The term “cloud” encompasses various practices of implementation, from private clouds, to cloud outsourcing in a hosted environment, to hybrid models of interconnected data centres. With the cloud adopted to some degree by nearly 90 percent of businesses, it is more than likely that it plays some part of your business activities, whatever your requirements. Advantages like total cost savings, flexibility, and decreased time to market are so universally acknowledged that they have become as standard expectations. However there are a number of misconceptions about cloud deployment which is possibly putting the other 10% of businesses off cloud implementation, let’s dispel these myths.
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It is too expensive to switch
If you already have a system in place, why would you pay to move to the cloud?
The cost for utilising cloud-based solutions for major business functions is relatively low. A move to cloud means that you may need to invest in a low initial hardware requirement to upgrade devices, browsers and communications to be able to access the services effectively. However, a third party cloud provider will typically have the most up to date server, operating system and database to provide optimum performance and security.
By reducing IT spend on infrastructure hardware and its management, organisations can benefit in other operational areas. In a recent report, 70 percent of companies reinvested money saved from cloud deployment back into their business. Further savings can be felt with a cloud based business management solution such as Dynamics-123 with a cost-effective monthly subscription option based on market leading Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Moving to the cloud therefore becomes cost effective but it also becomes a predictable form of capex spend, rather than an inflexible opex model where your infrastructure value depreciates each year.
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It is too time consuming to switch
IT skills at smaller businesses are likely to be limited. Not only does cloud deployment save your IT team time it is also quick to deploy, the cloud allows businesses to spend less time on software and system maintenance and more time on the projects that drive business growth. As your business grows, the role of IT becomes even more strategic.
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On-premise or cloud – a difficult choice.
Many business worry about the choice between on-premise and cloud deployment options, believing they must choose one and stick with it. Deployment options are individual to business needs and requirements and ultimately what resources they have in place already can often be a deciding factor.
Businesses now have an expanded set of options for managing their IT operations, namely Hybrid IT. They can choose to manage their cloud infrastructure in-house, or opt for a managed hosted cloud or hybrid cloud; plus a mixture of the above plus on-premise for some areas. In short, the cloud of the past was a one-size-fits-all offering. Today it is easy for businesses to design a custom solution around their precise needs. Microsoft’s Mike Neil – a corporate vice president in the Enterprise Cloud Group explains “We rarely get customers saying ‘I only want to be in the public cloud’ or ‘I only want to be on premise’,” he explains. “The idea of using some services on premise and some from the cloud and some from the cloud is becoming the dominant customer viewpoint.”
Prodware has ensured they keep up with these changes. With years of experience in software and infrastructure integration Prodware have developed Cloud capabilities and Cloud deployment solutions with these changes in mind. Prodware’s “Cloud adjust” is available in companies of all sizes and depending on customer requirements, can be deployed on-site, as a Software as a Service (SaaS) or a combination of both.
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The cloud is not secure
Security concerns are still one of the most prominent barriers to cloud implementation even though adoption is higher than ever before. However, a study by Microsoft Corp highlighted that expectation and experience could not be further apart. The major concerns highlighted by SMB’s who have not yet implemented the cloud are data security, data control and reliability. Conversely, 94% of SMB’s partaking in the study who have implemented a cloud solution “..have gained security benefits they did not have with their former on-premises technology, such as up-to-date systems, up-to-date antivirus and spam email management.”
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It is a deployment option for larger enterprises rather than SMB’s
It is acknowledged that cloud deployment presents an important opportunity for large enterprises. However, cloud providers are often not appealing to SMB’s due to a perceived lack of resources, variations in requirements and diversity of markets. Cloud deployment for SMB’s is on the rise, 78% of U.S. small businesses will have fully adopted cloud computing by 2020 more than doubling the current 37% as of today. SMB’s can benefit from the cost-effectiveness and scalability of the cloud, leading more and more companies to benefit from the leading technology cloud can bring, helping to level the playing field when dealing with their larger counterparts.
Business management software in the cloud
In this blog we have discussed how beneficial and accessible cloud deployment can be to all sorts of organisations and how it can touch all parts of the business.
Prodware has developed Dynamics-123, a cloud based ERP solution that has the ability to quickly scale IT capacity to fit sales swings or rapid growth, so that fixed expenditure moves to the variable column. Dynamics-123 allows you to develop your own bespoke ERP solution to meet your business requirements, whilst benefitting from market leading Microsoft technology. Contact us to find out more or request a free demonstration where one of our experienced advisors can match your business needs to the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics NAV cloud deployment.
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