28 . Glasgow Business February 2015
BUSINESS CLINIC TECHNOLOGY
››RUSSEL RIDGLEY, HEAD OF CLOUD SERVICES, PULSANT, OUTLINES THE BENEFITS OF SMES ADOPTING CLOUD COMPUTING – NOT LEAST IMPROVED SECURITY
Te most important thing to remember about the cloud is that it is not the cure for all ills – the solution to all business challenges. Tat said, cloud computing brings tremendous benefits to organisations of all sizes, from cost reduction and less IT hardware, to streamlined operations and additional flexibility. One of the main benefits of any cloud-based service or platform, be it a contact centre, accounting package, email offering or disaster recovery product, is that it allows businesses of all sizes and budgets to enjoy the same benefits. Te smaller business, however, regardless
of industry, faces a number of challenges, including technological vulnerabilities, such as the failure of a crucial system or network; workforce issues, such as recruitment and staff turnover; and increasing costs. One of the biggest obstacles for SMEs
when it comes to cloud adoption is that there is oſten too much of a focus on issues such as security, whereas other areas such as the presence of a service-level agreement and the actual cloud solutions themselves are neglected. In larger organisations with IT departments and bigger budgets, there is some level of internal expertise to guide these migration decisions.
Choosing a provider
For the SME, selecting the actual cloud service provider becomes one of the most important factors for the success of the implementation. A trusted provider with the relevant
experience and a good reputation within the market, can guide the SME throughout the entire cloud adoption process, from identifying and defining solution requirements
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Russel Ridgley, Head of Cloud Services,
and matching those to business outcomes and ensuring the organisation culture and infrastructure is ready for cloud computing, through to implementation, migration of data and ongoing technical support. In addition, the provider should have the
dedicated resources, in terms of data centres, infrastructure and network capabilities to support its solutions.
Security
Te cyber threat landscape is ever- evolving. With the prevalence of hackers, state-sponsored atacks and cyber crime, security remains a top consideration. Cloud service providers have the resources and expertise needed to keep data secure. Teir infrastructure is built on best practice approaches – such as ISO 27001 – and includes all the necessary firewalls and anti- virus solutions. SMEs can take advantage of this because they may not necessarily have the budget, or again, the in-house expertise, to have the same levels of protection.
Customer support
Cloud providers have a team of staff that maintain the infrastructure and are dedicated to ensuring the availability and performance of the various cloud offerings. As a result, there is no need for the SME to hire specialised IT staff and, instead, its existing technical team can focus on other maters. In the case of a public cloud solution, the diminished need for specialist staff coupled with the absence of IT hardware on
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site that must be maintained, ensures that organisations are more agile and beter poised to react quickly to changes in the market. Tat is, of course, in addition to cost savings.
Conclusion
In the future, as more small to medium-sized businesses look to reap the benefits of this technology, cloud computing will become a powerful weapon in their arsenal. If designed and delivered by an expert provider, cloud does have the power to not only deliver those advantages, but also assist the SME in overcoming certain challenges and finding success.
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