The Cloud is a widely used, but under-explained buzzword that’s used so regularly now that many people haven’t had to the chance to understand what it actually means. As long as you can access your emails from home, work, and your cell phone, do you really spend much time thinking about why you have that capability, or how it helps you?

The Cloud is actually a network of computers that store massive amounts of data, accessible at a moment’s notice. Predictably, giant corporations like Google and Amazon own these data centers, and most often, you must pay to use their services. Of course, “free” versions are available, but these are notoriously unsecure. The safest cloud services are available through cloud service providers, which can often be found with your local MSP.

So, why are businesses all over the country switching to the Cloud? Because it just makes better business sense.

No Downtime:
Blackouts cost businesses almost $150 billion a year. How much time can you company afford to be without their computers? A week? A day? An hour? With the Cloud, you are 5x less likely to experience any downtime. If you do have downtime, it is 28x shorter in the Cloud than with a local server.

Increased Efficiency:
Without downtime, you can be sure that your team’s efficiency will increase. Since they are able to access their necessary tools from anywhere, at any time. 52% of business reported an increase in efficiency after switching to the Cloud.

Lower Cost:
With the Cloud, you can pay as you grow. Instead of paying for a server that can store far more data than you need, in the Cloud you only pay for the exact amount of storage you use. This means, for most businesses, you can expect to save 31% on IT costs over five years. In fact, 73% of businesses saw a reduce in IT costs after switching from a physical server.

Because of the lower cost, the flexibility, the accessibility, and the security of the Cloud, more and more businesses are making the switch. As of right now, 72% of businesses use the Cloud in some capacity, and it’s expected that this number will increase to 91% in three years. Want to see how the Cloud can help your business? Give your local MSP a call. They will work with you to come up with the best solution for your business.