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Leveraging the cloud is a highly efficient and cost-effective way for businesses to access the technologies and services that are critical to running a successful business in today's global marketplace. However, there are many small and medium-sized businesses today that are still fearful of embracing cloud and taking their business to the next level. That’s where Intermedia (News - Alert) comes in, an email hosting provider that has recently made it its mission to debunk the top three cloud myths and help SMBs achieve desired success.

Some SMBs believe that the cloud is not secure. However, in actuality the cloud is extremely safe and data centers are very secure. When it comes to back-up, cloud-based solutions are an  cost-effective option to keep important data securely stored in a location other than the office. The cloud is also a great option, when considering possible disasters such as a fire or flood, as well as break-ins.

SMBs can find a cloud provider with a guaranteed security background through the Cloud Security Alliance, which is not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within cloud computing. Intermedia is a corporate member of the CSA and delivers best-in-class cloud services security.

Another myth being spread rampantly is that the cloud is unreliable and customer service is poor. The truth is that not all clouds are created equal, and with premium services comes premium customer service. While evaluating the various cloud options, businesses need to understand there are discernible differences in each cloud service provider, and while most clouds are built to optimize costs, not all are built to deliver the specific requirements of businesses. There are reliable cloud service providers with live 24/7 help desks, like email hosting provider Intermedia and SherWeb.

By seeking out 24/7 customer support and an industry-leading 99.999 percent financially backed service level agreements, SMBs can trust that their cloud provider is always available.

Migrating data is difficult, time consuming and costly is another myth that affects SMBs.

For an SMB, moving to the cloud is an affordable option. When choosing a cloud service provider, it is important to select one that takes an active role in the migration process with a network of trained, value-added resellers available. It has been found that more efficiency is created in the cloud with the integration of services.

An integrated offering allows access to all the products and services from a single control panel, with just one bill, and most importantly, one support team who can help across the board. Without an integrated offering, businesses will need to opt for many providers, which will ultimately increase the bills.

In a statement, Michael Gold, president, Intermedia, said, "Once small and medium-sized businesses move beyond the myths associated with the cloud, they can become more competitive through the Fortune 50 level IT services provided by cloud computing. Risk mitigation is critical for SMBs and Intermedia delivers this reliability at a cost reduction of 50 to 70 percent from the traditional, on-premise model, delivering more secure, reliable, better supported and highly available technology services such as Exchange for e-mail, SharePoint for document management, hosted PBX (News - Alert) for voice, and more."

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