Has your business considered making the move to cloud services? What’s holding you back? Many companies are in a similar state. They’re hesitant about moving to the cloud. But why?

There are many reasons, which include staying with the status quo. Then there are myths and misconceptions that have been around since the beginning of cloud services. These misperceptions are holding companies back from the enormous benefits that are there for the taking.

In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common myths and misconceptions about cloud services. We’ll cover the facts, so your company has the opportunity to make an informed decision on making the move to the cloud.

1). The Cloud is Less Secure

Security is one of the main issues most companies have when it comes to moving to the cloud. This is a valid concern considering the major data breaches in recent years. However, the truth is quite different.

According to Gartner, “Through 2020, public cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) workloads will suffer at least 60% fewer security incidents than those in traditional data centres.” In order words, most data breaches are occurring in on-site data centres rather than on cloud servers.

Another statistic, coming from Microsoft, says 94% of small businesses are gaining security benefits in the cloud that they wouldn’t have had with on-site technology. This statistic is referring to the fact that all services are automatically and regularly updated in the cloud. This includes updates to operating systems & antivirus, management of spam email, and more.

The myth that there is more security with on-site premises is incorrect. The fact is that the cloud offers increased security due to the growing expertise in vendors, service providers, and security professionals. On-site protection can’t keep up with new developments as well as the experts who provide cloud services.

2). Transferring to the Cloud Means We Lose Control of Technology

Moving to the cloud does entail losing control over technology to some degree. However, the benefit comes from not having to invest in and maintain an IT department and all the technology for the network.

The savings alone mean your business has the opportunity to reinvest this money into the business. In addition, there’s more time to invest in providing improved services and products for clients.

3). The Cloud is Not Cheaper

This misconception was first put out when cloud services were new. Moving to the cloud was said to be cheaper than a business having its own on-site network.

Businesses are still debating this issue; however, there are ways a company can manage and minimise the costs of moving to the cloud. In the end, moving to the cloud is still cheaper than having an on-site infrastructure and technology to pay for.

4). Moving to the Cloud is Too Difficult

Moving to the cloud can be challenging and involved, depending on the size of the company. However, businesses should see the many benefits they can gain from moving to the cloud.

Finding a cloud service provider, who has great expertise and experience, is needed to make the process easier. The right service provider has the ability to steer a business into the cloud while overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way. The move is much smoother with the right provider.

5). Moving to the Cloud Must be All at Once

Another popular myth is that moving to the cloud must be done at all once. However, that’s simply not the case. It’s entirely possible to move to the cloud using a hybrid approach. This is a popular method for moving to the cloud.

The hybrid method may mean moving one business process to the cloud initially. For example, moving email to the cloud first is a good example. The cloud is able to create a hybrid platform that includes data centres and the cloud. This works to keep business operations consistent while services and data are sent to employees and their devices.

To make the hybrid approach more effective, it’s best to have a strategy or plan in place. The plan can set out exactly which services to move at any given time. Until eventually, all operations and processes have been moved to the cloud. Such a plan can be developed with the help of an expert cloud service provider. It is possible to move to the cloud at your own pace, with the right plan and service provider in place.

6). The Cloud is Only for Tech Companies

Many small- and medium-sized businesses believe the cloud is only for tech companies. However, that’s simply not the case. Making the move to digital is key to advancing into modern methods of doing business.

More industries and sectors are seeing the advantage of moving to the cloud. The cloud has benefits for all businesses, not just tech companies.

Businesses also need to consider the fact that their clients and customers are moving to the cloud. In order to keep clients/customers, it’s necessary to meet them where they are. For this reason, the cloud is becoming a necessary service for all types of business in almost every sector.

7). Moving to the Cloud will Mean Major Downtime

There’s the fear that moving to the cloud will mean a major downtime for a business. The belief is that all business operations will need to be shut down during the move. However, that’s simply not the case.

With the help of a professional service provider, the move can be made almost effortlessly. Consider the fact that today, when a large company such as Facebook makes a change in their cloud systems, there’s hardly a blip in user experience. The same can be accomplished for any company when moving to a cloud service.

8). Cloud Services are Not Compliance-Friendly

This is another popular misconception when it comes to cloud services. Cloud services are perceived as not being able to accommodate compliance regulations. However, this is only a misconception.

The truth is that if your business must be compliant with any type of security regulations, cloud services can and do provide support for these rules. A business needs to ask the service provider if they can support compliance or not. It’s that simple.

If your business is considering a move to the cloud, then contact us today. We’ll be happy to talk about services and how we can help your company make the transition.