The cloud concept has a lot of momentum lately, but it’s not the right solution for everyone.  So what determines if the cloud is right for you?  There are a few key characteristics of your business that will push you towards a cloud implementation.  How far you go is determined by your need for those characteristics.  The important thing to remember is that “The Cloud” is not a skeleton key.  It does not solve all your infrastructure problems.  It’s a tool just like any other.  You need skill to wield it properly and achieve your desired results.  We compare the reasons to use and not use the cloud below.  The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  

Reasons To Use The Cloud

• You have critical applications that must remain connected to the internet…
  • If you run an eCommerce site or any sort of communication platform you should move to the cloud.  The cloud has a much higher rate of tolerance for failure which will keep your critical applications connected during failures.  
• You have a mobile/remote workforce of any kind…
  • If a significant portion of your workforce is outside of the office you would be wise to move your infrastructure to the cloud.  Your money will go much further in that environment.  The cost of doing it in your own facility will be triple and your results won’t be as good.
• You need a high availability application environment…
  • If you run an application that must be up all the time you would be wise to put it in a Cloud Environment.  This will give you multiple points of failover.  One caveat:  you need to make sure you have reliable internet connectivity.  
• You have an application that is constantly under development…
  • If you are always tweaking a software platform it is much easier to do in the cloud.  You can freely make changes to test versions in a sandbox environment and roll back updates with ease.  
• You have multiple locations using the same applications or files…
  • If you have multiple locations trying to reach the same applications or files you’ll need to invest heavily into your infrastructure to support that access or move the application(s)/files to the cloud.  The cloud will offer better availability and access at a lower cost.  
• You need integration between your infrastructure and another cloud based application…
  • The easiest way to integrate with another application in the cloud is by being in the cloud yourself.  It makes the connectivity and communication much easier and more stable.  

 

Reasons NOT To Use The Cloud

• All your employees are in the office most of the time…
  • Your access and performance is greatly increased when all information is local.  If all your employees are local then you gain nothing by moving to the cloud.  In fact, you will sacrifice accessibility and performance.  
• Your primary business applications operate internally and don’t need outside connectivity…
  • If your applications don’t need to communicate to the outside world then you would benefit greatly by keeping them local.  Don’t move them to the cloud just so they have to communicate all the back to your office.  
• You use extremely stable applications that don’t require further development…
  • When your applications are extremely stable you don’t need the failure tolerance provided by the cloud.  The same rules of access still apply, but you can achieve your results with a simple local system.  

If you have more questions on how to use the cloud please contact us here.  You can also download our guide on Cloud Strategies.

The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  

The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  The Cloud is NOT for Everyone  The Cloud is NOT for Everyone