How to NOT have a Pricing conversation about Azure!

Top benefits to a business being fully in the cloud, in the words of our customers and fellow business owners:

• “I love the scalability. With the ability to change it monthly, we can go up and down with employee count and the software each is running. This means we are able to match our costs with our business revenue.”?
• “I get more flexibility. We pay for programs we want and need, and change as needed.?My business can adapt as needed without wondering what it will take for technology to be there to support my business.”
• “I have a predictable cost. I know ahead what my costs will be, and can even predict the costs for changes in our capacity.”
• “I’m off the upgrade treadmill! I no longer have to research, plan for, pay for and do upgrades of hardware and much of our software.??That’s all included with being in the cloud.”??
• “I have more peace of mind, since someone else is taking care of keeping us running, and managing so much of our IT.”
• “We had to shift to operating expense vs capital expense. Our budget and finance groups wouldn’t allow us to buy technology. But with the cloud, we got more, now, and pay as we use it.?Everyone is happy.”
• “We avoid the expense of having in-house server room. There’s no need to dedicate space in the office for a server room. We aren’t paying for cooling and doing temperature and humidity monitoring and control. We can use the space to produce money for our business instead of consuming money.”
• “We get much greater reliability and uptime. It’s not only designed in, it’s guaranteed.??And they pay us if it ever isn’t met.”
• “We are able to access our programs and information from anywhere.?Staff can work from the office, home, on the road – even vacation. Easy. No trouble with having IT provide and change secure remote access. We get 30% more work done. We have been able to shift our business model to save money and get more done. We get more personal life too, being able to fit work in while still having a family life.”
• “We’re able to use virtually any device to work with our cloud computers. My staff can use their own computer; whatever they are comfortable with. I can travel with a tablet and get work done or look up results, reports or activities.?I can even do so from my smart phone.”
• “I have an improved business continuity plan. Information isn’t maintained at my location, where it could be stolen or subject to fire or other natural disaster. I can keep my business running from almost anywhere.”
• “Security is so much better. I have more confidence that my information stays only my information. I can easily add or remove users. I can control who has access to what information, from where, when. I can prevent my data from being downloaded or put onto media, where it could be given to a competitor. I get world-class protection.”
• “I have a more controlled workspace. I run a company and want my people to focus on using computers to work and take care of our customers. I like giving them the flexibility to set up their desktops within some limits, and yet having them only use the programs and functions that are both permitted and useful for them.”
• “We’ve transferred business risk. The cost and risk of the acquisition, maintenance and use of technology, and its obsolescence, is now someone else’s problem.”
• “Our employees feel like we’re investing in them. Using current technology, constantly being updated, allows our employees to best use the tools that help our business make clients happy – and keep coming back!”
• “We are better able to attract and retain employees. Our new employees can use their own computer or devices; what they are familiar with and like. They can work from anywhere and anytime; we offer flex time.”??
• “Being fully in the cloud is helping us be a Green company. Not only is it part of our company philosophy, but it helps us win business too.”
• “What an advantage for a Start-Up! The banks and investors want us to spend our startup money on bringing in business. Being in the cloud means we didn’t spend it on IT.”
• “The cloud helps us when we buy businesses. We quickly get them running in our corporate cloud environment.”
• “We no longer have outdated hardware and software. The cloud is providing us immediate access to the latest software and the fastest hardware, so we get a continued boost to our business from using current technology. Someone else keeps paying to maintain and upgrade it.”