The Growing Cloud Landscape
As most people already know, the Cloud computing environment has both increased dramatically and changed over the years. One prediction is that by the end of 2018, 90% of all businesses will be involved in the Cloud in one way or another. Companies have been offering Cloud solutions for decades, but it’s only been within the last few years that cloud computing has grown exponentially. This is due to increases in technology and reliability.
Experts speculate some of the reasons as to why the late and sudden increase with the Cloud were companies not being comfortable trying something “new” or wanting to wait until the technology was proven and wasn’t a “fad.” In addition, many decision makers felt past investments were too expensive to justify moving to an almost equipment-free solution. However, with Cloud environments evolving over the years and competition from bigger companies such as Microsoft and Cisco, cost is becoming less of an overall issue as ROI is easier to forecast and implementation costs are minimal.
Get Started Easily with Microsoft Office 365
Because of this, businesses have said that since moving to the Cloud, they are saving money while seeing more productivity with better security. With the security also comes the convenience of the Cloud. According to Microsoft, one of the main Cloud solutions that businesses have implemented is virtualization technology and their Office 365 solutions. With Office 365, business professionals can become increasingly mobile by incorporating portable devices into their daily routine. Being able to meet with clients on-site and having anytime and anywhere access to the applications and information needed instantly, employees can shift their time and deliver bigger results.
Another large benefit specifically with Office 365 is their subscription-based model, which provides simpler pricing along with software updates. With the standard Office Suite that was the norm up until recently, you would need to purchase the software at a larger price, and that SPECIFIC version was yours. When the inevitable upgrade came about, you would need to purchase the new version as well: case in point would be moving from Office 2013 to Office 2016. With Office 365, users pay a smaller amount monthly for the duration of use. Then, when a new version is available, your users get the updated version automatically at no additional cost. This a convenient way to ensure everyone using Office has the latest versions and updates for both security and reliability.
Alex Hoosz, PEI
