Great IT Support in Houston On Making the Most of the Cloud

The cloud is becoming a buzz word for IT support in Houston. The benefits of having your business’ data and applications running on cloud-based servers are clear. The migration of your company’s critical information and computing services can pose risks and headaches if it is not done in a controlled and thoughtful manner.

Why the Cloud

Using a cloud-based data solution has many benefits. The costs are more predictable, the risks are placed on the cloud service provider, and it is easy to scale to fit your business’ needs. In-house solutions have many drawbacks, and companies quickly realize that service providers are better equipped to provide the best results.

The Right Provider for Your Business

The first point that results in trouble during migration is not choosing the right provider. There are a lot of different companies that provide cloud solutions, and they won’t all be right for your particular business. In addition, all of these companies also offer a range of different plans and service packages. Trying to sort through all of your company’s options takes clear knowledge of the IT sector, and relying on IT support in Houston to understand the available offerings is often recommended.

The focus of your chosen provider is also critical when making this choice. Their focus needs to matter to your business. This means you need to know what your business is regarding level of service, scalability, and personalized support. Having all this information ready and documented helps you move forward with the right company.

Before Migration

To make the transition as smooth as possible, there are some things to consider. Putting together a migration plan helps you stay on track, and keep the whole process moving smoothly.

• Order of migration: Move the smallest and least critical databases and applications first. This helps your IT support get a feeling for how the migration process happens. It also gives them time to work out any kinks or troubles before you start dealing with mission critical pieces.
• Changes to architecture: Not all cloud-based solutions work well with your in-house architecture. Be sure to plan out how you and your IT department are going to solve any issues regarding compatibility.
• Communication plans: Migrations, even when perfectly smooth, can have downtime. When and how this downtime is communicated is important to decide upon before your business leaps into cloud services.

During and After Migration

As the migration occurs and finishes, there are a few things that your business must address to complete the process. First, did all the data make it? Checking for completeness is important, and missing pieces need to be addressed promptly. Does it work as expected? Usability is critical in making the most of the cloud. How is the performance? Make sure that your server is giving you the promised performance that you are paying for.
Migration to a cloud service is time-consuming and stressful. The proper IT support in Houston can help you get through it. ICS provides a range of IT services to help your business. To learn more about the services we offer, visit us today.

Jason Simons

ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.