SMBs Need to Think 'Cloud'side the Box

Let’s get one thing straight – the cloud is not just a fad. While we often look back in history and shake our heads and think, why did we do that, the vision and implementation of cloud will become ubiquitous, especially as new services blossom and grow in its shining, warm light. There’s certainly a difference between vendors who rebrand and claim to be “cloud” (who often meet swift rejections) as opposed to those who have true cloud offerings. While cloud adoption continues to skyrocket, one prediction has been made very clear: hybrid cloud is the future of SMBs.

SMBs have a lot to on their plate to deal with; compliancy issues, convenience and especially costs when working within this frigid economy. In light of this, even large public cloud vendors are teaming up with private cloud infrastructure providers, as the hybrid cloud enables SMBs to create a unified IT staff while simultaneously securing on-premise customer data. As cloud adoption increases, so will the world’s perceiving of it. According to one major player, the cloud is not just a handful of popular browser-based applications anymore; it’s an SMB revelation.

“For ‘cloud’ to go mainstream it means more adoption of hybrid cloud, i.e. the ability of an organization to optimize computing resources in IaaS data centers and on-premise in private clouds. At the end of the day, a cloud strategy must involve a ‘silo-reduction’ and application unification commitment by customers,” says Joe Bentzel, CMO at Entreda, a provider of next-generation IT-as-a-Service infrastructure and applications.

With plenty of experience in the space, Entreda serves as a Gold Sponsor at the highly prestigious upcoming Cloud4SMB EXPO event, located at booth #1424. This event serves as the first and only of its kind that focuses directly on the unique needs and challenges faced by small- to medium-sized businesses looking to embrace the full benefits of cloud computing solutions.

Just how fast will cloud go mainstream, though? “Communication today is largely what one would call UC, or unified communications,” says Bentzel. “UC can be delivered cost-efficiently from cloud infrastructure.” In other words, could the world of communication as we know it one day be completely dominated by cloud – and specifically – hybrid cloud?

While Bentzel remains confident in the hybrid cloud movement, he also acknowledges that SMBs are not going to throw everything they know away and essentially abandon their existing on-premise IT investments overnight. He does say, however, that “compliance issues will drive SMBs to favor hybrid cloud environments. Customer data privacy and protection issues require them to. It’s the smart move and the safe move…[it’s] the future of the SMB space.”

Bentzel comes from a highly skilled team of experienced professionals at Entreda, who’s Co-Founder, President and CEO, Sid Yenamandra, is speaking at the Cloud4SMB EXPO. Yenamandra will be providing unprecedented insight and knowledge into the innovative and evolving fields of cloud infrastructure and applications, including storage, security, wireless communications and software-defined network (SDN).

Entreda’s first-ever hybrid cloud enabled IT-as-a-Service offering – Entreda Unify – will actually be showcased at the upcoming event, which offers small businesses and professional services firms  a competitive edge. The solution offers enhanced workplace connectivity, security, disaster recovery, helpdesk, channel partner collaboration, application services, hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) and more all in one single OPEX (News - Alert) subscription.

Entreda hears the hybrid cloud message loud and clear, and they clearly want to make that known when exhibiting at and sponsoring CLOUD4SMB EXPO.

Want to learn more about cloud computing solutions geared specifically towards small to medium-sized businesses? Don’t miss the Cloud4SMB Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct 2-5, in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at Cloud4SMB Expo. Follow us on Twitter.