A recent report from Intuit had us wondering: why were so many Canadian small business owners running their business from their smartphone, but not using cloud technology?
Last week BetaKit teamed up with Dell for a #DellSMBchat to get some answers. Joining us were several Dell cloud experts, as well as David Thomas, an Intuit Sr. Marketing Manager focused on small business. Check out the best of what they had to say below.
Can you define the cloud in 140 characters?
A1: The cloud is a remote network of servers used to store and manage information #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A1: Infrastructure and apps available on-demand with self-service, broad network access, scalability and chargeback #NIST #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A1: Not every system that's available on the network is automatically a cloud, e.g NAS isn't automatically cloud-storage #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
Breaking down the difference: public, private, and hybrid clouds
A2: Each is a type of delivery model for the characteristics mentioned in the definition of cloud #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
A2: Private Cloud is maintained on a private network, Public Cloud is maintained over the internet #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A2: Hybrid Cloud can be a combination of public and private services, infrastructures and providers #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A2: Key is private cloud is dedicated to use by one tenant, public is shared #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A2: And most organizations will use a combination of all three #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
A2: Private and Public clouds have different security requirements and management methods. Done well, both are secure. (1/2) #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A2: But there are certain data sovereignty and compliance rules that necessitate encryption or private cloud use for low risk #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
On low cloud adoption among Canadian small businesses
Q3: A recent Intuit report (https://t.co/SkGX96Fht0) shows that only 31% of small business are cloud-enabled. Why so low? #DellSMBchat
— BetaKit (@BetaKit) July 21, 2016
A3: That # is up 6% from the previous year, as more SMBs are realizing the value of the #cloud to help them save time and money #DellSMBchat
— Intuit QuickBooks CA (@QuickBooksCA) July 21, 2016
A3. Cloud and IoT is too nebulous for most small businesses. There's a real lack of use-cases to explain potential value #DellSMBchat
— Think_Lyndon (@THINK_Lyndon) July 21, 2016
A3. A lot of small businesses may not fully understand the tools they use are cloud-enabled #DellSMBchat https://t.co/mEy6xbs0mn
— Think_Lyndon (@THINK_Lyndon) July 21, 2016
A3: That might be a very strict definition of "cloud-enabled". When you use Office365, Dropbox, or Skype, you're using cloud #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
So why should small businesses choose the cloud?
A4: There are many benefits of Cloud technology including increased security, flexibility and productivity #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A4: The benefits include faster time to market, greater levels of efficiency and IT becoming a center for innovation #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
@BetaKit @DellSmbCA like any opex, if a business shows efficiency and cost savings, the benefits of cloud are self funding. #dellSMBchat
— Maninder Chauhan (@maninderchauhan) July 21, 2016
A4: Cloud also lowers the risk of new projects and prototypes because sandboxing cost next-to-nothing. No more begging IT. #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
Cloud-based software is an investment that pays dividends long term. SMBs can save time & resources & operate from anywhere #DellSMBchat
— Intuit QuickBooks CA (@QuickBooksCA) July 21, 2016
Q5: Follow-up to previous question – when and why would you mix cloud services? #DellSMBchat
— BetaKit (@BetaKit) July 21, 2016
A5: Mixing cloud services strategically can reduce IT complexity and increase security #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A5: Mixing the adoption of cloud services enables IT to optimize opex and capex models by application and service type #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
A5: Every workload, the data it operates on, your risk tolerance, your IT skillset, and your budget determine the right cloud. #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A5: In order to get the best economics and the right SLAs for your business, a hybrid approach offers the best answer #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A5: Most organizations will get to a hybrid cloud model to achieve "the best of both worlds" #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
How Canadian small businesses can make the right cloud choice
A7. It needs to be a business strategy, not just a technology one @BetaKit #DellSMBchat
— Think_Lyndon (@THINK_Lyndon) July 21, 2016
A7: Businesses will need to adopt cloud technology and develop a cloud strategy to avoid falling behind within their industry #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A6: Know your scale requirements, assess your business priorities, think future-ready and ask questions #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A6: SBOs need to keep an eye out for providers that can help as they grow and shift their cloud mix over time. #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
A7: best way to stay in tune is to get your hands dirty. Cloud is cheap and easy to acquire. If you mess up, reset and go. #dellsmbchat
— Adeel Omer (@geekinaustin) July 21, 2016
They can @DellSmbCA but the biggest roadblock is often not knowing where/how to start #dellsmbchat
— Think_Lyndon (@THINK_Lyndon) July 21, 2016
A8: Use experts to help develop a cloud strategy whether you’re in the planning, migrating or managing process #DellSMBchat
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) July 21, 2016
A8: A great resource is the TechCenter community at Dell https://t.co/oTXTN1aCvd #dellsmbchat
— Jim Wescott (@JimWAtDell) July 21, 2016
SBOs can visit the #QuickBooks site to learn more: https://t.co/HZlCCBLgjH #DellSMBchat @BetaKit
— Intuit QuickBooks CA (@QuickBooksCA) July 21, 2016
#Entrepreneurs – If you’re not in the cloud, you’re missing out on an opportunity to tap into a global customer base #DellSMBchat
— Intuit QuickBooks CA (@QuickBooksCA) July 21, 2016