How Cloud Services Can Save Your Business Money

Like it or not, cloud technology is clearly here to stay, and, in fact, its popularity is likely to

increase dramatically over the next few years. In essence, the “cloud” is a virtual environment

maintained by a variety of servers that provide a high degree of redundancy, so that the integrity

of the cloud is not dependent on any particular piece of equipment. If one server fails, the others

pick up the slack, so to speak. The cloud works in much the same way as the Internet—it does

not exist in a concrete, physical way; it’s really a collaborative effort of a large number of

independently operating devices.

Not everyone is eager to jump aboard this particular bandwagon, however. It’s not necessarily

true that they don’t understand how the cloud works—they just don’t see the benefits of this

technology, or they don’t believe it’s worth the bother of making the transition to this relatively

new type of computing service. The simple fact, however, is that the cloud can save your

business a lot of money in the long run. Below we’ll examine the various cost-cutting benefits of

cloud services.

Reduced Hardware Needs

Maintaining on-site servers and other data storage devices can be an expensive proposition. What

makes matters even more difficult is the constantly advancing state of contemporary

technology—in other words, today’s top-of-the-line equipment is tomorrow’s obsolete piece of

junk. Often, a business finds itself stuck with two undesirable choices: either spend a fortune

continually upgrading in-house equipment, or try to make do with hardware that only becomes

more outmoded with each passing day. The great thing about using a third-party cloud service

provider is that they bear the responsibility of worrying about computer upgrades, not you. Make

no mistake: A really first-rate cloud service provider will strive to ensure that they always utilize

state-of-the-art technology.

Avoid Data-Loss Downtime

Losing valuable data is a nightmare situation for any business. Whenever this kind of disaster

strikes a company, there’s usually a recovery period where the organization tries to get back on

its feet and resume normal operations. In general, there’s a lot of lost time and, by extension, lost

money. However, when your data is backed up in the cloud, this downtime period can be

minimized, possibly even eliminated altogether.

Less Energy Usage

It should come as no surprise to learn that in-house servers cost a substantial amount of money to

purchase, but what many managers overlook is the energy expenses involved with maintaining

this equipment properly. Even when your servers are idle, they use electricity. By contrast, a

cloud services provider can allocate their energy expenditure much more efficiently because they

have a number of clients to support. As a result, they waste less energy, and their relatively low

expenses mean they don’t need to pass on this financial burden to clients. You pay less for

energy.

Diminished Need for IT Staff

A skilled IT team is very valuable—and expensive. With a third-party cloud service, there are

fewer demands on your in-house IT team, so you won’t need to expand your existing crew.

Increase Available Office Space

Among the many problems of running in-house servers is the amount of physical room they tend

to occupy. These days, office space isn’t cheap, and a dedicated server room can’t be used for

any other purpose. Outsource this burden to a cloud services provider, and you’ll find you have

more space for other equipment.

Company Bio

Based out of Dallas, Texas, CyberlinkASP is an application service provider that offers 24/7

cloud-based access to a wide range of IT services, including virtual desktops and managed

hosting. This privately owned company, founded in 1999, maintains a staff of highly experienced

IT professionals and a network of world-class data centers.