HowManaged Cloud Services Can Help YouAccelerate Business Growth

tie your people to one location. Any internet-enabled device, including laptops, smartphones, or notebooks can be used to access and share critical information and documents for strategic business decision-making.

The advantages of managed cloud were clear to see during the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses that were already in the cloud were able to adapt to the new remote working norms much quicker and more efficiently compared to non-cloud companies.

The Cloud Enhances Data Security tighten access to sensitive information in the cloud. servers are generally more prone to physical damages from disasters like tornados, floods, and fire.

Amajor concern of every business, regardless of size and industry, is the security of its data. Data breaches and other cybercrimes can devastate a company’s revenue, customer loyalty and brand reputation.

The Cloud Enables Efficient Team Collaboration Cloud computing can also enable significant efficiencies in work processes. The cloud allows collaboration on amuch larger scale among employees within an organization, and it lets multiple users from different departments access required information.

With the cloud, businesses can overcome physical boundaries by enabling an infrastructure that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. This fosters better collaboration among remote work teams and contributes to business growth.

By moving to the cloud, you virtually eliminate the investment that’s required for on-site redundant infrastructure. Although cloud computing does have some initial setup costs and training, you can achieve economies of scale at a much faster rate compared to on-site equipment. Cost-effectiveness is one of the major reasons why businesses across Oklahoma –and around the globe--choose the cloud over traditional systems.

The Cloud Offers Proven-Reliable Technology needs without suffering aloss in performance.

At the end of the day, the cloud gives your business the ability to leverage powerful computing power and infrastructure –along with added security and redundancy benefits –without the cost and complexity of building and maintaining an on-site solution. The inherent flexibility of the cloud means that you can start small and scale up as needed—and you only pay for the resources you consume. This allows you to expand or reduce your IT infrastructure as your business demands.

The adoption of cloud computing by small businesses is continuing to soar in popularity. With its low upfront cost and benefits that can include increased efficiency, anywhere access, improved cash flow, improved redundancy and back-up, and enhanced data security it’s easy to understand why.

In terms of aCox Business cloud solution, we offer acomplete portfolio of services designed to make the management of IT simple and easy, so you can maximize ROI and stay focused on growing your business. Best of all, the local Cox Business account team that Northeast Oklahoma companies have relied on to support their traditional technology needs is the same team that’s qualified to create custom managed cloud solutions for your business.

There are many productive reasons why businesses are choosing the cloud over traditional ways of computing and data storage. What follows are a few everyday examples that illustrate why cloud migration is agood choice for businesses of all sizes.

The Cloud is Flexible and Scalable Akey benefit of using the cloud is its scalability. With an on-site data solution, you need to invest in physical servers, networking equipment, and software licenses to scale up your business. And once that investment is made, it’s hard to scale back. Many businesses leverage the cloud to manage their bandwidth requirements, because services can easily scale up or down based on user requirements.

Cloud services are also exceptionally flexible. They don’t

The cloud offers many advanced security features that ensure your data is securely stored and managed. Features like permission-only access and specified log-on protocols can restrict sensitive data to specific employees, which reduces the chance of abreach by malicious actors.

Managed cloud providers implement baseline protections for platforms and data, such as authentication, access control, and encryption. Most businesses supplement these protections with added security protocols of their own to bolster cloud data protection and

When businesses combine cloud technology with managed services, they can share information efficiency, prevent human error, and speed up the decision-making. This helps you boost productivity by focusing on the core tasks that matter most.

The Cloud is Cost-Effective Scaling up an on-premises infrastructure can be expensive. It requires additional investment in hardware, network equipment, software licenses and in-house technicians. When you factor in maintenance and installation costs, it can get extremely pricey. Also, on-site

Cloud computing technology has been around nearly 20 years, and it’s estimated that over 60% of all corporate data is currently stored in the cloud. By 2025, it’s estimated half of all business IT spending will be for cloud computing. Clearly, both big and small businesses recognize the benefits of cloud computing, and how it positively impacts production, collaboration, security, and revenue.

With amanaged cloud solution, your digital resources remain safe and secure, and are accessible anytime and anywhere. Your IT infrastructure performs reliably and as expected, and the system can seamlessly scale up or down to accommodate business

Cloud computing has been proven effective for any size business, but small companies can especially benefit from the way it boosts productivity, improves data security, enables automation, and improves workflow. With asolid-yet-flexible cloud strategy, you can create asustainable road map that will help grow and future-proof your business.

For more information about how Cox Business Cloud Solutions can be agamechanger for your company, contact your Cox Business account executive, or email Jason.Ludwig@cox.com. We’ll meet to assess your needs and create acustomdesigned cloud strategy specifically for your business.

What’s thelatestinflooring trends? Grigsby’sCarpet, Tile &HardwoodwenttoLas Vegastofind out. Here’s what they found.

PennyCarnino walked about 27 milesrecentlyinLas Vegas.

Carnino,director of operations at Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile &Hardwood, didn’t getall those stepsinonthe LasVegas Strip.She just returned from SURFACES,the largestNorth American floor covering, stone and tile industry event. Carnino is a regular at the annual summit and brings the industry’slatestideas, technologyand knowledgeback home to Tulsa.

“Wejust gotbackfrom market, so we’veseenall the new introductions of hardwood, vinyl plank,carpet, tile and stone,” Carnino said.

Flooring, just likeany other product, is subject to trends. Carnino’s trip to LasVegas helps keep her in the loop with what is popular.She said rightnow, everything is stilltrending toward neutral colorsliketans and browns. Thenatural color trend has been around afew consecutive years.

“There are always wonderful new introductions thathighlight style and design, but the trend where most people live are the neutral tones,”she said. “Stillthe grays, tan to lighter brown color familyisthe most popular.Wedid noticemore bluetonesthis time around.

“Itseems to be thatpeople are stillgoing to things thatare lighter and brighter,” Carnino said. “And the natural colorsall trend thatway, so it makes sense thatluxury vinyl and wood would allcontinueto trend thatway.”

Grigsby’s has beeninbusiness since1959. Almost every kind of flooring type imaginable has trended and at one point sold at the store.

“In the early‘80smauve was big,”Carnino said. “You don’t see toomuchmauve anymore. At times, the colorshave beenalot darker. Thewoodcolorsgoing to allthe naturals is pretty different rightnow.It’sbeentrending that wayfor the last couple of years, but in the past, it certainlyhasn’t been thatway.Woodfloorshave allbeen darkerand the luxury vinylplank original trend wasmuchdarker than it is now. ”

It isn’t toodifficult forlocal business managerslikeCarnino to stay ahead of the constantly changing flooring trends. She said Grigsby’s manages by staying in the neutral zone to matchdesiresof local customers.

Geography has something to do with it.

“The coasts seem to color-wise trend alittle different,”Carnino said. “The East Coast tends to be a little darkerand the West Coast and Florida seems to be alittle more pastel. And we’vealwaysbeenthe beige Midwest, Ihatetosay.”

Carnino added the Midwest trends canbecolorful in some areas, but mostlystick with earthier flooring tones.

“It’snot thatwedon’t add our pop of color in other areas, we certainly do,” Carnino said. “But wood colors and other flooring products have beendarkerinthe past, knownas an old worldstyle, and nowthey’ve alltended to be lighter.We’re stillin amore beige,gray, greigetone. So, as farasthe things thatwestock we stay in thatcolor palette.”

Technological advances are another reason flooring options can become trendy. Carnino usedthe example of polyester, asynthetic fiber thathas beenimprovedinthe last decade “Years and yearsago polyester wasnot agoodfiber,”Carnino said. “They’ve madehugeimprovements in thatareaand so whereas nylon is stillthe most resilient or certainly more resilient, there are lots of polyesterfibers…thatare really great now, but yearsago theywere terrible, back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Some flooring options available at Grigsby’s are created with sustainabilityinmind.

“Wehave alot of companiesthat produce products rightnow with recycledplastic bottlesand there’s some of them thatdothatwith carpet,”Carnino said. “It’sstill an evolution of product moving in that environmentally friendlyway.”

Cork and bamboo are some of the more environmentally friendly materials shopperscan elect to purchase.

“Asour landfills continuetofill up with products thatwechange and getrid of,those are just some things thatpeople want to think about,”Carnino said. “I think our industry strives to getbetterabout thatall the time, but it’s an ongoing processand that’ssomething where the mills and our vendorscontinue to do research and continueto move forwardinsome of those directions.

Customersinteresting in siding with the latest trends in flooring and tile willhave options as soon as theywalk through the Grigsby’s doors. Samplesare everywhere.

Allthe hardsurface products likeporcelain, ceramic and natural stone is on the rightsideofthe store’s showroom. Theleft side housesthe softsurface products, mainlycarpet, while the back of the store contains the luxury vinylplank and hardwood.

“So, youjust go through those elements and seewhatitisyou really like,”Carnino said. “You can talk with asalesperson and share what type of floor you’re interested in, your lifestyle, if you’ve gotkids and pets because youwant to get something that’sgoing to perform.”

Carnino said Grigsby’s triesto take the guessworkout of making alarge investment in afloor.All products are installedonthe floor to give customersachancetosee what products look likeinreallife.

In addition to the physical displays, Grigsby’s utilizesa digital tool called Roomvo to help customerssee what aflooring option willlook likeintheir homes.

“Lots and lots of the vendors offer tools likethatand Roomvo has alot of the vendorsinthe program thatonceyou scan the QR code, youcan upload apicture of your room. Then youcan download any of those products in your room to seewhatitlookslike,”Carnino said. “Ittakes the guessworkout of what the flooring might look like. Some people canenvision that, some people can’t.For thatreason, it’s a really helpful tool.”

Forthose customerswho want to show their ownpersonal style, Grigsby’s has alot of options to help them completetheir design dreams.