Top 10 Reasons SMBs Are Moving to the Cloud

In the 2015 film Creed, upstart boxer Adonis Creed takes a picture of the training regimen Rocky Balboa wrote out instead of taking the written workout with him. Rocky asks Adonis, “What if you lose [your phone] or it breaks?” Adonis responds, “It’s already up in the Cloud.” Rocky then looks up at the sky and says, “What cloud?” 

Nearly a decade later, Cloud computing is ubiquitous enough that even boxers from the 1970s know it has nothing to do with meteorology. In the enterprise arena, early adopters have seen the Cloud pay dividends. At the same time, other companies have struggled to overcome the institutional inertia that gets in the way of major projects like migrating an entire software system off of on-premises servers.  

If your company needs a good reason to finally move to the Cloud, here are 10 of them: 

1. It saves a lot of money in the long run. Migrating to the Cloud will certainly require some investment, as does having on-premise servers. Consider what goes into maintaining on-premise servers: you have to pay for cooling and power, refresh the hardware and software yourself, and you’re on the hook if it all goes haywire. The Cloud eliminates those costs and allows you to leverage the support and security resources of software giants like Microsoft. 
2. Your data will be safer. As Rocky thought Adonis would be safer holding onto a piece of paper, many companies think an on-premises server is safer — after all, you can open a door and look at it, and you can’t do that with the Cloud. All it takes is a stiff breeze to blow a piece of paper away, and all it takes is one moderately motivated hacker to steal sensitive info from your server. The Cloud has more advanced firewalls and encryption tools than most SMBs can muster on their own, making it the safer option. 
3. If something does go wrong, you’ll recover more quickly. Top Cloud providers like Microsoft offer automated backups and other key features that make it easy to recover data, minimize downtime and get things back to normal after a disaster. If the office above yours has a plumbing problem and floods your server closet, well… you’ll be treading water on your own.  
4. The Cloud is far more flexible. On-premises ERP systems are pretty rigid. If your company grows, you have to deal with the hassle and cost of buying and setting up more servers. If things slow down, you’ll be stuck paying for resources you’re not actually using. Cloud platforms make it possible to pay for what you need and then quickly scale up to take advantage of growth opportunities or down to account for market fluctuations or slow seasons. 
5. Your team can get anything done anywhere. With an on-premises server, you must be connected to your internal network, which means either being on premises yourself or using a complicated VPN tool. With the Cloud, all you have to do is log in, and you’ll have access to everything you need. And since everything is centralized and constantly updated, you can collaborate with team members in real-time.  
6. You’ll be in a better position to take advantage of AI. AI tools can help you boost efficiency and make more informed business decisions. They need continuous access to the internet and huge amounts of data to function. Unless you’re prepared to open your own AI data farm, on-premises servers don’t have what it takes to integrate AI into your operations. The Cloud, however, can get you plugged in and leveraging AI in a hurry. 
7. You can develop and deploy custom, Cloud-native apps. Cloud computing isn’t simply about data storage. It can also allow you to rapidly build, test and launch powerful custom applications. And if you’re worried about your company’s ability to do all that, Microsoft Power Platform makes it easy, even with low or even no code knowledge. If you’re stuck with an on-premises server, your ability to develop and scale new apps will be greatly limited.  
8. Your systems will stay up and running smoothly. A Cloud provider like Microsoft with Service Level Agreements that guarantee near-constant uptime, and anyone who has had to deal with a creaky old server will know how much of a relief it is not to have to cross your fingers that things won’t fall apart at the worst possible moment. With an on-premises server, it can sometimes feel like everyone’s trying to fit through a doorway at the same time. Cloud services can distribute workloads in a way that will make everything function better and faster.  
9. Your IT team can focus on higher-value tasks. Upgrading things on an on-premises server is a whole to-do that can really suck up your IT team’s time. With the Cloud, your software will get updated automatically, freeing them up to tackle bigger projects.  
10. You won’t get left behind. Business moves faster than ever, and companies that are unwilling to keep up with the times simply aren’t going to stick around — never mind — grow. Migrating to the Cloud can slingshot you into a position of real competitive advantage by making your teams more productive, efficient and innovative. The key is to do it before everyone else does! 

If you want to make the leap to the Cloud, and you’re not sure where to start, Enavate can help. Our expert team can guide you through the process and tailor a Cloud-based solution to fit your exact needs. To learn more, reach out today.