Cloud Computing is a way of accessing software and files
through the internet, as opposed to being locally stored on your computer.
This gives your business flexibility and efficiency when using IT services.
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1. What is Cloud Computing?
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2. We are a small business - Is Cloud Computing relevant to us?Small businesses are used to operating as efficiently as possible, and cloud computing means you only pay for the services you use, rather than being locked into a contract or hardware that becomes outdated in a few months. With Cloud Computing you can update to the latest service on demand, usually at no extra cost.
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3. Where is my data stored?Data is spread across many different servers and replicated at different data centres in geophysical locations. In the event of a physical or virtual disaster at one location your data is backed up and protected at another for seamless access for the end user.
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4. Is my data secure?Data security is covered by GDPR legislation to protect your data. Data sent between user and the cloud provider is fully encrypted and is not seen by or owned by the provider. Your data still belongs to you. Nobody outside your organisation has access to your data.
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5. What about downtime?Most cloud providers have Service Level Agreements (SLA's), some financially backed like Microsoft offering 99.9% uptime.
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6. How do I pay for cloud?Cloud services are subscribed to on a monthly basis, and are rented rather than purchased. This means that you shift the cost from one of capital expenditure to one of operating expenditure. This allows you to budget your IT spend better and know how much the service will cost over the long term, without any hidden costs or surprise expenses.
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7. Do I still need an IT professional?Yes, although most of the maintenance of cloud computing is handled by the provider, your IT pro will still be able to help you on local IT issues and training, but it may mean you can reduce their support costs to reflect the change to cloud computing.
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8. I'm an Apple MAC user, can I still access cloud services?Yes, you can access cloud services like Microsoft 365 on your MAC, as all that is needed is an internet browser like Safari.
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9. Which mobile devices are supported?You can use all the major mobile operating systems including IOS & Android. There are mobile versions of the Microsoft 365 apps available for all these devices in phone or tablet form.