If the growth in data center capacity in the Chicago area (doubling since 2015) is any indication, the IT landscape looks extremely bright. By mid 2022, capacity had surpassed 2021 highs. Little wonder that also in 2022, Site Selection Magazine once again named Chicago as the top U.S. metro for corporate investment. But how do Chicago area small businesses navigate this promising landscape? What does the increase in data center capacity mean to small businesses in Chicago?
IT Infrastructure – On Premises or Cloud-Based
The data centers represent the growing area of IT technology, cloud computing. Public clouds offer the increased storage and computing capacity demanded by the new advances in IT such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Moving to cloud-based infrastructure means Chicago businesses need to enlist the expertise of cloud migration services. But first, what is the difference between on premise and cloud-based computing?
In simple terms, small businesses can choose to support their IT infrastructure in one of two ways or a combination of both.
On Premises
An organization may choose to house their IT system totally on premise. They own and manage all the hardware supporting their business systems. The servers housing their data may sit in an office or the company may rent space from a “colo,” a colocation center that merely secures the hardware without managing its function or reliability.
Cloud-Based
Increasingly organizations are taking advantage of cloud computing where they lease data storage capacity from a public cloud host such as Microsoft or Google. The hosting organization owns the hardware and the software that manages the data flow between the data center and the business network as well as hosts some or all of a business’ software applications. They also maintain cybersecurity software that monitors any threats to these systems.
Hybrid
Some businesses opt for a hybrid form of cloud computing. In this model the IT infrastructure is distributed between private and public cloud and on-premise storage and computing services.
Cloud Migration
Many small businesses are opting to migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud, recognizing the advantages of cloud computing over supporting their entire IT system on premise. Here are just some of the pluses:
· Economy – Businesses only pay for the capacity they use and do not need to purchase, provide space, and maintain their own hardware;
· Security – Public clouds provide high-level security as well as secure communications networks;
· Capacity –Artificial intelligence applications (AI) and the Internet of Things (IOT), increasingly useful technological developments, require the capacity to process exceedingly large amounts of data; this larger capacity is available via the cloud.
Cloud Migration Services
Many small businesses start with an IT infrastructure housed on premise. But as their need for IT support grows, these organizations find they lack the internal time and expertise to manage IT in-house. And the dangers of cybersecurity breaches become greater as their equipment and applications age.
They know cloud computing may bring relief, but moving from on-premises computing to cloud computing seems daunting. Small businesses with limited IT expertise need the help of Chicago cloud migration services. These managed service providers (MSP) have the consultants with the expertise and tools to successfully manage a cloud migration project. Chicago-based cloud migration services also provide IT professionals who can walk a small business through the transition and ensure your business operations move seamlessly to the new IT infrastructure.
If you are a small business located in the greater Chicago metro area and you would like to explore the possibility of cloud computing for your IT infrastructure, contact the professionals at JMA Consulting, LLC. They can meet with you to determine if cloud computing is right for you as well as provide cloud migration services.
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