The SME’s Guide to Moving to the Cloud

THE SME'S GUIDE TO MOVING TO THE CLOUD 1010110110 11110011 1101 01010 0100 1011 010100 0101011 1101000 110100 0 011 1000 0 01101 0110110 01111110011 0001 5% to 43% $240 BILLION BY 2020 The jump from 2010 to 2013 in the number of small businesses using the cloud The forecast value of the cloud computing industry 4 IN 5 Organisations could reduce costs by 10-20% using cloud technology Expert Opinion "Cloud technology is an enabling technology – it should not govern how you do your business, but it should support your business". Dr Gerhard Kristandl, Senior Lecturer in Management Accounting, University of Greenwich Business School Migrate to the Cloud 5 Step Checklist Create a list of what you need for your business to function e.g. accounting software or email. Be realistic about your business requirements Are you using the excuse that your data won't be secure in the cloud, or is it that you don't like change? 3 Try it before you buy it Avail of free trial plans to compare models. 2 Get your employees on board If they are already using cloud apps, get their feedback, put a training plan in place, and suggest a' BYOD system. Maximize your future business plans 5 Anything you could not do before, there is probably a cloud solution now: Business Benefits of Moving to the Cloud Streamline the work process Get more work done, in less time, with less people. Reduce spending on technology infrastructure while maintaining access to your information. Globalise your workforce and improve accessibility. Access company information, anytime and anywhere. Reduce your capital costs You are no longer spending large sums of money upfront on hardware, software, or licensing fees. Gain additional flexibility Change the company focus without key people or, financial issües at stake. Choose 1of 3 Cloud Models Public Cloud 111 Built on an external Gives SME's access to platform run by a cloud enterprise level applications and their own cloud within a shared infrastructure. Good for companies that want cost- effectiveness and the latest technology. service provider. Examples include Amazon EC2, IBM's Blue Cloud, Google App Engine and Windows Azure Services Platform. Private Cloud 8-8 A cloud platform built Managed by your own internal within your own corporate firewall on your own hardware and software. IT team. Ideal for businesses that want exclusive access, more flexibility and greater control. The business must build their own data centres and have an in house IT team, making it a costlier cloud option. 3 Hybrid Cloud The companies own IT team manages part of the cloud in-house and the rest off-site. A combination of both Ideally suited to larger businesses that want to manage business related data e.g. customer files in-house, but want to store less sensitive information with a 3rd party. public and private clouds. Identify the Service Providers Top 5 Cloud Computing Services 2 3 4 5 el OpenDrive Egnyte : Google Apps Open Drive Amazon Cloud Drive iCloud Cloud Apps You Are Probably Already Using But Don't Even Know It Cloud computing apps, are the cloud-based services also known as Software as a Service (SaaS). Programs that once had to be installed on computers individually, are now offered online, accessible through an account and a password. skype TM Skype MailClimp qb Dropbox QuickBooks Google Apps Google Apps for Business Evernote speechpath Cloud. Telephony Services www.speechpath.ie References cloudtweaks.com/2012/12/cloud-infographic-the-cloud-economics hcloudtweaks.com/2014/07/cloud-infographic-cloud-computing-smes www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2014jan/14/small-business-accounts-cloud-computing www.businessnewsdaily.com/5154-cloud-migration-advice.html www.hyphenet.com/blog/cloud-computing-for-your-small-business cloud-services-review.toptenreviews.com/ : http://www.salesforce.com/uk/soçialsuccèss/cloud-comput- ing/10-great-cloud-applications-services-smes.jsp www.verio.com/resource-center/articles/cloud-computing-benefits %24