<p>In recent years, cloud computing services have made it more affordable and easier than ever for entrepreneurs to start up and run their businesses. But a report released today from Symantec highlights some potential costs of moving to the cloud that may bite the unprepared.</p><p>Symantec, in its 2013 State of the Cloud Survey, surveyed more than 3,000 organizations across 29 countries and found certain problems coming up again and again. "The benefits of the cloud are tremendous," says Tom Powledge, the vice president of products and services for Symantec's cloud and small-business group, but you have to take precautions to protect yourself.</p><p>Before moving key business functions to the cloud, the first step is to decide which areas of your business you want to entrust to a cloud service. Email management is the most common, with entrepreneurs ditching Microsoft Outlook and similar programs for web-hosted services such as Gmail. Once you've figured out what you want to move to the cloud, it's time to start researching compliance issues and determining how to manage the flow of data.</p><p>Below are what Powledge considers the top three hidden costs and advice on how to avoid them.</p><p><a href="http://news.terra.com/how-to-avoid-the-clouds-hidden-costs,c47e1a7db0e4c310VgnCLD2000000dc6eb0aRCRD.html">Keep reading...</a></p>