Cloud Computing (def: your servers and applications are somewhere else)
Cloud computing is quickly becoming a standard for small- to medium-sized businesses who want to save money, gain piece of mind, and have a plan for their IT future. 
Azure cloud services and Office 365 provide redundant, reliable, and scalable solutions that can be designed to fit the largest of enterprise environments or the everyday needs of small business owners everywhere.
The cloud offers many advantages over on premise computing solutions: Eliminating hardware maintenance costs; reducing service calls/onsite visits; securing your infrastructure within one of the most advanced data centers in the world; and peace of mind knowing your data is safe and always accessible with a geo-redundant solution that replicates your data to a second Microsoft data center within the same region.
At Innovia, we have moved several customers to the cloud. Some of them are leveraging both Microsoft’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platform for their infrastructure hosting needs and some Microsoft’s Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for Office 365 Exchange and SharePoint. Of course, we have those who’ve gone all in, using Azure for their infrastructure, Office 365 for SharePoint and Exchange, as well as the Office Professional products. Let’s not forget about OneDrive storage and document sharing (great for home and work!).
Using these platforms in Hybrid Server and Cloud environments is also fun for your internal IT team. Providing an environment where you can safely test your strategies and new technology without jeopardizing your business. Your team will appreciate the safety, security, and opportunity to have a playground of this nature. Your executive team will appreciate a chance to test your IT team's theories without having to invest in a lot of expensive hardware. Currently, we have been exploring on premise SQL Server backups to Windows Azure SQL servers for the purpose of redundancy, testing, and load balancing.
Cloud computing is here to stay. Most practical business models can take advantage of Microsoft’s cloud services and customizable service packages to drive success and sustainability within their industry. This is why ABC Computers is a proud partner of Microsoft and uses Azure and Office 365 every day for its own infrastructure needs.
