Nowadays, the big question is not whether your business will move to the Cloud but when. Earlier this month, Oracle announced that US telecoms giant, AT&T, will shift thousands of its large scale databases to Oracle’s Cloud IaaS and PaaS. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has signed an ambitious mandate to move all US federal IT systems to the Cloud.
By 2019, 73% of companies plan to move to a fully software-defined Cloud hosted data centre, according to the latest research by McAfee.
So, what does Cloud computing offer a business that is used to traditional computing models?
- Business efficiency: Services can be deployed and ready for use in minutes. The Cloud offers solutions to small businesses unable to invest in costly hardware and large in-house IT departments.
- Business agility: Cloud computing can deliver faster results as it enables you to acquire resources quickly, thereby shortening the timescale of projects and giving you an accurate time-to-market.
- Collaboration: Teams can access, edit and share documents in real time at any time, from anywhere.
- Automatic software updates: With Cloud, the servers are off-premise and out of sight and you do not have to maintain the system yourself. Regular software updates, including vital security upgrades, are installed automatically, leaving you time to focus on running your core business.
Yet despite these benefits, some are still wary of migrating to a Cloud model due to its vulnerabilities. These include:
- Environmental security: The Cloud’s sheer size and concentration of users and resources makes it a sitting target for virtual machines, both malware and DoS attacks.
- Data security: If your solutions involve hosting confidential data with Cloud service providers, your provider needs to understand your data privacy and security needs. Microsoft has just declared its Cloud services as being capable of achieving full compliance with the GDPR in 2018. It promises that services including Office 365, Dynamics 365, Azure and Windows 10″ will all be fully compliant with GDPR standards.
- Business continuity: Loss of internet connectivity has a major impact on business continuity. If a vulnerability is identified, you may have to terminate all access to your Cloud provider until it’s rectified.
- Record retention requirements: The majority of businesses are subject to record retention requirements. Your Cloud provider needs to understand what they are in order to meet them.
In light of these issues, it is no longer enough simply to seek the highest rated software or even vendor. Many organisations are rightly wary of a service that they cannot physically interact with. Even if the application resides in the Cloud, the end user will still want to be able to call an actual person when faced with a problem.
Transputec has been a Cloud/App based host for more than 20 years and has a team of highly skilled engineers who can offer personalised support and complimentary tools tailored to fit the needs of your business and Cloud application. We offer what we think is killer support 24/7. We rigorously protect our customers’ data through vulnerability assessment practices and patch and configuration management controls.
Our multidisciplinary team of experts cover cybersecurity, risk management and are supported by a data retention and protection system, Intelefile, which is legally compliant with GDPR.
We understand that the routes to a Cloud system are becoming more and more complex every day. Allowing us to act as your technology partner means that we will deliver Cloud services that meet your individual needs. This may result in collaboration with traditional cloud providers, acting as a Cloud broker, or a customised hybrid solution that fits your specific needs. If you’re seeking a seamless and secure migration to Cloud, allow the resilience of our systems and expertise in Cloud computing to weather you through its stormier side.
You can find out more about our Cloud-based services here.
Shalen Sehgal
Services Director
