Start-up cloud computing isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. In the right hands it can dramatically enhance the business I.T infrastructure, and deliver a real competitive advantage over competitors.
Yet, these aren’t all the benefits the cloud has to offer, and the following 4 reasons will discuss what other value the cloud has to offer.
Start-up cloud computing – 4 reasons
1) I.T hardware is holding back development
Sometimes, requests for advanced hardware often become routine within a business – especially if you’re dealing with aging technology that’s slow and causing frustration.
Traditionally, the standard method for buying I.T hardware usually results in those large on-site server rooms (we all know the ones), which often get very hot! However, buying this technology (as you well know) is very capital intensive, cyclical in nature, and sometimes means that owning the latest equipment isn’t always possible.
Yet this cloud signal highlights the opportunity for a remote cloud solution, as cutting-edge and online server technology offers bigger storage, computing power, and demand scalability that perhaps isn’t achievable through in-house acquisitions.
2) Overheads could be lower
With cost effectiveness at the heart of every start-up’s actions, every penny from every avenue always counts. With an established on-site I.T infrastructure, you’ll probably be used to purchasing hardware and software packages outright for large sums of money, which takes a big chunk out of your budget.
However, by utilising the cloud, the majority of these services can be sourced via an online equivalent, meaning that you’ll avoid the usual large upfront costs, in favour of more predictable pay-per-use subscriptions. Highly beneficial for a start-up where cash flow is king!
Although you’ll need to consider the long term implications a bit more, with scalability usually factored into such packages, it’s much better than investing in new hardware.
3) Staff need better agility
Within your start-up, you may have acknowledged that some of your processes are slow, as perhaps some milestones may have been missed, and you recognise that your agility with I.T could do with a boost.
Cloud computing helps by reducing the workload on in-house servers, speeding up your processing power. Alongside this, online storage will allow staff to work more efficiently and collaboratively in remote locations, while machines also benefit from the latest cloud updates and aid staff productivity.
4) Your data contingency plan needs work
Having security for your data is a necessity, but consider if you had a break-in or fire at your premises, and your servers and I.T hardware were damaged. Would you have the means to recover the data? Hopefully you do, but at its worst – data loss can end companies.
With a cloud solution, this information would be contained within a server in a different part of the world, and one you will (probably) never see. Yes, it does mean trusting someone else with your data security, but it’s also more convenient to access, and many security providers now provide advanced encryption data methods to keep your information extra secure.
Where do I start?
If you’re interested in moving ahead with a start-up cloud computing infrastructure, then you’ll need to choose between list IaaS providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Windows Azure, Google Compute Engine, and Rackspace.
The largest and most dynamic of these cloud providers is probably Amazon, who offers a range of market-leading services and features – like Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2), which offers scalable compute capacity on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model.
Together, along with the four discussed cloud considerations, you have a great business case for migrating your start-up to the cloud.
However, one preventative measure that you’ll want to have before starting with AWS is a tool to control your EC2 usage and reduce costs – such as Cloud Machine Manager (CMM). CMM offers an ideal solution to manage AWS EC2 costs, with easy-to-use software that provides on-demand cloud control for switching your servers on and off immediately.
