Despite evidence demonstrating the business efficiencies, cost reductions, and economic edge that cloud computing holds, a significant portion of the corporate world persists without it. The term "cloud computing" has become frequently used in recent years. It is getting more daunting for individuals and organizations to maintain all of their crucial data, programs, and systems running on the office computer servers as a direct consequence of the expeditious increase in data use that has ushered our society into the digital era. Even though the solution to the crisis is about as old as the Internet, organizations have only recently extensively used it. Cloud computing is simply storing, managing, and processing data on a network of remote servers housed on the Internet instead of a local server or personal computer. To provide rapid innovation, customizable resources, and capacity utilization, cloud computing, in its technical form, is the delivery of computing services via the Internet ("the cloud"), comprising servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence. Cloud services often require monetary compensation, enabling you to scale as your business requirements change, manage your infrastructure more efficiently, and reduce expenditures.
Three basic categories of cloud computing are used according to the needs of a particular organization. They are:
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Software as a Service is the most popular for small businesses. Instead of conventional software programs stored on in-house servers, the user can access web-hosted applications through a browser. The user has limited flexibility over the configuration settings since the host handles all the application's settings and upgrades. A typical example is a web-based mail service like Gmail.
Infrastructure as a Service. An excellent example of this is Windows Azure. Here, the service provider manages the physical computer components, such as the CPU, memory, data storage, and network connectivity. The user leases the computer equipment, including the storage devices, from an external provider and accesses it via a closed network or the Internet.
Platform as a Service. This service combines SaaS and IaaS, where the user rents both the hardware and the IaaS offers and the bandwidth that SaaS offers. PaaS gives you greater flexibility to personalize according to your demands and complete command over the technical parts of your software platform.
Users can gain access to all of the system's functionalities and files from the cloud regardless of the user's location instead of saving their system's data on their local devices. As advantageous as these technologies are for individual use, they are even more instrumental for companies that need access to vast volumes of data through a safe, online network connection. However, some corporate executives are still reluctant to use cloud computing technologies. So let's take a moment to list some benefits of cloud computing.
Backup and restore data
Data not stored in-house makes a business's data immune to disasters and natural calamities that may befall the business. This high level of security is made possible by the business's ability to back-up data externally on the cloud. This data can later be retrieved at will by the authorized personnel. And in case of a server failure, data in cloud computing is duplicated across multiple servers to ensure nothing is lost.
Unlimited storage capacity
This feature is specifically advantageous for big organizations handling a lot of data at any time. The cloud allows you to store as much information as you need without purchasing additional storage devices.
Automatic Updates
Packages offered mainly include authorization to automatic updates for your data requirements. Some cloud computing service providers offer their clients the most sophisticated technology upgrades to their systems. Updated software, as well as improvements to servers and computer processing capacity, are usually added features.
Flexibility
With cloud computing, the workspace is not confined to just one geographical area. Instead, it gives the user the freedom to work effectively from anywhere. For instance, employees can access the data they need for work with an internet connection. It also saves time taken to commute to the office.
Cost-effective
Cloud computing service providers operate on a Pay-As-You-Go basis which ensures that individuals only pay for the space and features that they use. Cloud computing also nullifies the need to purchase storage devices and software updates since the service providers issue automatic software updates. This is arguably the best advantage of cloud computing so far.
Mobility
In this technological era where a large percentage of the population has access to a mobile phone, cloud computing allows access to data from any device that is authorized to access it. This also allows organizations to use freelance workers and free up office space for other essential activities. It provides an outstanding work-life balance since employees do not spend long hours in the office, boosting employee morale.
Data Security
The most important job for a cloud computing service provider is securing their client's data. Cloud hosts ensure that all the data in their possession is highly encrypted and dedicate a lot of their time to 24-hour security monitoring in contrast to the traditional means employed by organizations for their in-house data. By ensuring that data being transmitted is encrypted and implementing different security measures for different clients, information is made less vulnerable to hackers. The user's security settings can also be configured into the cloud's measures for extra protection.
Quality Control
Consistency and good quality grade products are some of the building blocks of a successful business. Cloud computing gives employees access to the same data, thus enforcing consistency, preventing human errors, and keeping track of any edits applied to data.
Environment Friendliness
With the world in an environmental crisis, everyone is looking to migrate to more sustainable practices. Cloud computing is the epitome of sustainable practice. The Pay-as-you-use feature in cloud computing allows organizations to use just the space and features they need. This ensures that power is not wasted. With organizations moving to cloud computing, fewer computer equipment are being manufactured. This practice, in turn, reduces the carbon footprint of organizations and individuals.
Scalability
As organizations grow, they need to scale up is usually accompanied by vast purchases of extra equipment and additional staff. While scaling down, organizations need to get rid of lots of equipment they do not need anymore and lay off many employees; this never looks good for the company's public relations. However, with cloud computing, the host handles all scaling up and down. This feature frees up the user's time to focus on other matters.
Insights
In this digital era, more and more organizations realize the power held by data. The phrase data is money is becoming popular by the day. Within all the customer data held by the host lies invaluable information on how to improve service provision. Cloud service providers offer integrated analytical tools that help organizations make data-driven decisions. Organizations with their own data analysts could also quickly and efficiently sort through data since all the data is consistent and readily available.
Top comments (1)
Counterpoint, without taking away from your arguments (which I substantially agree with!)
Now that I'm a "higher up" I'm in the interesting position of arguing against cloud computing. Not entirely, but in some situations. It's odd, right?
Some people float the term "hybrid-cloud". I'm especially partial to cloud failovers - Where on-premise hardware fails, cloud hardware takes over.