Changes in Technology Can Present Opportunity for SMB – Cloud and Mobile Solutions

used with permission from the Microsoft SMB Blog
Cindy Bates

Thanks to new technology, it’s an exciting time for small and mid-size businesses. That’s because many are finding that increased access to new technology – such as cloud and mobile solutions – can provide access to services that were never within their reach before, helping them grow and be more productive.

They are also finding that using old or outdated technology can hinder a company’s ability to do business in a number of ways – from security risks and compliance issues to not being able to implement even modest changes or updates in software, all of which can significantly hamper a company’s ability to be successful and competitive.

A Shift In Technology

The beginning of one era in technology often means the end or phasing out of another. For example, to accommodate the shift toward modern technology used by a growing number of small and mid-size businesses, Microsoft will end support for Windows Server 2003 on July 14, 2015.

This means that security patches and updates will no longer be available after this period, resulting in a less stable and less secure technological infrastructure if no action is taken. However, the good news is that a variety of easy-to-integrate options are available for those ready to upgrade, including Microsoft Azure, the company’s cloud platform. Cloud solutions such as Azure are designed to provide small and mid-size businesses with the ability to scale up or down to take advantage of opportunities or cut costs, all based on their needs.

Numerous Benefits

Many small and mid-size businesses report that moving to a cloud platform like Azure provides a range of benefits – including increased backup capacity, enhanced disaster recovery capabilities, consistent compliance with regulatory demands and access to the most modern applications. These benefits can help small and mid-size businesses move faster, reduce costs and, ultimately, be more productive.

• Backup: Today’s businesses generate more data than ever before. The cloud offers reliable and economical cloud backup for data for businesses of any size, and it even automatically replicates data to help guard against unexpected hardware failures.
• Disaster recovery: Backup is a great solution to protect your business from data deletion and corruption – but, it isn’t the only important factor when it comes to data. Disaster recovery with Azure means your company’s data and applications will be replicated in the cloud and accessible at any time should anything happen to your physical location.
• Compliance: With data security comes legal and regulatory requirements. With cloud platforms like Azure, your security software will be continually updated, making it easy for your business to ensure it remains compliant with unique industry requirements.
• Modern applications: The cloud provides the infrastructure, platform and custom-made solutions in one place, rather than having to cobble solutions together piece by piece. This helps make it possible for small or mid-size companies to spend less time troubleshooting IT issues and more time on activities that will drive the business forward.

Now is the time to plan your transition – and we’re here to help.