Reciprocal Technologies Blog

Nowadays, businesses are turning to the cloud to help resolve more and more of their daily challenges, and for good reason—generally speaking, the cloud can handle most everything thrown at it. However, are we becoming too reliant on cloud services? Let’s try to strike a balance between the pros and cons of the cloud and our dependence on it today.

Cloud computing is used by just about all businesses in some capacity, but how much should your company rely on it for its important functions? Let’s discuss some of the options you have for your cloud computing infrastructure and how it can all contribute to your business’ continued success.

How much time does your business invest in software and its management? There are some that you can’t really go without, like email solutions and productivity suites, but you might have other specialized software that also requires attention. When you acquire new software, you can either go the traditional route or you can go the Software-as-a-Service route. Which path is the best choice for your business?

The cloud has given businesses loads of modern ways to approach operations and management, but it has also given cybercriminals access to even more tools to leverage against their victims. Here are some ways cybercriminals are using the cloud, as well as how you can protect against these threats.

Let’s face it… “government” and “innovation” aren’t usually associated with one another. Despite the finances that these organizations have, these funds are generally spoken for (on top of not always being used as efficiently as they could be). However, some government operations have started embracing cloud services, which has led to benefits for their entire communities.

With so many workers taking up the mantle of remote work, it’s no surprise that businesses are looking for ways to accommodate these “new” working arrangements. Here are just a few ways that businesses of all types—small businesses included—can work toward making their operations even more flexible and mobile than before.

Hardware procurement is a challenging part of running any business. When you consider that the hardware is often what keeps your business running–--your servers, workstations, networking components, and so on–--the idea of finding the right hardware at a reasonable price becomes of paramount importance. How can you make sure that your business isn’t throwing away money on unnecessary hardware procurement? It all starts with a network audit.

While we're big proponents of cloud services, including those used for data storage, it is important to point out that it isn't just a matter of having a cloud. Whether you're using your cloud storage as your business' primary data storage or simply using it as a backup, part of your considerations needs to be whether or not your cloud storage remains secure.

Disasters can happen when you least suspect them. Whether it’s a tornado that levels your office or an electrical failure which sparks a structural fire, a business-ending scenario could happen with little-to-no warning. You must be prepared to maintain operations even when it feels impossible, and part of this is being prepared to handle off-site operations.

Smart devices have enabled individuals and businesses to push the limits of connectivity, allowing them to have unprecedented amounts of control over their offices and homes. People can turn down their thermostats or lock the front door with the click of a button, as well as control how much power their homes consume. However, security is a pain point for these types of connected devices.

Have you stopped to consider how much your business spends every year on data storage and warehousing? If not, you might be surprised by how much this process actually costs, both in terms of capital expenses and operational costs. We’d go so far as to say that you’re spending more than you need to.

The primary difference between an enterprise and a small or medium-sized business is simply how big it is. Due to this size, many of the tools used by enterprises are so powerful and dynamic that they can easily be used by businesses much smaller. Let’s take a look at what some of these technologies and processes are.

Data backup is one part of running a business that nobody wants to think about, but it’s something that must be considered should anything ever happen to your company’s data. In a world where disasters are so unpredictable and devastating, you can never know when one will strike, so you must take preventative measures now so that you are not caught unawares. Let’s go over one of the best ways you can get ready for these disasters: cloud-based automatic data backups.

Business hardware is never a small investment to make, so for a business to make the best use out of their invested funds, their hardware needs to be seriously considered. One way to do so is to use a virtualized environment, whether that environment is hosted onsite or in the cloud. Let’s consider the inherent benefits of virtualization.

Businesses that are searching for ways to support the new normal often need to migrate their data from a server they host to the cloud or vice versa. Despite all the integrations that would seem to make this process simpler, they actually make it more difficult. It can be a very difficult situation for any business and should be completed under the watchful eye of professional technicians. Let’s take a look at some of the problems you may encounter:

Regardless of a business’ size, technology can help it to resolve most operational challenges it is contending with. For instance, global toy producer The Lego Group shared their own story about how improved IT solutions helped it to address some significant issues it had. Let’s go over what The Lego Group did, and then see how their process could translate to your business.

For the average business printing costs are often looked on as a necessary evil. The truth is that they really don’t have to be as bad as you think. There is technology available today that can revolutionize the way that you manage your company’s files. More than that, you can significantly reduce your reliance on the technology that has a mind of its own, the printer. 

Five months into the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have resolved to shift their operations and replace a lot of their onsite computing hardware with cloud solutions. While the cloud has proven to be a great method for businesses to obtain the resources they need without investing in the associated costs of a hardware refresh, its other costs could prove problematic. Let’s examine your options briefly and try to establish a sense of value.

Collaboration has always played a critical role in a business’ success, which is one of the biggest benefits that the cloud offers. Since cloud technology has suddenly become even more important for a business--especially in terms of business connectivity as more people are displaced from the office by the COVID-19 pandemic--we felt that it was an appropriate time to address just how many different kinds of communication tools are available through the cloud.

Cloud solutions have helped considerably advance businesses, regardless of whether a business makes use of public cloud solutions or a private option that it hosts itself. Many have found great utility in combining the two into a hybrid cloud solution. Let’s consider the pros and cons of the hybrid cloud to see if it would suit your needs.