Cloud computing can boost your productivity but make sure you know what you are signing up for. It is very likely that your email, latest accounting software or job ordering system are based in the ‘çloud’. It now lets you do things previously only achievable by large companies with dedicated IT team.
By using cloud computing, all the maintenance, development and backups are taken care of for you. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. The great advantage is that you can log on at any time from any place in the world.
There are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before embracing cloud computing.
- What if your phone and data connection fails you?
- Or if someone hacks into the data centre?
- Is it properly backed-up?
- How sensitive is your information, and how many days will your business survive without being online?
- Can you still perform a local backup?
- Do you know where your data is being stored? Is it still in Australia, or perhaps in the US, the USSR or even spread over different countries around the world?
- Do you trust the provider, and the type of security measures they apply?
- Do you need to make sure your data stays in Australia?
- Will you be able to demand the return of your data, with an assurance that no copies have been made, and will you be able to use it without the support of the provider?
Analyse the strength and weaknesses cloud provides to you and your business and obtain some good advice from other industry players, your IT provider and us. Do your research and remember to read the fine print. You might find that some of the latest cloud applications are fantastic. You might decide to store some of your applications in the cloud, and keep some information closer to home.
The area of cloud computing is still developing rapidly. Who knows where we will be doing business in the next 10 years.