To Cloud or Not to Cloud
“The Cloud” is a metaphor for the internet, plain and simple. In my mind, it is a derogatory simplification of language from one who understands technology very well and can’t explain it, to one who doesn’t understand technology yet. In the past when a technician would make a diagram of technology for a lay person, the technician would depict the internet as a cloud. So when there was a diagram of a network connecting an office in Calgary and an office in Houston, and the connection between the two was via the internet, there was a diagram depicting Calgary connected to a cloud-connected to Houston. Eventually, other things were connected to the cloud, and then things were in the cloud; because the tech didn’t actually know where they were, they were just somewhere connected to the internet. Fast forward 10 or 20 years and the cloud is any technology service accessed through the internet.
So, the real question is: should we keep our applications and data primarily on computers that we can see and touch, or does it make sense to run our applications from the internet and keep our data there? The answer: it depends. I’ll share some pros and cons and some examples.
Risk vs Reward
For the most part, the risks of data in the cloud being lost or accessed by someone other than you and your business is minimal, even in the era of US protectionism and the ability of Home Land Security to access any data they wish on US soil. Data centers are well protected, definitely better than your home or office, and Home Land Security rarely accesses anything, especially without a fight. The reward is inexpensive applications and data storage with minimal downtime and upkeep.
Connection
Of course, if your internet is down, happened to me yesterday, then you are down. But this is common place – not internet downtime, that hardly ever happens – it is commonplace to run a business dependent on internet-only applications and data, for example email, and more increasingly your business telephone.
Hybrid
The best of both worlds is the hybrid approach where data and applications reside both in the cloud and on your computer. You can do this with most email services and many cloud storage services. With OneDrive you can keep most of your company’s data stored on Microsoft’s servers, even in a data center on Canadian soil, and keep the files and folders most relevant to you on your laptop.
OneDrive isn’t perfect, but it is a massive benefit having data in both places. If your internet goes down, you can still work on the files that you have synced to your computer. If your laptop decides to take a vacation without you, you can log in from any computer and access what you need.
Sharing
One of the driving factors, when considering a cloud solution, is the ability to collaborate with a team. As soon as there is more than one person in a micro business, the need to be on the same page is paramount. In the past collaboration meant having a physical office and maybe a physical server; with the cloud, we can be a world apart, but just as effective as if we were in the same room.
ROI (Return on Investment)
Most of the time, especially for Micro Business, the big decision maker is the cost. Does the convenience, low maintenance, and capability of the cloud application in question outweigh the cost? An Office 365 subscription, for example, definitely outweighs the cost of buying Microsoft Office off the shelf, but maybe you’d be better served by a spreadsheet then that cloud based CRM system that you’re thinking of.
Examples
Office 365 is a great example of hybrid solution that provides massive ROI at a low cost. Office 365, or a similar suite of tools (cough, G-Suite, cough), is almost as essential as having a phone, if not more so, but way less expensive.
QuickBooks Online is a superb cloud only accounting system that is perfect for micro business. While one might be inclined to buy the one-time cost version and install it on your computer, that solution is not easily shared.
Adobe Creative Cloud gets mixed reviews from Pluto Micro. It is the most powerful creative suite, but it is expensive compared how Adobe used to sell it and compared to other options. If your business relies on it, then ROI dictates. We use other free, paid apps, cloud apps and subscriptions to replace Adobe’s dominance such as Foxit for PDF editing, GIMP, Affinity, and On1 for photo editing, and Microsoft Publisher (free with Office 365) for Page Layout.
You be the judge for your business. To “cloud or not cloud”?