Cloud Computing Services can be included with our Flat Rate IT Service Plans or can be delivered to you as a stand-alone “a la carte” service. Contact us for details.
Let Windows 365 Take Your Business into The Future
Cloud Computing is the “next big thing” as business technology moves forward. In fact, for many businesses, the move to the cloud has already begun. When you are ready to take the next step in your move to the cloud, Tech Wizards can answer your questions, provide guidance so you make the right moves for your business, and implement you move to the cloud on your timetable and within your budget.
What is “The Cloud”?
In simplest terms, “the cloud” refers to the Internet. When businesses store data in virtual data centers or access programs using an internet connection instead of relying on their device’s hard drive or on-premises IT infrastructure, it means they are operating in the cloud.
More than likely, your business already has one foot “in the cloud”. If you use Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, OneDrive, Drop Box, Google Drive, QuickBooks Online, Salesforce, or any of the thousands of other SAAS (Software-As-A-Service) applications currently running on the Internet then you are already using cloud computing services in your business.
The Next Step in Cloud Computing
While many businesses are utilizing cloud services to some degree, there is still a key component of office operations that is location-based. This would be servers and employee workstations. Most companies still rely on desktops and laptops to allow employees to access critical software from a locally installed data and application server.
This can become inconvenient if your employees are working from more than one location. For example, if some of your employees work both at the office and home, in one of those places, they’ll be without their “main computer” and must rely on a VPN connection to your office server (or a remote connection to an office computer). This can be a real problem when it comes to needing to access certain files or possibly working from a slower device than they’re used to.
Windows 365 Cloud Servers
It is quickly becoming unnecessary for some businesses to purchase and maintain on-site servers. Now companies, instead of purchasing server hardware and software for their office, can use “the cloud” to put their data and programs on a highly secure “Virtual Server” online. All you need is an Internet connection and you’re good to go with a cloud server that has far more power, speed, and resources than you could ever affordably have on-site as a small business. And with devices getting cheaper and Internet connectivity speeds getting faster and faster, cloud computing is suddenly a very smart, viable option for small business owners.
Microsoft now has a fast, reliable, and secure cloud solution for accessing your server data and applications from anywhere without the hassle and slow performance of a VPN connection or remote desktop connection. Microsoft’s highly accessible Windows 365 Cloud Server allows you to affordably migrate your server to the cloud. The entire operating system of your server and everything that sits on it (settings, files, software, etc.) is securely uploaded to a super-fast Microsoft cloud server. You can then access your server data and applications from your office PC or from anywhere else with an Internet-connected device (any Windows or Mac desktop or laptop, or any Windows, Mac, or IOS tablet).
Migrating your server data and applications to the cloud is often the first step in moving your business in the future by more fully embracing cloud computing. It is also an important step allowing remote workers the same ease and speed of access to company data and applications as in-house office workers.
Windows 365 Cloud PCs
When you are ready to move your employees (remote and/or in-house) workstations to the cloud, Microsoft also has a fast, reliable, and secure option. With a Windows 365 Cloud PC, the entire operating system of your workstations and everything that sits on them (settings, files, software, etc.) is securely uploaded to a cloud computer. Your employees can then access their Cloud PCs with any PC (regardless of age, speed, or power) or from any Internet-connected device (Windows or Mac desktop or laptop, or any Windows, Mac, or IOS tablet).
Remote work is the new normal. Since the pandemic, there’s been a shift with more employees than ever working from home. Now many companies are planning to keep a mix of office and remote working. The Windows 365 cloud-based PC makes it easy to enable employees to work from home, work, or both.
During the Covid-19 shut-down, the utility of cloud PC solutions garnered even more attention. Businesses struggled to accommodate massive numbers of remote workers, and the differences between the PC as a hardware platform and the PC as a cloud service have become very clear as a result. The contrast is stark. It can take several weeks to procure, provision, and install a traditional PC to a new employee or contractor. It takes just a few minutes to provision a cloud PC for your new personnel. PCs are constantly being lost or stolen, putting corporate data at risk; a cloud PC helps eliminate that risk. It’s almost impossible for IT teams to keep traditional PCs current with security patches and other maintenance procedures when they are remotely located out of the main office. Cloud PCs can be patched centrally and reliably maintained.
Using cloud PCs gives a company complete control of its PC assets and data. Employees log in from anywhere, but the “computer” itself is located in a cloud environment, making it easy to do things like push security updates and restrict access as needed.
The Benefits Of Windows 365 Cloud Computing
- Remote Access for Everyone - One of the basic advantages of having a Windows 365 Cloud PC is that although your users need a physical device to log in and use their PCs, the device could be anything from a workstation in the office, a laptop, or a tablet while traveling. This makes access to the cloud simple and hassle-free.
- Business Continuity - If operations shut down at the office due to an on-site emergency, employees can still smoothly work from remote locations since they can access their own virtual desktop from anywhere with any Internet-connected device.
- Great for Remote Workers – Virtual Desktops for your remote workers can be set up in minutes. Their cloud PC can then be securely accessed from their own home PC or from an inexpensive basic computer provided by your business (no need for a powerful PC as all of the computing is done “in the cloud”). This allows for easy maintenance and updating of the cloud PC, all of the security protections of office PCs, and the ability to permanently “shut down” the cloud PC at a moment’s notice if necessary.
- Easy for Hybrid Workers - Within many businesses, certain employees work in a hybrid manner, meaning they sometimes work from home and other times work at the office. An on-premises PC would not be able to allow such workers the advantage of pick up their work at one location right from where they left it before at the other location. One advantage of the Windows 365 Cloud PC is that such team members can easily leave a certain file open on the workplace PC and login and finish the work later on the virtual PC (or vice versa).
- Lower Hardware Costs - While purchasing computers for on-premises setup, performance, memory, and storage need to be kept in mind, usually requiring a more expensive “business class” PC and more frequent replacement. But, to access a Cloud PC, your users only need a very basic physical computer to log in to their virtual PC which saves a lot of hardware cost. In addition to this, the cloud environment of the Windows 365 cloud PC can be scaled according to the needs of your users and you for whatever is needed and used but no more.
- Lower Maintenance Costs – Windows 365 Cloud PCs are hosted on powerful Microsoft servers. This means that there is no hardware to maintain, and the operating system is constantly maintained and automatically upgraded by Microsoft, so maintenance and repair costs are lower than for a physical workstation.
- Improved Security - When your employees work on a Windows 365 PC, you stay in control of the virtual PC. The process of automating updates and enforcing security policies becomes hassle-free even when your employees work in remote locations. This security feature enables you to allow your employees to work from their own devices as the risk of data leakage minimizes to a great extent.
- Simplicity of Usage - Windows 365 Cloud PCs include features like easy management and instant start-up which gives your users the ability to work exactly as your in-house employees do, with no learning curve necessary.
- Scalability - Cloud PCs allow you to configure the size, CPU, and RAM of the PC within the cloud environment according to the changing needs. The scalability feature also removes concerns about running out of hard drive space or needing to purchase a more powerful PC if an employee’s computer power needs change as a result of a new position or needing to use new, more powerful software.
Whether you are ready to take the next step towards moving your business more fully to the cloud, or just want to explore your options before taking action, contact Tech Wizards for the guidance you need to take this next important step in the advancement of your company’s technology.
