We all know that cloud computing represents the technology of both the present and the future. It creates flexibility, enhances and streamlines technological processes, and can actually save organizations money. Furthermore, it can be part of a comprehensive plan for your business's IT due diligence strategy. 

But, is the  cloud-first approach, which is anticipated to explode in corporate growth, right for your business? Or, is it just another exciting trend that seems overhyped and underwhelming?

Let's dive in to what you need to know. 

What Does Cloud-First Mean?

In general, taking a cloud-first approach means that whenever a new IT project emerges, the first reaction should be, how can this technology be incorporated and utilized within a cloud service's network. 

Cloud-first can be synonymous with cloud-only, but not always. That depends on each organization's structural goals and needs. In general, you can think of cloud-first as offering a streamlined, efficient, and manageable approach. Cloud-first looks at how people utilize the cloud, rather than how the cloud is built. 

With a cloud-first approach, you're typically using shared infrastructures instead of building and maintaining your own private systems.

Benefits of the Cloud-First Approach 

No doubt, there are many lucrative benefits to adopting the cloud-first approach. It's no wonder so many businesses are jumping on board with this mentality.  

Saves Money 

First and foremost, you can expect to cut down on costs. This is an obvious one, and it's enticing for business owners in all industries. The building, managing, and maintaining your own hardware requires ample time and resources- it may also require professional outsourcing within your company. This kind of upkeep naturally includes several ongoing costs.

Yes, moving to a cloud-based third-party provider entails upfront fees, but it's usually significantly less than one would spend on internal management and hosting. In general, most business owners can expect to see a decrease in equipment, labor, and hosting costs.

Intuitive and Simplistic

One of the best benefits of managing data and information from the cloud? It's just simple. Your backups are all in one place; the restoration occurs all in one place; you're accessing everything you need in one place. No more loose files or stranded equipment. Your organization system automatically becomes streamlined- and you're essentially safeguarded from threats or losses of your equipment.

The cloud-first approach removes human error with deleting files or unintentional file changes. With this approach, you can always recover needed data, which provides an invaluable advantage over physical storage space.

Lost or destroyed data can set a company back in numerous ways- with a cloud approach, this problem becomes nonexistent. 

Easily Scaleable

Do you want your business to grow? Is that a silly question? If so, taking on a cloud-first approach naturally improves the infrastructure's scalability than, say, utilizing your own internal serving and hosting. 

Most providers can help you scale as needed- based on your company's targeted goals for growth. You won't need total infrastructure redesigning or copying over your system again and again. Instead, backups are made automatically, and you can easily upgrade and adjust your plan according to your increase in size.