How Should You Invest in the Cloud?

Hosted solutions are used in modern business practices for a variety of reasons, but by far the most common reason is because the business doesn’t necessarily have the staff or resources to take care of the solution in-house. The process of implementation will vary by business, but we can walk you through the process nonetheless, including building the solution, renting the solution, and buying the hosting space.

Building Your Hosted Solution
When you put together a hosted solution, you’re building one that is exactly to your specifications--at least, to the best of your ability. This means that you’re not using the same solution as any other business. It doesn’t matter if you’re the one hosting the solution or not. The end result is still something tailor-made for your business’ needs, whether it’s an application, storage space, or connecting your data to applications.

Buying a Hosted Solution
If you’re not as concerned about getting a customized solution compared to just getting one that works, you can always invest in a prebuilt solution from a service provider. You can think of this as a kind-of template, in a sense. It might not be perfect for what you need, but if you’re just experimenting with what’s possible and you’re not entirely sure what you specifically need in the first place, it’s not a bad place to start.

Renting Hosted Solutions
If you’re not sure where the solution will be hosted, the option to rent the space on someone else’s infrastructure is always a possibility. Even if it’s not on your network, your solution will be hosted in an environment that allows for all the functionality you need, save for potential security differences as a result of not having the customization you might initially want. You will have to outline the responsibilities of the hosting provider as well as your own, but you could potentially eliminate many of the responsibilities your organization would be responsible for, saving you time and resources.

What your business needs will be different compared to all others in your area, but you don’t have to make that decision without first consulting professionals. SMART Services can help you out with this process. To learn more, reach out to us at 586 258-0650 .