The Cloud Series (II): Riding the digital revolution to success with cloud computing

In our previous blog – SMEs: are you being sidelined by the digital revolution? – we highlighted the need for SMEs to embrace digital enablement or risk losing competitive edge.

Here, we examine how outdated IT infrastructure can be a roadblock to getting in the fast lane, and how cloud computing breaks through this barrier.

If, like the majority of today’s small and medium sized businesses, you’ve followed the traditional approach to IT, you’ll have invested in your own servers and kit, then had them installed and managed on your own premises or in an off-site data centre. At the time, it was the best – often the only – option on offer. But in the digital age it’s fast becoming a broken model, transforming your IT from an enabler to a disabler. Here’s why…

There’s no future in living in the past

The challenges of living with legacy IT infrastructure are fast becoming insurmountable. Key inhibitors are:

  • Many companies are now stuck with ageing infrastructure that they can’t afford to write off, but which is unable to support new applications and new content types.
  • Standard IT systems have often been designed to support a specific task and can’t easily be adapted to support the launch of new services in response to changing customer requirements.
  •  Buying new infrastructure or upgrading existing systems typically involves a significant upfront cost. Plus, on-premise systems are often expensive to manage and maintain – particularly as they age.
  • Existing systems often have a finite limit – either in computing power, storage capacity or both – and can’t easily scale to meet new demands.
  •  Managing your own in-house infrastructure often involves a considerable administrative burden with high overheads, preventing IT staff from adding real value to your business.
  •  Businesses often end up running servers past their recommended lifespan to avoid replacement costs. The result is increasing system failure.
  •  Traditional system constraints force many businesses to deploy additional servers and storage to support new applications. This leads to information siloes and an inability to achieve a joined-up view of the business and its customers.

Happily, escaping the past and embracing the future is now a low risk, low hassle no brainer.

 Reach for the cloud to raise your game

Here’s why migrating to the cloud is a must for competing in the digital age:

  •  IT resources can quickly scale up and down to reflect changing business demands.
  • New infrastructure can be added in minutes, giving you a platform that matches the speed of digital innovation.
  •  Cloud computing platforms aggregate usage from hundreds of thousands of users, enabling massive economies of scale that translate into more competitive pricing.
  •  Resilience is built in to protect you from equipment failures.
  •  Operating on a ’right-sized’ rental basis eliminates the need for hefty capital investments.
  •  With no maintenance charges, no facilities costs, no power and cooling charges and no need to over-provision capacity to allow for unexpected growth, your total costs of ownership are slashed.
  •  With your cloud platform provider managing the core infrastructure, your IT resources are freed up to focus on more strategic and value-add activities.

 

It’s time to join the digital revolution and head for the cloud. And with Gamma’s cloud services being specifically designed for SMEs, you can be sure of a low risk, low hassle transition.

For more information on our cloud services, contact our experts on .

 

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