Rising costs and operational inefficiencies are the biggest hurdles to a better business. For small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), information technology (IT) in particular can be frustrating because of lack of access to adequate funds, resources, or expertise.

Since its inception, cloud services has become an in-demand enterprise technology, especially for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to a Gartner survey of 699 US-based SMBs in 2017, 62% are already using cloud computing, while 33% are planning to implement the technology.

Disaster recovery plans aren’t just nice things to have — they’re critical for safeguarding the future of your organization, should the worst happen. According to FEMA, some 40% of companies close their doors for good after a natural disaster, and that’s not even taking into consideration the man-made catastrophes that can affect your organization.

If cybersecurity isn’t at the forefront of your technology strategy, then it definitely should be. Small- and medium-sized businesses are a favorite target for hackers because they manage sensitive information and are not as well fortified as large corporations.

The cloud is the best thing that ever happened to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). That’s because technologies that were previously available only to large enterprises are now within their reach.

However, not all SMBs are willing to make the transition to the cloud, either because they think it’s expensive or less safe than on-premises systems.

Business owners must be realistic about how they deal with catastrophes and prepare for them now. Baltimore businesses, in particular, are no stranger to devastating disasters. In May, the region experienced massive flooding that halted all business activities, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and lost revenue.

There are several advantages to managing your own technology. With an in-house IT department, you have full control of your systems and you’re less likely to worry about your data’s security. But today’s small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have more complex technological demands that an in-house IT staff may be unable to handle.

Power outages, floods, equipment failures, man-made errors, and other disasters lead to data breaches and IT downtime. Without a disaster recovery plan, your business will spend thousands of dollars repairing damages and regaining lost profits. Considering that 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster, neglecting disaster recovery puts your company's existence at serious risk.

If you’ve decided to move your business to the cloud, then you’ve already made the first step toward transforming your operations. Things don’t stop there, however – the next step is to decide who will host your data and systems, and how everything will be set up.