IT Support Services Cloud Solutions
Gone are the days when small businesses had to operate at a disadvantage against the bigger players in their industry. Gone are the days when small businesses had to settle for an inferior IT infrastructure while the big corporations are able to build their own powerful networks to gain a significant edge against smaller businesses.
With many cloud hosting providers in Sacramento and many parts of the US, small businesses are now able to access enterprise-level IT services and solutions at a fraction of the cost.
What are Cloud Hosting Providers?
To give you an idea of what cloud hosting providers are, let’s define what the cloud is first.
The cloud is simply a metaphor for the Internet. The cloud or cloud computing simply refers to the process of storing and accessing data, software, and applications over the Internet instead of through your computer’s hard drive or your locally-hosted and on-premise server.
With the rise of the cloud also came the rise of cloud hosting providers. They are third-party companies that has enterprise-level data centers that can be leased and accessed by businesses for their own use, whether for storing data, hosting systems and applications, and more.
This provides smaller businesses a viable way to employ strong and reliable IT infrastructure to support their operations, without the need to spend too much capital investment.
Instead of building an IT infrastructure complete with high-level servers, businesses can simply outsource their IT needs to a cloud hosting provider and they even get a better setup than what they can build on their own.
How to Choose a Cloud Hosting Provider
Of course, if you are going to outsource your IT needs to a third-party company, you better make sure that they are trustworthy and reliable.
To help you choose the right cloud provider for you, here are some qualities that you should look for:
A Cloud Hosting Provider that Meets Your IT Needs
Before you even look for a cloud hosting provider, you must look into your own business first and define the IT needs of your company. If you have an existing IT staff, you must list all the IT tasks that your team can fulfill without being stretched too thin, and what IT needs require more manpower.
Once you understand your IT needs, that is when you can start looking. There are many cloud solutions out there and each provider may or may not have the solution that you need. Make sure that the cloud hosting provider you choose specializes in the IT requirements your business needs.
A Secure Cloud Data Center
A trusted cloud service provider will employ multiple high-level security measures to protect their data centers both physically and virtually.
First, access to the cloud data center should be limited. It should be well guarded and only people with the right privileges and permissions should be able to enter the data center.
Second, the cloud provider should proactively protect their data centers from different types of attacks. This includes the deployment of high-level encryption of IP transmissions, multi-factor authentication, regular data center audits, and 24/7 network monitoring.
Third, in the event of an attack or intrusion, there should be an automated response to isolate, identify, and eventually address the attack. In the event of a critical attack, there should be emergency response procedures to quell the threat as quickly as possible.
A Redundant Cloud Data Center
Downtimes are the bane of business operations; it results in wasted time for production while still accumulating expenses.
That is why it is important for you to know how your cloud provider makes sure that their data center is always running.
In a lot of cases, the answer is redundancy. They employ multiple data centers, sometimes in different locations, to support each other. If the main data center goes down for some reason, another data center can step in and fulfill the computing functions.
Sensible Pricing for Cloud Solutions
The best part about going to the cloud is that you get the best of enterprise-level IT infrastructure and systems without the need to spend too much upfront. If a provider is asking for large upfront payment, it defeats the purpose of going to the cloud in the first place.
Make sure that you only pay for what you are using. Most trustworthy cloud service providers have flexible monthly plans that you only have to pay for as you are using the service. If you think you no longer need it or have found a better option, you can freely opt-out.
Cloud Hosting Provider in Sacramento
Salient IT is a full-service cloud hosting provider based in Sacramento. We specialize in providing cloud-hosted solutions for various needs including storage, network, system and application hosting, and more.
We strive to provide our clients with reliable cloud solutions for all your company’s IT needs.
For more information, contact us today.
Related Resources:
Loading...
