Moving Desktop Applications to the Cloud

Cloud computing is growing in popularity and many application vendors are honing their services to remain competitive, even putting up serious competition to the conventional desktop applications. Some of the applications you should definitely consider moving to the cloud include:

​Email – Maintaining mail servers can be challenging for some businesses, but you now have the option of low-cost enterprise email infrastructure with massive storage space, document sharing capabilities, scheduling calendar, archiving, no annoying ads and many more useful features.

​Email Security – With increasing spam, you can improve your email filtering by having a third party scan you email for spam and viruses, significantly increasing your protection.

Fax service – Yes, it is now possible to send and receive faxes without a fax machine. With an email account and internet connection, faxes can be sent and received as attached PDF or TIFF files.

Webhosting – A no-brainer, webhosting on the cloud gives you more server space, increases your uptime and even reduces your security risks.

Teleconferencing – Setting up and maintaining traditional teleconferencing software can be cumbersome. Opting to do this on the cloud will cost you much less, with little to no maintenance costs and easy access wherever you are.

CRM – A small or medium business may find that CRM software requires a lot of time and money to implement and manage. With a cloud-based CRM, you can take advantage of high-end software at a fraction of the cost.

PBX Phone System – Using a hosted PBX system (i.e. hosted VoIP) saves you the trouble of purchasing and installing your own equipment, except for internet phones. In addition, you enjoy features, such as the same number across different geographical areas, custom toll plans, scalability, and multimodal access.

Changing the way you run your business can be challenging. Once you choose the application you would like to migrate, it is important to choose a cloud computing model that suits you. In addition, consider the licensing and regulations, hard and soft costs as well as training needed to switch to cloud computing.