Why The Cloud Has Gone Mainstream

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the Cloud

Partly Sunny with Beautiful Clouds – Why Companies Should Upgrade to the Cloud

“The Cloud” is a network of servers. Some servers provide an online service such as Adobe Creative Cloud, and others allow you to store and access data, for instance Instagram or Dropbox.

Chances are you encounter the Cloud daily. Any time you store information without using up your device’s internal data, you’re storing information on the Cloud.

The Cloud has become mainstream for enterprise computing, and despite some valid concerns about security of data storage in the Cloud, many contend that web services are perhaps more secure and redundant than data sitting on a server or laptop. In addition, major cloud service providers are rapidly increasing their security offerings, take for instance Amazon’s FedRamp and their compliance program.

One of the most common cloud services is Amazon Web Services, which hosts several social media platforms, as well as hundreds of startup companies and large businesses across the world. According to Forbes, worldwide public IT cloud service revenue in 2018 is predicted to be $127B. Managed services are projected to reach $256B by 2018 and emerging markets are predicted to be 21% of the worldwide public IT cloud services market by 2018.

One of the primary reasons for this growth is that working in the Cloud allows a company to be nimble, efficient, and cost-effective. Let’s examine some of the many benefits of using the Cloud.

Today’s forecast: clouds are rolling in for a beautiful day.

Why should organizations consider embracing cloud-based tools and services?

     Cost-efficient: For starters, Cloud services save companies money. It cuts out the expense of purchasing hardware. A subscription based, pay-as-you-go use of the Cloud, with the ability to upgrade or downgrade on costs and resources as you go. In most cases, it reduces reliance on IT so that they can focus on core business initiatives.

     Flexibility: The Cloud is considered to have a sense of elasticity, almost like a rubber band, allowing companies to upscale or downscale resources quickly and efficiently without large upfront investments.

     Automatic Software Updates. As Salesforce.com puts it, “the beauty of cloud computing is that the servers are off-premise, out of sight and out of your hair. Suppliers take care of them for you and roll out regular software updates – including security updates – so you don’t have to worry about wasting time maintaining the system yourself. Leaving you free to focus on the things that matter, like growing your business.”

     Collaboration and Mobility. Working on the Cloud increases levels of collaboration, and provides the ability to work from anywhere, unlike the rainy days of sitting in an office all day to get work done.

     Security. There are several aspects with regard to Cloud security including redundancy, secure storage, and encrypted data transmission. This article demystifies cloud security considerations with a reminder that best practices suggest a proactive stance on security whether embracing the Cloud or not.

The winds of change are blowing, will you embrace the opportunity and flow with the change? Check out how cloud services are enabling innovation for tools like System Surveyor and the transformative impact it can have on your business. 

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