if we’re honest, backups are usually at the bottom of a large todo list for busy small businesses.
This is a mistake that can cost a small business dearly.
Cloud services manage backups off-site in a secure location so that they are recoverable in the event of a disaster in the data, centre or corruption in the databases.
The benefits of moving to the cloud are indisputable. Choosing the right online customer management system will give your small business the agility and flexibility for you to succeed, while letting you keep your focus on the important thing – your business.