Over the last few years many small- and medium- sized businesses (SMBs) have made the increasingly popular transition to the cloud. However, it is important to understand what services your business will need from the cloud as the costs associated with using this type of technology can increase over time if you’re not careful. In this blog, we cover some quick tips for you to follow to enjoy all the benefits of the cloud while simultaneously saving money.
No standalones
The cloud has a variety of different forms, which includes standalone platforms with rates that increase over time. If you’re looking to save money, it is a good idea to select a cloud service provider that can offer you a suite of products that will work in conjunction. This is a great option for SMBs looking to save money because it offers the ability to utilize several products that would be more expensive to purchase individually. Another benefit of choosing a cloud service provider is that you’ll have a team of experts at your service that will be able to quickly and effectively solve all the issues you might be experiencing.
Partner with experienced cloud providers
It is a generally a good practice to partner with experienced cloud providers as they will have a great deal of experience that will help your business smoothly transition to and integrate cloud services. This is essential as integration mishaps can lead to major downtime and also have expensive costs.
Define and prioritize backups
Unnecessary or inefficient backups waste cloud storage space. You can review your cloud storage data by asking the following questions:
- How many versions of this data need to be stored long term? The more versions you store, the more it will cost you.
- How long do you need to have access to your data? Some data may need to be stored for a few years while other types of data might be deleted after a month.
- How quickly do you need to be able to access your data backups? If you can wait a day or two, you can choose alternative backup options that are less expensive.
Regulate users
Typically, cloud service providers charge on a per user basis. If you don’t get in the habit of regularly managing your users, you may find yourself paying for people who are no longer part of your business. For this reason, it is important to schedule regular audits of your users and implement a process to remove them when they leave your business. This will ensure that your list is up to date.
Monitor proactively
Ask your cloud provider whether they can proactively monitor your account and notify you of potential issues before these escalate into major problems. This is especially important if you have a pay-as-you-go license that charges based on resource or storage consumption.
Having a strong technology framework in place is vital for your business’s success, and so is implementing processes and procedures that will help prevent your business from racking up and overly expensive monthly bill. If you are thinking about partnering with a cloud service provider or are unhappy with your current provider, get in touch with our team today by calling (847) 303-1194 or visiting www.rj2t.com today.
