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With a lot of hype around cloud computing services like Web hosting, email hosting, and other applications hosting, it has become imperative for businesses to optimize the cloud for their business benefits.

Intermedia (News - Alert), a provider of cloud services to small businesses and a provider of Microsoft Exchange hosting services in association with the Small Business Association's (SBA) National Small Business Week, is offering five keys to help SMBs maximize the power of cloud.

"Leveraging the cloud is a highly efficient and cost effective way for businesses to access technologies and services that are critical to running a successful business in today's global environment,” said Michael Gold, president, Intermedia, in a statement. “However, it's important for businesses to understand that all clouds are not created equal – SMBs need to make sure their cloud services are business grade."

To leverage the cloud, it is important that SMBs require service providers to deliver a fully-integrated offering addressing the "three Cs” of cloud computing – communicating, collaborating and managing the content.

Secondly, SMBs should understand all clouds are not created equal. While most clouds are built to optimize cost, only the best are built to optimize speed, availability and the protection of data. Businesses that want to leverage the cloud or considering a move to the cloud should make security, control, support, integration and mobility top priorities.

While cloud services offer you a cost-effective alternative to traditional business communications, it is also important to understand that price is vital as the more you pay for a solution, the better quality solution you receive. With lower prices, you may sacrifice important services like 24/7 support, security, file and application back-up, and more.  

Next, the company advises SMBs to look for security, reliability and privacy aspects of cloud. Make sure your service provider can tell you where your data is stored in their data centers and ensure they have the ability to secure proprietary business data. Be sure your selected provider offers you enterprise-grade reliability, which means a guaranteed availability of at least 99.999 percent.  

Last but not the least, SMBs should not only look to address their needs today, but also to ensure cloud service providers can scale and enable tomorrow's technology. Enterprise mobility is the among the cloud's most compelling trends today and innovation and computing power in mobile devices will only continue to increase year over year.