Cloud computing provides a company the convenience of technology in the ever-changing and competitive business climate. Whether people are on their tablets, mobile phones, or their computers, cloud computing allows access to information right at their fingertips.
What is cloud computing and who can use it?
To put it simply, cloud computing is collaborating on, storing, and accessing data over the Internet. For small and mid-sized businesses, this pertains to an application that runs from the web and not directly from a desktop connected to the Internet. It offers SMEs and individuals the tools and programs required to working online in the same manner these tools and programs are installed on a computer. All that you really need, is a reliable Internet connection. Cloud computing is available for businesses of any size because it offers an ideal solution to working in a number of ways. Data, as previously mentioned, is easily accessible at any time, which means work can be done away from the office. More businesses are now opting to use cloud computing as they look to move away from having to store data on site.
Why use cloud computing?
Cloud computing saves business time and money by boosting productivity and improving collaboration and promoting innovation. While other companies have concerns regarding the safety of the cloud, SME cloud use is on the rise.
Lower costs
With the practical nature of cloud computing, there is high utilization and a fluid work flow especially in the face of heavy load. The same server infrastructure will be used as other organizations which means the cloud provider will be able to utilize the hardware requirements which translates to lower cost. Employing IT support staff in house is costly too since competent IT specialists are expensive and they are not afraid to charge what they know they are worth. Through cloud computing, the service charge goes to covering costs of staff and in reality this costs far less than if the work was carried out on-site.
Efficiency
Using cloud computing results to a large saving when it comes to power. Having your own data center will mean that servers are not used efficiently which means that energy is wasted. A provider, on the one hand, could charge less for the energy you use than what is wasted on storing your own data on-site.
Flexibility
For any company that requires more bandwidth, using a cloud-based service means that demands can be met instantly as their remote servers have a huge capacity.
Disaster Protection
Data and secure storage is vital to businesses and once they opt to use a cloud based service they no longer need to worry about disaster recovery. Any form of disaster recovery can be carried out quicker than when cloud computing is not used.
Accessibility
Access is crucial for many businesses. Cloud computing enables employees to be in sync and work on documents at the same time. This means that businesses can maximize their employees because they are able to work remotely, when not required to be in the office.
Some Drawbacks
Implementing any new type of technology will require training your staff and establishing an effective troubleshooting system during and after the cloud has been launched. This involves addressing any hesitation among employees, especially those who are unfamiliar with cloud technology or not tech savvy in general.
Security
A major concern about cloud computing is security risk. Most businesses worry about sensitive data in the cloud and their vulnerability to unauthorized users. Although an organization's cloud is accessed using designated usernames and passwords, verifying user identity itself remains a top concern. Moreover, there is potential data loss through hardware failures, outages, hackers and rogue employees. Most cloud services will require their users to hand over some of the control over data loss prevention procedures. However, some of the better cloud providers allow you to set personal encryption keys, operating under a zero knowledge policy, which means you have complete control over your data at all times.
