You’ll Be Surprised at How Cloud Computing and Virtualization Can Benefit Your Business

The cloud is changing the way that businesses keep track of their data, deploy applications, and access hardware like servers, desktops, and even networks. Yet, despite the massive benefits that the cloud and virtualization bring to the table, many organizations are still reluctant to make such a dramatic change to their infrastructure. Therefore, we’re here to make the cloud less scary of an investment for SMBs.

Defining Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is when a business stores information in an online environment. You can think of the cloud as a computer (or a series of computers) that’s managed and maintained by an external party, like a managed service provider. Your business hosts its data on this computer, and you access it via the Internet. It makes for a convenient and easy way to access your data, and the best part of cloud computing is that you don’t have to worry about upkeep. When it’s hosted by PCSOFT, we give it the same care and attention that we would provide to our own technology, so you know with certainty that it’s being taken care of to the best of our ability. Many organizations use the cloud to store their productivity suite, like Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365, and to store data that many employees need to access.

Defining Virtualization
Virtualization is the act of taking multiple pieces of your network, like a server, or a desktop, and running them virtually on a single piece of hardware. Doing so allows your business to eliminate the physical costs of running and maintaining multiple, and underutilized devices, and as such, it can be a great way to decrease overhead costs. Your organization can save a considerable amount of revenue through virtualization, which can be better invested in other parts of your business. Plus, virtualizing your network offers the opportunity to remove the physical components, which frees up plenty of room in the office for storage or other equipment.

One real-world example of virtualization is seen when a user’s desktop is deployed from a centralized or hosted server. Essentially, this allows the user to broadcast their desktop to any type of hardware, like a laptop, thin client desktop, a home PC, tablet, etc. This virtualization process provides users access to the files and applications they need, without running into the limitations of a computing device.

How are Virtualization and Cloud Computing Related?
The most dynamic way that cloud computing and virtualization are related comes by way of cost savings. Essentially, by entrusting your data to a virtualized infrastructure, you’re gaining access to high-end computing hardware, and when you go with a cloud provider, you gain the ability to provide needed computing resources for more users per capita, for less. Additionally, cloud computing provides a level of remote monitoring and maintenance that is difficult and expensive to achieve with an in-house team.

Managing and maintaining your business’s data shouldn’t have to be a struggle. If your in-house team isn’t fully invested in spending the time to know and understand your technology solutions, or they simply don’t have the time to give it the care that it needs, you could benefit from having an outsourced IT company like PCSOFT around to pick up the slack. With managed IT at your disposal, you can free up your team to handle new initiatives while knowing that your technology is being cared for by professional technicians.

Our technicians have the skills required to help you choose and implement any type of cloud solution for your business. Furthermore, once you’ve already migrated to the cloud, management and maintenance becomes easier than ever before. Instead of updating each individual workstation or server, we can handle it all in one fell swoop. This makes cloud computing and virtualization crucial processes toward maximizing your bottom line and income potential.