Businesses the world over have now understood the benefits of cloud computing, and that is why they are moving their operations to the cloud. Some of the cloud computing benefits are cost reduction, storage, greater flexibility, optimal resource utilisation, backup, and scalability. With so many benefits (of cloud computing), it is not surprising that businesses use cloud computing to further their business goals.
When you opt for cloud computing, you don’t have to invest heavily in creating an IT infrastructure. Moreover, cloud computing offers matchless mobility, which means you can access your files from anywhere and at any time if you have an internet connection.
The world over, more than 50% of businesses will depend on the cloud for a minimum of one public cloud platform to drive digital transformation and delight customers (Forrester).
And, not to forget that the public cloud market is growing at a CAGR of 22% and is projected to touch $178 billion in 2018.
Businesses on an average predict that they will invest $3.5 million on cloud apps, platforms, and services in 2018.
Do we need to say more about the utility of cloud computing in today’s times?
So, what are the top most common uses of cloud computing?
The top most common uses of cloud computing
Some scenarios where cloud computing is used to further the ability to realise business goals are:
Cloud database – Every organisation needs an IT infrastructure. Businesses who need a database, but do not want to invest in acquiring the IT paraphernalia can turn to the cloud for all their IT needs. What you stand to gain if you embrace cloud computing is you don’t have to invest huge amounts upfront, and you also don’t have to hire a team of IT experts to run the show.
With cloud databases, you get powerful databases that work fine, and you don’t have to bother about physically acquiring an IT infrastructure. The upkeep of cloud databases is the responsibility of the cloud service provider. Businesses don’t have to bother about maintaining and operating the databases. All you need to do is handle your data.
Moreover, businesses get endless scalability if they opt for cloud databases. Whenever you need to increase your resources, you can inform your service provider, and within minutes you get the additional resources. For example, during the seasonal sales period, you know that your visitors increase many folds which means you need additional databases. You can upgrade and downgrade your requirements as and when you want when you opt for the cloud databases. You don’t have to install additional servers to meet your requirements.
Website hosting – Hosting takes up a large portion of IT resources. If you have a growing business, you need to host your website on the cloud or else you need to upgrade your IT resources constantly. With cloud-based web hosting, you don’t have to worry about your growing needs as scalability is an inbuilt option in the cloud package you select. And, if there are issues, then your website can migrate to the nearest server, or you can add more servers during uptime to offset the problem.
Also, with cloud web hosting, you pay as you use. There are no security concerns as it is the responsibility of the service provider to provide foolproof security.
Test and development – Testing and development are important because you need to make sure that your application can run smoothly, without any hassle, and is usable. And, to test your application, you should have a simulated environment which needs to be exactly like the actual business operations to authenticate the results.
And, it is cloud computing that comes to the rescue of businesses as there are various ready-made environments which are tailored to suit your requirements as and when you need them. The moment your application is ready, you can introduce it to a test environment for analysis. You can also use the platform for training purpose.
Big data analytics – In today’s times, every data that you come across – be it the resumes, the stack of paperwork, or digital data, it is all categorized as Big Data. The importance of data management is well documented, but its sheer volume makes the job a bit challenging. When you put your data into the cloud, it makes the job of data management easier, accessible, and when you combine it with analytics, it offers useful insights.
The biggest challenge that you face in data management is the processing part. So, how do you get the most useful information from the sea of data? There are Big Data Analytics platforms that use cloud technology and help businesses to process structured as well as unstructured data.
Backup and disaster recovery – You need to backup all your data so that you don’t lose any information. Be it your files, documents, or any other data; you need to back them all up. But, not all of us follow it routinely. Even today, we manually dispatch data by using portable devices and storage facilities which is both time-consuming as well as costly. That is where cloud computing’s disaster recovery steps in. Disaster recovery is a process that efficiently backs up your data in case of any eventuality, whether natural or otherwise. A disaster recovery plan not only save you costs, but it also offers several benefits to businesses. If there is a natural disaster that destroys your business partially or totally, your data is kept safe in the cloud which can be recovered timely and automatically. It thus eliminates the need for tapes, disks, or other storage facilities.
File storage and sharing – It makes life easier for businesses that work from different locations. Since all your files and documents are stored in the cloud, it makes sharing and retrieving data very easy. The most popular example of this service is Google Drive and Dropbox. With file storage and sharing, you and your colleagues in different locations can work on the same project without wasting time and money. You can upload the information which can be viewed and worked upon by your colleagues and vice versa. You can receive feedback, edit or review things online instantly which saves you a lot of time as well as money.
Business applications – There are cloud-based applications that are intuitive which are easy to use and are tailor-made for a specific industry. For example, you can use cloud CRM to build and maintain a strong relationship with all your customers. You can use cloud ERP to keep track of the resources, get decision-making insights, and update the budget plan. And, you can use cloud LMS for corporate training to keep your employees engaged. These cloud applications can help small, medium, and large enterprises in the same way. Organizations don’t have to pay any upfront cost for the hardware and software, and the pricing is typically cloud-based which is pay as you use.
Some companies still have security concerns as far as cloud computing is concerned. But, any service provider worth its name in the market will offer adequate security measures so that your data and company information remain safe at all the times.
In case you have not thought about migrating your business operations to the cloud, you need to urgently think of shifting to the cloud so that you can reap the benefits of innovative technology. For affordable cloud computing plans, you should get in touch with vStacks Infotech now and take your business operations to the next level.
If you want to manage all your IT and file storage needs efficiently, you should opt for cloud hosting packages from vStacks Infotech. With fully redundant data centres, we are capable of keeping all your information safe and secure.
