As more businesses move towards a cloud-first approach, on-premises infrastructure is becoming less common. Although it can be challenging for established businesses rooted in on-premises infrastructure to adopt this new approach, it can be extremely beneficial. Here are eight key benefits of cloud-first that could make the switch worthwhile:
Automatic Data Backup
I’m sure you already back up your data. But with the cloud, more often than not, all data is backed up automatically. Manual backup methods are expensive, time-consuming, and cumbersome. Cloud technology lets you completely streamline this process, saving money and never having to worry about backups again.
Faster and More Secure Business Growth
The most obvious benefit of moving to the cloud is that you can scale up and down quickly, meaning you have the flexibility to access more resources as and when you need them. It’s just a simple matter of changing your plan. This is especially useful if your business has seasonal fluctuations in workload or is growing rapidly as it expands into new markets.
Lower and More Predictable Costs
One of the biggest benefits of moving to the cloud is that you only pay for what you use. This means that if your business grows or slows down, you don’t need to worry about paying for unused capacity and resources. You can quickly scale up or down as needed. And when it comes time to increase storage and usage, there are no big capital expenditures (CapEx). Instead, these costs are paid through an operating expense model (OpEx) over time in much smaller increments than those associated with CapEx spending.
With this type of flexibility comes predictability. It’s easier to forecast costs because there won’t be any surprises when it comes to budgeting.
Better Team Collaboration
Cloud infrastructure makes it easier for team members to collaborate on projects. Anyone with access rights to a document can edit, view, and comment simultaneously andin real-time. And all without needing to email attachments back and forth all day long, or remember to sync files between devices because they are updated automatically.
Team members can also work on the same project whether they are sitting next to one another or across geographic regions, ensuring quick and seamless handovers of projects at different stages. At the same time, the behind the scenes maintenance that keeps the collaboration going, including software updates and system reboots, can be carried out remotely eliminating the need for physical presence next to the servers.
When everyone can interact through cloud platforms, there are no limits when it comes to sharing ideas, feedback, or suggestions among co-workers and external stakeholders.
Increased Team Flexibility
The cloud makes it easy for employees to work remotely. It allows your data to be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This means employees whose commute is disrupted or have a doctor’s appointment can work from home instead of worrying about coming into the office.
With this comes opportunities to offer staff additional benefits like a ‘work from anywhere’ program and flexible working hours that can fit around child or other family caring responsibilities.
And the knock-on effect of all of this? You gain the ability to attract a better and more diverse workforce.
Better Compliance with Regulations and Standards
When working with cloud products, maintaining regulatory compliance becomes so much easier. It’s easier to meet standards when you don’t have to worry about maintaining them yourself. Instead of having to invest in expensive hardware and software upgrades every year or two, you just need to pay for access to a cloud service that meets those requirements. And then let the provider do the hard work for you.
Secondly, because cloud providers comply with industry best practices and keep up with new regulations as they arise, they can provide their customers with access to services that meet any future requirements without any additional investment on their part.
Take email signatures. for example. Many regions have specific legal compliance requirements that affect the content within email disclaimers. With a cloud solution like Exclaimer, you don’t need to worry about business emails being legally non-compliant. Your team can update once within the software, and changes will be rolled out automatically across every signature in the organisation.
Better Security
People often assume that on-premises systems are more secure than cloud products, as they feel more secure when they’re in full control of their data. Although it can be hard to ignore the headlines around high-profile ransomware attacks or security breaches, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Cloud providers must make sure that their security is top-notch. They have huge budgets and top teams to handle security updates and patches, so they protect against the latest viruses and malware attacks.
As a result, with cloud infrastructure, security is better because while you’re in control of your own systems, your cloud vendor manages them with a higher level of competence, security and reliability than on-premises solutions offer. If they don’t, their customers will switch providers.
Better Innovation
In the cloud, you always have access to the latest versions of any product you use and get the advantage of the richest functionality. Your software never goes out of date, and you never need to go through those terrifying major version upgrades so common in on-premises software. You and your team are up to date automatically and synced across your infrastructure and integration network. It’s a huge win for your team and a time-saving bonus for your business.
Conclusion
While a migration to a cloud-first strategy must be approached with care, the benefits to your business make it worthwhile. A cloud-first approach provides access to the latest technological innovations to help your business succeed, whether it’s supporting how your employees work, safeguarding your data, ensuring compliance or offering scalability for growth.
Exclaimer is the industry’s leading provider of email signature solutions, empowering businesses to unlock the potential of email as a key digital advertising channel. With its award-winning tools, organizations can simplify the management of email signatures to deliver consistent branding, promote marketing campaigns and company news, gather real-time customer feedback, and much more. The company recently launched its new brand to market, with a focus on aligning the brand with the company’s core values, target audiences and long-term strategic goals.
Over 50,000 organizations in 150+ countries rely on Exclaimer for their email signature solutions. Its diverse customer base includes Sony, Mattel, Bank of America, NBC, the Government of Canada, the BBC, and the Academy Awards. For more information, visit www.exclaimer.com or follow Exclaimer on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
