Should You Put Your Intranet On the Cloud?
As the Sales Manager here at Intranet Connections I get a lot of questions from prospective clients on intranet installation and best practices. One question that seems to be popping up frequently during my intranet discussions is: “Can I put Intranet Connections in the cloud?” The answer to this is absolutely yes, but I have to ask….do you really want to?
There are arguments as to why the cloud is a good option for a place to house your intranet, including low maintenance and included tech support. However, putting your intranet in the hands of a provider can also lead to headaches you weren’t prepared for, including:
- Loss of Control
- Reduced Performance
- Ongoing Expenses
Let’s explore these:
How Long Can You Go Without Access to Your Intranet Data?
When you enlist the services of a cloud provider you are essentially putting all of your corporate data in the hands of someone else. So, if something happens and you need quick action it’s not as simple as walking downstairs and lighting up your IT staff to get the job done. You (as well as hundreds of other companies) will just have to wait until your provider is able to fix the problem. Even with the best cloud providers out there these types of hiccups have been known to happen and can take a long time to fix, especially if there are other companies affected besides yours – so the question to ask yourself is: “How long can I go without access to my data?”
Is Fast Intranet Site Performance a Concern?
With sometimes thousands of customers running their intranet and other systems out of one facility, it’s similar to hooking up a variety of garden hoses to one faucet. If 1:00pm hits and everyone is back from lunch being productive, all the hoses are turned on full blast, but there is only so much water in the faucet. Either there isn’t enough water for everyone, slowing your intranet down significantly, or the faucet malfunctions. If the latter happens…see: “How Long Can You Go Without Access to Your Intranet Data?” While I should mention that it is possible for this problem to exist with internal solutions as well, it is easier to manage the amount of resources available to you if those resources are located in-house.
Are You Concerned With Expenses?
In a day of cost cutting and IT budget strangleholds cost IS king. When looking at the short term, cloud solutions can be very attractive in terms of cost due to their small monthly fees. However, these payments need to be made over the life of your intranet software, which quickly adds up over time.
Some intranet providers only give you the option of hosting your intranet solution on the cloud. At Intranet Connections, we prefer you make the decision based on your environment and customer needs. Whichever route you choose, be it an internal hosted solution or placing your intranet on the cloud, our software allows you to keep your options open.
Do you have questions related to intranet implementation best practices? I would love to hear from you – clientservices@intranetconnections.com.
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