The growth of the cloud
The number of businesses relying on cloud storage solutions has rapidly increased in the last five years, with half of all IT spend going on cloud storage during 2018.[1] The trend is set to continue with use of and reliance on cloud-based systems increasing in the coming years.
Cloud solutions can be found for almost all strands of your business, typically hosting IT infrastructure and applications like telephony, email and CRM.
The importance of staying connected
Of course, the cloud can only enable a business to function more efficiently and cost-effectively, if the internet connection is 100% reliable. An unreliable internet connection is no longer just a matter of downtime on emails – but it can jeopardise many business processes, putting all an organisation’s cloud-stored data under threat.
Many businesses spend time and money investigating the correct software packages and hosted services to ensure optimum productivity for their company. This investment can be undermined when a business chooses a cheap, unreliable broadband product that cannot support these cloud-based services.
Ensure your connection won’t fail
Generally, SMEs operate with a basic (ADSL) or fibre (FTTC) broadband connection. These connection types are often highly contended, meaning they slow down at peak times of the day. They nearly always come with a loose service level agreement (SLA), often covering the provider in the event of an outage.
There are lots of data connectivity options to choose from, ideally depending on size and budget an Ethernet service will be dedicated 1:1 contentions and typically have a SLA stating a 7 hour fix, often these can be supplied with a range of failover solutions. For the budget conscious among us there are several converged or assured options across ADSL / VDSL circuits, which could deliver the required service levels and quality, within your budget.
Take our advice
However, complex your situation we can help you find the right solution. Review your connection options now, and you still have time to take advantage of the Government Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, where you can claim up to £3000.00 towards the cost of a new Gigabit Connection. Gives us a call on 0330 058 3405 to speak to one of our specialists.
[1] 2018. Four Trends In Cloud Computing CIOs Should Prepare For In 2019. 5th July. Forbes. [Online]. [1 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/07/05/four-trends-in-cloud-computing-cios-should-prepare-for-in-2019/#4ba5d26e4dc2
