Council Post: New To Cloud Computing? Eight Tips To Make It Work For Your Business

Cloud computing has become wildly popular in the past decade as it offers an array of benefits for businesses—especially ones with large-scale operations that require a vast amount of computer system resources. Cloud computing services provide an affordable and secure way to store data and access it on demand so you’re not losing money purchasing, storing and maintaining your own servers and data centers.

While the benefits of cloud computing are clear, there are countless services available today—and countless ways of implementing them—so getting started can sometimes be overwhelming. To help, eight professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council share their top tips for business owners who are implementing cloud computing for the first time. 

1. Implement Cloud Computing Slowly

It’s a good idea to implement cloud computing into your business model slowly. If you move too fast, there’s a chance you could overwhelm yourself and your team members. Instead of making a bunch of drastic changes, think about one area of your business that could be improved with cloud computing. Implement your strategy and make adjustments over time. When you’re ready, use the cloud for another aspect of your business that could benefit from the features and functionality of these helpful tools. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC

2. Look For Complementary Services And Piecemeal Implementation

New streaming technology allows for work and productivity apps to be accessed directly from a computer without having them pre-installed, ensuring work can be done swiftly. For those business owners looking to increase the productivity of their employees, integrated cloud solutions from services like Microsoft Azure or Google Workspace allow for shared storage, software solutions and other benefits all under a single umbrella, reducing costs and enabling workspaces to be more efficient and better managed. Managers should consider services that provide complementary services and allow for piecemeal implementation, allowing them to expand as needed and not incur unnecessary costs, giving scalability and productivity at the best value. – Juan Jose Rosas, Rose Hill

3. Have Tech Support On Hand For Complications

Have tech support on hand for complicated issues to avoid stress. Our law firm was cloud-based before the Covid-19 pandemic, and we took pride in being a paperless law firm. After consulting with other business owners, I noticed that successful businesses had tech support on hand in the event of an emergency. And I’m not talking about the tech support you find on a third-party or software website—I mean your very own exclusive tech support that can assist you with nuances, specifically for your company. Our firm dealt with a lot of large electronic files for clients. Rather than waste time downloading slowly and transferring among other team members, we identified efficient ways to operate using the cloud to our advantage, thereby saving our clients money and saving us labor costs. – Givelle Lamano, Lamano Law Office

4. Implement Guidelines For Security Or Privacy Issues

When transitioning to the cloud for the first time, make sure not to neglect security and privacy issues. The proper tools and framework can help prevent most data breaches, but it will also likely be necessary to implement new guidelines for employees so that they know how to handle business files and data safely. This is especially true if your business is also transitioning to a remote or hybrid workforce. – Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP

5. Consider Cloud Architecture

Determine what type of cloud you’ll use for your business. Once you define what type of cloud (public, private or hybrid), then decide what type of applications or data you’ll store in there. To do this, think about what type of data you and your team use the most. The ultimate goal for using clouds is to make communication easier between team members, so try to get feedback from department heads or other managers when deciding the architecture of your cloud. – Shu Saito, All Filters

6. Educate Yourself First

Take the time to learn how to make it effective. I know there have been times when I’ve used new technology because I was told it was the new thing and all the great businesses were doing it, but I found out that jumping in without understanding it just made a mess of things. You don’t have to implement cloud computing tomorrow. Take a couple of short courses to learn about it first. Find out what it can do for your business and how it can make everything more productive. It won’t do you any good if you are spending hours trying to resolve a cloud computing problem because something was done incorrectly or ineffectively. That’s time wasted. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure

7. Set Limits For How Much You Plan On Spending

When implementing cloud computing, be careful to set a limit for how much you plan on spending. There are cloud platforms that will charge you based on your usage. If you’re not watchful, you’ll end up using more features than you realize and get surprised with a larger bill than you expect. Set a limit for how much data you want to use and how much you plan on spending every month. Using cloud computing platforms can be very challenging for someone new to it. So make sure that you understand how to leverage it or be willing to hire someone to help you use it. – Blair Williams, MemberPress

8. Have A Plan For Organization

Make sure you have a plan in place to accurately name, organize and locate your files. Carefully designate who can upload files and to what servers they have permissions for. While cloud computing can be much more efficient, letting your online realm devolve into chaos will deeply cut into that efficiency. By simply monitoring and controlling access to these digital spaces, you will have a cleaner, easier-to-work-in space and will be able to better avoid several security and liability issues. – Salvador Ordorica, The Spanish Group LLC