Everyone seems to believe it’s a good idea and everyone points to similar benefits. So when we start discussing the cloud with prospects we find they are generally interested and curious rather than uncertain or cynical.
What drives a company to make the change to cloud services? From a technical perspective the major drivers for cloud computing are things such as the need for enhanced security, better system up-time, guaranteed service level agreements, disaster recovery and backup services, and user access anywhere, anytime.
Businesses approach us because they have – or are about to – outgrow their shared hosting environment for reasons such as too many memory hungry applications or because they need more CPU power. The option most IT people suggest is to establish a dedicated server or a virtual private server, but this requires skills and knowledge beyond the ability of the typical office IT person. It’s too expensive and not feasible for many SMBs. Cloud services offer a safer and more cost-effective way of obtaining speed and power.
What do you believe are the major challenges when dealing with the SMB market?
You are dealing with a very fragmented audience. There is no medium capable of reaching all your prospects, so finding and educating them about the cloud takes time and energy. Second, you’re unlikely to be dealing at a purely IT level.
The conversation is often being held with the CEO, general manager or even owner and that means that discussion must centre on the business rather than technical benefits. Fortunately, this is easy for cloud services as it is from the business perspective that the cloud shines brightest.
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