It used to be that businesses were afraid of the cloud. Concerns about reliability and security kept many from diving into the virtual world. However, today – with the advancement of cloud technology and interoperability – many companies are going the way of the cloud.
Cloud computing services like Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provide greater flexibility, scalability and cost savings for businesses and, as a result, are causing a major shift to virtual data centers. Internet networking company Cisco forecasts that, by 2020, 92 percent of workloads will be processed by cloud data centers.
The silver linings of cloud computing
Cloud computing has so many advantages over on-premise computing that many companies can’t find a valid reason not to switch to the cloud. Forrester Research is also an advocate, maintaining that agility is the central benefit of cloud services, given it can improve internal processes and respond to market changes quickly and efficiently.
In addition to providing agility to your organization, consider other benefits that the cloud brings:
- Scalability – When a company grows, the cloud grows with it. Unlike local servers, the cloud lets businesses increase or decrease bandwidth and server space as their needs change. Its adaptability is a huge advantage for businesses that require flexibility to compete in the marketplace.
- Security – Data is stored and protected much better in the cloud because cloud compute engines like Google Cloud have many more systems in place, including multiple points of presence across the globe, to provide strong redundancy and more secure data. As a result, data breaches and threats are few and far between in the cloud.
- Performance – With every SaaS solution, uptime performance is guaranteed. When your data systems are located on-premise, it’s up to your IT organization to make sure you’ve got the capabilities and technology in place to avoid system downtime. The cloud also allows businesses to run multiple sites and applications effectively. Software updates are done automatically behind the scenes to ensure platforms and software are performing and integrating properly.
- Cost savings – Unlike local servers and hardware, cloud systems eliminate long-term capital investments. Maintenance and storage costs are no longer the responsibility of the business; they are taken care of by the cloud-hosted provider or service. Another cost benefit of cloud computing is it allows you to customize your services so you only pay for what you need.
Cloud computing eliminates the need for businesses to buy and maintain expensive computer systems. Instead of dealing with software updates, system maintenance and hard-drive crashes, organizations can spend more time on more important matters in their business.
Not all clouds are alike
IaaS providers offer virtual servers and networks, also known as cloud infrastructures. Businesses can choose from a local hosted provider or a public cloud hosted provider to host their networks and data centers. While a local provider has the advantage of proximity to your business, it lacks the benefits that a public cloud provider can offer: speed and stability.
Every time a buyer visits your site, there are a number of points that a network has to hop to in order to get that visitor to a web page or site. IaaS providers such as Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services have a robust backbone so there are fewer points to access to help that visitor arrive to their destination. The fewer hops it takes to get your data onto the backbone, the faster your access will be.
Public cloud engines also offer more stability over local hosted providers because they can roll out their sophisticated infrastructure anywhere around the world with the help of their global data centers. Say there’s a disaster in New Orleans that takes down a server; that server will be rolled over to another server somewhere else, even across the globe, without interruption.
Unilog Content Solutions is a huge proponent of cloud computing; knowing its clients have varied eCommerce needs, Unilog utilizes the cloud a couple of ways to provide flexible, scalable solutions that work for everyone. First, Unilog’s eCommerce platform, CIMM2, is a SaaS product which makes it a customizable and cost-effective way to offer a great e-store experience. Second, Unilog does cloud-based computing differently from some other eCommerce companies because they use Google Cloud as their IaaS hosted provider. This gives Unilog clients the convenience of high-speed computing, and the reliability of a strong connection with little to no downtime. With maintenance and support managed by Unilog, customers never have to worry about their technology.
Are you ready to dive into cloud computing? If so, speak with a cloud expert like Unilog to find out how their cloud-based solutions can help simplify and propel your business.