Keep your Head in the Clouds: Cloud Services Explained

While it may sound like another 21st century buzzword, computing in ‘the cloud’ has become one of the most important evolutions in the technology’s history. Cloud computing is everywhere and is becoming more and more integral to day-to-day users and, especially, for businesses.

Here at Indos, we know how hard it can be to wrap your head around new technologies, especially ones as nebulous as the cloud, so we’re here to explain what cloud services are, and how they can benefit you and your business.

What is the cloud?

Cloud computing basically refers to computing over the internet. The fundamental difference between this and traditional computing is the reliance, or lack thereof, on local, physical storage. Cloud computing allows you to store all of your documents, files and important information on the internet – ‘in the cloud’ – so you can access, edit and share documents seamlessly between computers.

Cloud computing has seen rapid growth and is now the norm, with many cloud based services offering analogues to traditional storage and sharing methods making it so almost everything you need to do on your computer, you can do in the cloud.

How the cloud can be used for business

The benefits of cloud services for businesses are numerous. For medium sized businesses, using the cloud means managing and sharing files between employees is incredibly easy. Employees can collaborate and manage files simultaneously, seeing changes in real time, which boosts efficiency and workflow immensely.

Many businesses will interact with cloud computing as Software as a Service (SaaS) which removes the need for organisations to install or run applications locally on their own machines. This can make the expense of the upfront cost of specialist software much more manageable, as businesses will subscribe to services and pay an affordable sum month by month. This means that smaller businesses may be able to gain access to a number of services they might otherwise be unable to afford, if they were forced to purchase the product themselves.

A huge benefit of the SaaS model is its scalability and flexibility. Users can add or take away services as they see fit, depending on usage. This helps save money for unused services and allows you to grow and expand at a manageable, relatively risk free rate, as it is easy to revert back to old services if you need to.

Cloud services mean the basic operation of your business is much simpler to manage. You can control access to folders, documents and applications easily as everything is centrally located, and the implementation of cloud backup services means data and document loss is not as fatal or terrifying as it used to be.

With cloud services, keeping up to date with software is already taken care of as the provider of the app or service is responsible for introducing updates, patches and security improvements. All of this can happen in the background while you can focus on your own business.

Getting into cloud computing may be the most important shift your business can currently undergo. For many businesses, cloud services make more sense. They offer a central, hassle free way to interact with files, information and documents that benefit a fast paced and more streamlined way of working, and they offer an infrastructure that may have been too complex or too expensive to implement otherwise.

Indos Computer Services offer easy to understand and efficient IT technical support for businesses in the St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead areas. Our experienced team are passionate about providing our customers with a variety of services without any misleading jargon, so if you need IT support or want to enquire about the services we can offer you, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.