Scalability is “the ability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work in a capable manner or its ability to be enlarged to accommodate that growth.” For a business, scalability means that you are prepared to handle an increasing number of customers, clients, and/or users.
In a perfect world, a business could build exactly the kind of IT infrastructure that they need. That infrastructure would have exactly the right amount of computing, storage, and networking capabilities, to both accommodate existing customers and to prepare for new customers in the future. The reality is, most companies don’t have the kind of resources, staff, and budget necessary to create that ideal IT infrastructure. Cloud services are often the best way to fill that gap, giving companies access to the resources they need to scale up or down to accommodate their current business environment.
Businesses need to grow in order to be successful, and if your business isn’t prepared for that growth from an IT perspective, it can crash and burn. Say you spend money on a marketing campaign, driving potential new customers to your website. Traffic increases from 1,000 hits a day to 10,000 hits a day. If you aren’t ready for the massive increase in hits, your website may go down. Those potential customers will remember that your business has a broken website, and will look to your competitors instead.
This could have been easily avoided with a managed hosting service. The service provider can easily upgrade your hosting package so that you have access to the IT resources you need to accommodate your new customers, without having to upgrade your company’s own internal IT infrastructure.
On the other hand, if your business runs in cycles, with predictable high points and low points, you can scale down the resources you purchase from your service provider during the low points, only purchasing what you need and saving money.
Scalability means flexibility, allowing you to better address specific business needs as they arise. It’s a crucial factor in helping your business grow and succeed. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.