Cloud for SMBs

Remote services aren’t just for blue-chips; Steve Cassidy finds out how smaller businesses can benefit

Aren’t cloud services mostly aimed at enterprise-sized businesses?

It’s true that the cloud has much to offer big companies. However, part of the cloud promise is about handling unexpected bursts of demand – the classic example being when you get mentioned on the news, and suddenly your website traffic jumps by several orders of magnitude. When that happens, it’s the smallest businesses that can benefit most from quickly scalable cloud support.

Our internet service is quite slow – isn’t it best for us to rely on it as little as possible?

Bad last-mile internet service is an argument for more cloud, not less. When your servers are mostly working and communicating inside the data centre, it’s less necessary to have the fastest possible connection to your own premises. For most SMBs, some sort of hybrid cloud setup often makes sense, so you’ll need to “take a view” on exactly what speeds are needed where. Don’t accept a slow connection as a fact of life: in this period, and this market, there should be plenty of providers willing to offer you a full fibre upgrade for a reasonable price.

We mostly just run off-the-shelf apps. What exactly could we move to the cloud?

If you use Microsoft Office you’ve probably been pushed there already. Everyday applications are increasingly embracing cloud provision and licensing, so moving your line-of-business tools in the same direction shouldn’t be too much of a shock to the system. Admittedly, not every item of small-business software will happily migrate into the cloud; it can usually be done, but you may need the help of an experienced server-wrangler.

What do we do with our existing on-site servers? Are they just going to go in the bin?

I have encountered a few extreme cloud migrations, where there isn’t so much as a wiring diagram left behind to show there was ever a server in the building. But if you want to move cloud platform in the future, it’s a lot easier if you still have a local server, where you can clone your databases and confirm that your applications aren’t dependent on your provider’s specific hypervisor stack. Even if you never really move, this ability is a great safety net – and negotiating tool.

There are so many cloud providers out there. How do we know which is the right fit for our needs?

You’re right to be hesitant: not all clouds are created equal. For example, different services might store your cloud data in different countries, which has a significant impact on the legal restrictions you’ll be working under. This is where SaaS delivery of just one part of your workflow can be attractive, because you’re not betting the whole farm on any single platform. Software trials and sandbox thinking can help you appraise how different platforms fit to your working practices, and work out your priorities in terms of what needs replacing first.

What if our tentative cloud migration goes wrong? Can we migrate back?

If you can’t, you were being had right from the kick-off. Post-pandemic, many internet companies seem to act as if they’re irreplaceable, and in some cases they may be right. The trick is not to sleepwalk into a state of dependence. Cloud services often sneak their way into organisations, at first for testing and development, then for ad hoc scalability – and before you know it your business is wholly reliant on an always-on, every-job-done-here cloud commitment. Learn to recognise that pattern, and don’t get sucked into it until you have your escape plan fully worked out.