“Your head is in the clouds” used to refer to someone dreaming; however, in today’s world of technology, this phrase could refer to the many companies who have realized the advantages of Cloud Computing for their ERP solutions.
I’m old school, so the thought of a server somewhere offsite that is being supported by non-employees was not something I quickly warmed to using. I liked the idea that I could see the server, touch it, and hear the drives spinning as my company processed work through it. I found order in the controlled backup procedures we had developed and honor in being charged with securing our offsite weekly backup.
Kicking and screaming I forged into the world of Cloud Computing, sure that performance was going to be poor and that data would disappear. I was sure that nothing would work correctly, and, if there were issues, there would be no one on the other end of the phone to help us at all hours of the day and night.
I was wrong – very wrong. Cloud Computing has proven to be much easier, cost effective, and better performing than I would ever have imagined. My vision of a server in some dark warehouse unattended with warning lights flashing never came to fruition. Cloud Computing is straightforward, and the client access is easy. Users find it just as simple to work from home or on the road using the same technology as when they are sitting at their desks. In reality, our data is more secure, as a Cloud Partner has multiple sites with redundant servers, thus significantly reducing the risk of being down. The Cloud Partner handles the daily backup, but we still have the option of running a backup anytime we want. Printing works as it did when we had our servers on-site; however, we do take time to make sure the correct printer drivers are setup for each printer.
Over the course of the past year, I have seen the cost savings of Cloud Computing. Sure you are paying someone for your data storage and backup, but you don’t have to pay to upgrade your outdated computer, your backup systems, or a staff of IT people to monitor all of the complex parts of your network. My head is in the clouds and I’m loving it.
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Boyer & Associates has been helping Minnesota-based, mid-sized businesses achieve their goals since 1994.
