BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing has been around for approximately two decades and despite the data pointing to the business efficiencies, cost Cloud Benefitss and competitive advantages it holds over the old way of business, a large portion of the business community continues to operate the old way.; According to a study by the International Data Group, 69 percent of businesses are already using cloud technology in one capacity or another, and 18 percent say they plan to implement cloud-computing solutions at some point. At the same time, Dell reports that companies that invest in big data, cloud, mobility, and security enjoy up to 53 percent faster revenue growth than their competitors. As this data clearly shows, an increasing number of tech-savvy businesses and industry leaders are recognizing the many Cloud Benefits of the cloud computing trend. But more than that, they are using this technology to more efficiently run their organizations, better serve their customers, and dramatically increase their overall profit margins.
Cost savings :
If you are worried about the price tag that would come with making the switch over to cloud computing, you aren’t alone; 20 percent of organizations are concerned about the initial cost of implementing a cloud-based server. But those who are attempting to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using the cloud need to consider more factors than just initial price; they need to consider ROI.
Once you’re on the cloud, easy access to your company’s data will save time and money in project start-ups. And, for those who are worried that they’ll end up paying for features that they neither need nor want, most cloud computing services are pay-as-you-go. This means that if you don’t take advantage of what the cloud has to offer, then at least you won’t have to be dropping money on it.
The pay-as-you-go system also applies to the data storage space needed to service your stakeholders and clients, which means that you’ll get exactly as much space as you need, and not be charged for any space that you don’t. Taken together, these factors result in lower costs and higher returns. Half of all CIOs and IT leaders surveyed by Bitglass reported cost savings in 2015 as a result of using cloud-based applications.
Flexibility :
Your business has only a finite amount of focus to divide between all of its responsibilities. If your current IT solutions are forcing you to commit too much of your attention to computer and data-storage issue, then you aren’t going to be able to concentrate on reaching business goals and satisfying customers. On the other hand, by relying on an outside organization to take care of all IT hosting and infrastructure, you’ll have more time to devote towards the aspects of your business that directly affect your bottom line.
The cloud offers businesses more flexibility overall versus hosting on a local server. And, if you need extra bandwidth, a cloud-based service can meet that demand instantly, rather than undergoing a complex (and expensive) update to your IT infrastructure. This improved freedom and flexibility can make a significant difference to the overall efficiency of your organization. A 65% majority of respondents to an InformationWeek survey said ‘the ability to quickly meet business demands’ was one of the most important reasons a business should move to a cloud environment.
Security :
One major hang up that many organizations have when it comes to adopting a cloud computing solution is the issue of security. After all, when files, programs, and other data aren’t kept securely on site, how can you know that they are being protected? If you can remote access your data, then what’s stopping some cyber criminal from doing the same thing? Well, quite a bit, actually.
For one thing, a cloud host’s full-time job is to carefully monitor security, which is significantly more efficient than a conventional in-house system, where an organization must divide its efforts between a myriad of IT concerns, with security being only one of them. And while most businesses don’t like to openly consider the possibility of internal data theft, the truth is that a staggeringly high percentage of data thefts occur internally and are perpetrated by employees. When this is the case, it can actually be much safer to keep sensitive information off-site. Of course, this is all very abstract, so let’s consider some solid statistics.
RapidScale claims that 94 percent of businesses saw an improvement in security after switching to the cloud, and 91 percent said the cloud makes it easier to meet government compliance requirements.
Disaster recovery :
One of the factors that contributes to the success of a business is control. Unfortunately, no matter how in control your organization may be when it comes to its own processes, there will always be things that are completely out of your control, and in today’s market, even a small amount of unproductive downtime can have a resoundingly negative effect. Downtime in your services leads to lost productivity, revenue, and brand reputation.
But while there may be no way for you to prevent or even anticipate the disasters that could potentially harm your organization, there is something you can do to help speed your recovery. Cloud-based services provide quick data recovery for all kinds of emergency scenarios’from natural disasters to power outages. While 20 percent of cloud users claim disaster recovery in four hours or less, only 9 percent of non-cloud users could claim the same. In a recent survey, 43 percent of IT executives said they plan to invest in or improve cloud-based disaster recovery solutions.