Large businesses mostly embrace the latest cloud trends, valuing the cloud’s increased security, lower IT costs and greater productivity compared to traditional methods of storage and collaboration. Small and medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, should not shy away from the IT technologies used by bigger companies. Cloud trends, in particular, can help SMBs double their profits.

When responding to the latest cloud trends, SMBs should keep the following in mind.

Select a Vendor Carefully

Choosing a cloud vendor is very important, impacting the extent of security and cost of business. The emerging nature of the cloud prompts a variety of businesses into the niche, though some neglect to prioritize the vendor selection process, resulting in a subpar experience. Businesses should seek out vendors that take time to get to know the company, as well as a vendor with a positive reputation and reviews online.

Switching vendors after moving into the cloud can be costly and frustrating, so it’s best to choose the right vendor the first time. A thorough, careful vendor selection process will help with a more seamless cloud experience.

Integrate the Cloud with Existing Tech and Protect Data

One business’ technical infrastructure will be different than another’s, making the task of integrating the cloud with existing tech a largely personalized experience. A quality cloud vendor will work with a business to seamlessly integrate with existing tech like data centers, as well as protocols like disaster recovery and management changes. In fact, many cloud vendors offer user ease and protection of data off-site, making cloud vendors a line of defense against the rise of cyber threats.

Embrace Monitoring Tools

SMBs should use performance monitoring tools for their existing servers, especially to effectively see how a cloud platform can improve regarding performance and security. A business evaluating PaaS and IaaS solutions based on their in-house servers will struggle to identify over- or under-use. Conversely, the cloud provides a wide variety of options regarding instance selection and performance monitoring, helping SMBs get the most out of their performance and storage.

Thoroughly Acquaint the IT Team with the Cloud

A part of SMB’s response to cloud implementation should be to give IT staff time to learn the new systems. Since most SMBs have small IT teams that may lack cloud experience, management should harness expectations as they provide their IT team with cloud training that helps with adopting and managing IaaS and PaaS solutions. A quality cloud vendor can help with the training process, as well as several outsourced cloud-based training programs.

Consider Automation and Self-Service Cloud Tools

SMBs often do not possess ample time and resources, so automation and self-service tools within the cloud can be handy. For example, HappyFox provides a mixture of automation and self-service for tracking and managing helpdesk tickets, helping reduce workload and improving customer service in the process. Vivantio Pro is another tool with similar capabilities, allowing IT managers to create custom fields and forms to help support customers with specialized equipment and unique issues.

SMBs should respond to and embrace the latest cloud trends, though also use prudence and patience as their staff adapts to the platform and they integrate with a reliable cloud vendor.

Bio: Nathan Sykes writes about trends in the Tech industry with a focus on business and IT. To read more from Nathan, check out his blog, Finding an Outlet.