Simply put, “the cloud” is just another name for the internet. The term “cloud” causes a lot of confusion but it’s actually pretty simple. The cloud (also called cloud computing) just means you are storing and using data and programs online instead of on your physical computer or network. Actually, you use the cloud every day. Every time you send an email, Google something, login to Facebook or binge watch your favorite series on Netflix, you are using the cloud. There are a number of good reasons to move to the cloud - but the takeaway is this: it gives you a level of flexibility and security that was just not possible in the past. Plus, you no longer have to maintain server hardware, backups or plan for costly upgrades which leaves you free to focus on the things that matter, like growing your business. At LMW we’ve chosen to partner exclusively with Microsoft Azure because it has the most comprehensive security & compliance coverage of any cloud provider. 90% of Fortune 500 companies trust Microsoft, and we do too.

It’s normal to fear what we don’t know – especially when it comes to new technologies. When you talk about security, the real question is how will moving your business to the cloud provide even more security than what you have now. Let us walk you through the basics – IT’S INDESTRUCTIBLE In most offices, a locked door is the main defense to protect networks and servers, important files, and business-related data. It wouldn’t take much to compromise it. On the other hand, if your work apps are in the cloud, they aren’t physically vulnerable to localized destruction. If a disaster happens in your office – fire, flood, theft, or good old-fashioned server corruption–you can get back to work as quickly as it takes to find another computer. IT’S MEGA SECURE Your data will be stored in a state of the art, mega-secure, Microsoft Azure Data Center. Take a virtual tour to see why this is a major step up from what most businesses can afford. Here are a few facts about Azure: They have the most comprehensive compliance coverage of any cloud provider. They have more certifications than any other cloud provider. They are the industry leader for customer advocacy and privacy protection. They provide unique data residency guarantees. They have invested over $15 billion in building their cloud infrastructure. They have over 1 million servers hosted in their datacenter. They have 100-plus datacenters in its global cloud infrastructure portfolio. Truth is, right now your office is probably nowhere near as secure.

Microsoft Azure reports 99.99+% uptime on their cloud service over the last 12 months. How much downtime do you typically suffer through each year? We know reliability runs deeper for you than just uptime. Take a look at these other benefits of running your business in the cloud: WE BACKUP OUR BACKUPS Do you lose sleep wondering if your systems are backed up? Do you run scenarios over and over in your head on what a data loss would mean to your organization? You can rest assured with LMW as we provide a redundant backup system with one image backup stored in Microsoft Vault and file/folder/data backups (that’s right – we backup our backup!). Not only is your data safely stored off site from your office (away from any physical threats), but your information is also stored in different data centers, just in case one is ever compromised. Still worried about backups? You are in good company because so is our CEO! He created a team that audits your backup each day to make sure they are successfully completed, so you can rest easy. PROTECTS AGAINST THREATS Security is a priority for every business. Technology is getting more complex, and security threats are getting more savage. It’s nearly impossible for small businesses to stay ahead of viruses and firewall threats. One of the biggest ways to ensure your data’s safety is to have up to date malware protection that is managed automatically and updated regularly. We use world-class malware software for your cloud services and virtual desktops to identify and remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. No worries – we manage and update your protection regularly without you having to lift a finger. Real-time protection – monitors activity in Cloud Services and on Virtual Machines to detect and block malware execution. Scheduled scanning – periodically performs targeted scanning to detect malware, including actively running programs. Malware remediation – automatically takes action on detected malware, such as deleting or quarantining malicious files and cleaning up malicious registry entries. Signature updates – automatically installs the latest protection signatures (virus definitions) to ensure protection is up-to-date on a pre-determined frequency. Active protection – reports detected threats and suspicious resources to Microsoft Azure to ensure rapid response to the evolving threat landscape. Samples reporting – provides and reports samples to the Microsoft Anti-malware service to help refine the service and enable troubleshooting. Anti malware event collection – records the anti malware service health, suspicious activities, and actions taken in the operating system event log.

It’s one of the most asked cloud computing questions: Is it less expensive to run your business from the cloud or continue with an on-prem IT environment? The answer is a definitive maybe. Despite what you may read elsewhere, moving to the cloud is not guaranteed to save you a ton of money. (Honesty from a company? Gasp!) But, the cloud ‘pay as and go’ model is kind to your cash flow and easier to plan for and you only pay for the options you want. Moving to the cloud helps you manage your business cost more easily. No need to keep spending cash upgrading your servers and no need for large capital to get started in the cloud. Instead, you pay the same fee every month. Simple, predictable and easy to plan for. What’s even better is that you can scale up if you need more and scale down if you need less – giving you more control. There are a lot of factors that go into determining cost for cloud services; like number of users, types of applications to be run in the cloud, amount of storage space, level of security, etc. – but the good news is, it’s pretty easy to calculate. Give us 2 minutes of your time answering a few questions and we’ll get right back to you with a quote designed specifically for your business. We look forward to chatting with you to show how LMW Consulting can help move your business to the cloud. Talk to you soon!