Information is central to a modern business’s operation and cloud services form the backbone of many organisations.
Cloud services offer flexibility and scalability for companies of all sizes but as more and more of a business is hosted in the cloud, the management of these services becomes a full-time job for some companies, and those without highly-skilled IT departments will quickly find themselves out of their depth.
A dedicated managed cloud services provider can help to bring stability and security to your cloud environment whether your business is fully cloud-based or running in a hybrid-cloud environment.
By covering the gaps in your knowledge and approaching your cloud system in a methodical and documented manner a managed cloud services provider can help you stay one step ahead of the competition and utilise the full potential of your cloud.
A Managed Cloud Services provider takes care of the daily management of your cloud-based services and platforms. Outsourcing cloud services to a third-party is the perfect solution for businesses which lack the manpower or technical expertise to take full advantage of the cloud.
A third-party Managed Cloud Services package will include:
- Cloud security
- Automated cloud backups
- Application stacks
- Liaising with cloud vendors
- Guidance on how to best use cloud systems
- Disaster recovery plans for restoring your cloud data
- Ongoing monitoring and reporting
Having worked with businesses of all sizes to set up, manage and improve their cloud environments, we have compiled a list of the top 5 reasons a managed cloud service is right for your business.
1. Save Money On Your IT
Outsourcing the management of your cloud services will let you downsize your own internal IT department or free up time for them to work on other projects. Employing a full-time IT department is costly and can be overkill for small to medium-sized companies. Cloud environments are also a fast-changing landscape that requires the most up-to-date industry knowledge to manage correctly.
Outsourcing your IT to a third-party like Carden IT Services could save you thousands on your annual IT costs.
2. Set Monthly Cost
A managed cloud services plan means that your cloud support costs are predictable. You pay a set amount each month which covers your business for dealing with any cloud-related issues. Rather than relying on ad-hoc support which can be both expensive and unpredictable.
This allows you to factor your IT budget in ahead of time, helping you to make more prudent financial decisions. You can tailor your plan to precisely fit your business’s needs and budget.
3. Fast Response Times
The more infrastructure is located in one place, the more important it becomes that any issues are dealt with quickly as every minute of downtime equates to lost business.
Partnering with a Cloud MSP, especially one like Carden IT Services which provides 24/7 monitoring, means that any issues are dealt with immediately.
4. Effective Disaster Recovery
Cloud services make recovering from a digital disaster like a ransomware attack, data breach or a physical one like an office fire much easier but that doesn’t make it simple.
Recovering your data in a way that is complete, useable and complies with your industries regulations on data retention can be challenging – especially if you are unfamiliar with the processes involved.
An effective managed cloud services provider will help you plan a bespoke disaster recovery plan to ensure you can get back to work ASAP in a worst-case scenario. They’ll also be there on-hand to help implement the plan should that day ever come.
5. Expert Monitoring and Reporting
The best cloud services support isn’t just reactive, it’s proactive.
The best support providers will provide round-the-clock monitoring of your cloud environments health and capacity and present the information gathered back to you in an easily understandable and actionable format.
At Carden IT Services, we provide our cloud support clients with monthly reports on their cloud along with a bullet-pointed list of suggested amendments. For example, we alert our customers if they are reaching the limits of their current cloud storage or if there are more efficient ways to utilise their network.
Don’t rely on guesswork; a regular, detailed report helps you to make well-informed decisions that benefit your business, your employees and your customers.
If your business is looking to take full advantage of cloud services, the best way to do so is through a Managed Cloud Services provider like Carden IT Services. Get in touch to find out more.
