Cloud computing has had some misconceptions through 2014 that have snowballed to a point where people stop using this solution. Despite the Apple iCloud scare this year, everyone has to keep in mind no technology is perfect if it’s not used correctly. In the case of any security concerns, it’s all in how you monitor the cloud whether it becomes safe or not. With proper management, security lapses don’t have to happen. And when unexpected disaster strikes, the cloud becomes all the more important in how useful it is in helping a business get back on its feet. Natural Disasters With winter upon us, the chances of winter storms could bring disasters that could easily shut down your business for longer than you think. It was only last year when the Polar Vortex shut down a substantial portion of the east coast, with power outages for up to a week. While it depends on where you live in the United States, any kind of storm could happen and knock your power out during a critical time. Considering we’re right in the thick of the holiday season when your business is likely depending on customers more than ever, the last thing you want is to have downtime going on for more than a day. Even one day of downtime could cost you so much money that you never recover. With the cloud, you can place all your business data in one secure place for access anywhere in the world through an Internet line. As part of your business continuity plan, cloud computing plays an essential part. If you can quickly relocate to another place that has power and Internet, you re-access all of your business data instantly and get yourself back in order. Don’t forget, though, that Old Man Winter can sometimes be a person who creates just as many disaster scenarios. Man-Made Disasters With the recent Sony Pictures hack bringing down the company’s entire network, it’s amazing they didn’t have cloud backup so they could regain their files. The biggest companies sometimes get complacent about backing things up, only because nothing happened to them before. Your company could face the same issues this holiday season or in the coming year. So many cyber threats are out there now that it’s at red alert level. Every company should prepare for the worst possible scenarios, and a cloud solution is still the best way, including the best possible security. Let us help provide that solution for you, plus so much more here at Global IP Networks. Contact us about our comprehensive IT services so you can start the new year off right preparing for what 2015 is going to bring in the way of disasters and cyber threats.