As we all prepare for the early fall deadline, one can’t help but think about this past spring’s busy season, and all the technology, security and last-minute fire drills that went along with it.
How did your tech stack “stack up”? Was it easy to access your accounting and tax software from the office, at home or while traveling? Did you have any client data loss scares? Depending on your answers to these questions, it may be time to consider a new approach.
What is managed cloud hosting?
Managed cloud hosting—sometimes called managed cloud services—is an on-demand, scalable infrastructure option that is very easy to implement.
- It doesn’t require an on-premises server.
- It doesn’t require any on-premises personnel for it to run.
Instead, a cloud hosting partner manages your accounting and tax software and other critical parts of your IT infrastructure, allowing you to focus on your core, revenue-driving work.
- The partner takes care of maintenance, updates, uptime and security.
- You benefit from performance, scalability and time and cost savings, with no need for IT resources.
So, are you a good candidate for this type of cloud solution? Let’s find out.
How to know if a managed cloud solution is right for you
1. You hate unplanned purchases
One of the biggest benefits of a managed cloud approach is its predictability. The cost of purchasing and maintaining servers and desktop applications is significant and oftentimes unplanned. Managed cloud provides a more attractive cost model: ongoing, flexible and billed monthly.
Turn CapEx to OpEx: By moving IT from a capital expenditure (CapEx) to an operating expenditure (OpEx) model, you gain the benefits of a predictable monthly cost.
Not all cloud models are alike: With a public cloud, your bill may jump up substantially in periods of heavy use. Public cloud providers typically include ingress charges for free but charge for egress.
- Ingress: Moving data to the cloud.
- Egress: Moving data out of the cloud.
For example: During tax season, you may pull more past documents—think last year’s tax returns—down from the cloud. Your egress charges over those three months will be higher during the other nine months combined.
A good cloud provider anticipates your average monthly usage: Your best solution to avoid that issue is to find a provider that will anticipate your average monthly usage and bill accordingly. That way, your bill is your bill, with no extra surprise charges from unanticipated data usage.
2. You like high-performing technology
In many ways, the question of performance is tied to the discussion of cost. Performance significantly impacts your employees’ and clients’ experiences. It either begets 1) content, retained employees and clients or 2) dissatisfied staff and frustrated, wavering customers.
- If you use on-premises servers in your office, you won’t be well prepared to handle shifts in demand without spending more money to scale up your capacity ahead of time.
- If you use a public cloud solution, while those resources will allow you to scale on demand, it could lead to unexpected and unpredictable costs. During peak seasons, you’ll find yourself monitoring the public cloud constantly to be sure you are balancing performance and cost.
- If you use a managed cloud solution, you effectively outsource monitoring to your partner, and you can rely on both a high level of performance and predictable, expected costs.
3. You’re worried about security
The third consideration for choosing a managed cloud service is perhaps the most important and most frequently overlooked.
Let’s compare the three solutions we’ve been looking at throughout this article to measure the effectiveness of their security:
- On-premises servers: On-premises servers give you control over hardware and data, but they come with significant drawbacks. Your organization must handle all maintenance, updates and backups, which can strain resources and require a dedicated IT team, leading to potential security risks.
- Public cloud: The cloud provider will typically have strong security measures in place; however, you’ll be responsible for securing access to that cloud and putting additional safeguards in place, like firewalls. Public cloud providers also don’t protect your devices (laptops, smartphones) or when you’re working outside the cloud.
- Managed cloud: A fully managed cloud model that covers multiple “layers” of security is ideal. Most businesses don’t want to manage any aspect of security, let alone their cloud environment, data, devices and people. The right managed cloud provider will handle it all for you.
Is it time to explore a managed cloud solution?
We invite you to explore managed cloud services further. When you do, consider a provider that understands your profession’s unique security requirements. The right partner and solution will do a lot more than provide “the cloud.” They’ll turn your IT from merely operational to strategic.
Ready to know more about a managed cloud approach? Get started here.