Businesses around the globe have been moving toward the cloud and are reaping the benefits of continuity, data security, and process efficiency. However, with more data comes more responsibility. This means that you’ll need to find the right kind of service that’s suitable to the infrastructure you have. Fortunately, various cloud management tools and solutions are available in the market. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Easily the largest and most well known cloud-based service, SaaS uses the cloud to deliver apps to users, and these apps are then usually accessed via a web browser. This means users who have access to the internet can access the software from any device, at any time. Unlike physical software that you install on your computer, SaaS solutions are hosted on a provider’s servers. In a nutshell, SaaS is:

• Available over the internet
• Hosted on a remote server by a third-party provider
• Scalable, with different tiers for small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses
• Inclusive, offering security, compliance, and maintenance as part of the cost

With SaaS, your provider is responsible for software maintenance and updates, which means users will all be using the same version of software and get updates at the same time. As a business owner, this means that managing the software on all of your computers is not only easier, but more affordable.

SaaS software solutions include office document creation suites, accounting software, email, HR solutions, content management, customer relationship management (CRM), and more.

2. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

PaaS is primarily used by developers who need a virtual environment for developing and testing their own custom software or applications. This means developers don’t need to build and maintain their own infrastructure (which is comprised of networking devices, storage, servers, an operating system, and other necessary hardware and software) from scratch when developing applications, saving the firm time and money. Most companies who utilize PaaS do so to either host or develop their own software solutions, or to provide support for software used by employees. PaaS platforms are:

• Accessible by multiple users
• Scalable — you can choose from various tiers of resources to suit the size of your business
• Built on virtualization technology
• Easy to run without extensive system administration knowledge

While PaaS is gaining in popularity with many small businesses, most won’t have firsthand interaction with this type of cloud because they won't need to build their own software or app.

3. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

IaaS offers services such as pay-as-you-go storage, networking, and virtualization. The most popular and well-known type of IaaS is the virtual machine — a digital version of a computer or server that is accessed over an internet connection. IaaS gives users cloud-based alternatives to expensive on-premises infrastructure so businesses can use their funds to invest in other things.

In other words, if you are looking to virtualize your systems via the cloud, IaaS is a good place to start, as it allows you to move existing support systems into the cloud. Other solutions can then be migrated or introduced as needed. IaaS is essentially:

• Highly flexible and scalable
• Accessible by multiple users
• Cost-effective

While the cloud offers a wide variety of benefits and solutions, choosing the service which is best for your company’s needs can be tedious. To ease this burden, get in touch with us today. We’ll help you find the best solution your business needs and ensure proper migration and implementation so you can focus on running your business.

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Modern internet users usually don’t spend much time on one page. According to researchers, adult attention spans have dropped to eight seconds, creating serious challenges for business owners who need to promote their website. To adapt in this age of instant gratification, website producers are employing several tactics.

Bite-sized content
While there are several elements that make an effective website, the most successful ones offer ‘snackable’ content. These are bite-sized chunks of information that give visitors everything they need to decide whether a website is worth their time. Microsoft’s homepage, for instance, gets straight to the point, promoting each of their services with one line of text and links to more details.

Besides accommodating short attention spans, concise content is easier to share on social media and increases brand awareness.

The point is, if you’re working on your website, make sure you’re not overloading visitors with walls of text. You can expand on products and services on separate pages, but even those need to be broken up into digestible segments.

Loading time
How fast a page loads is a crucial part of a website’s user experience. If it takes over three seconds to load, users will click away and go to a more responsive site. This is why modern websites optimize their content for speed and responsiveness.

High-resolution photos and videos slow down a website, especially if users are on mobile devices and networks. One way around this is by implementing mobile-friendly image formats that are quick and easy to load.

Another popular solution among website producers is Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). This solution creates a stripped-down, mobile-optimized version of websites so images and videos render quickly.

Personalization
Today’s internet users also want tailor-made experiences whenever they visit a site. They want the website to know what they’re looking for ahead of time so they don’t have to spend time digging for the information they need. Websites like Netflix, for example, use analytics to recommend movies and television shows a user might like based on their viewing history.

While most businesses don’t have access to the same resources as Netflix, they can utilize Google Analytics to understand the people visiting their website and use the insights to customize the content accordingly.

Some websites even ask what visitors are looking for to direct them to pages where the content is customized to their needs.

If you want to increase customer engagement and page visits, make sure you’re doing all these things with your website. Web trends can also change at any moment, so stay tuned to our blog to know about the latest developments.

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