A dozen benefits of the cloud for corporations
To many, it would appear that the benefits of moving to the cloud are self-evident. But while the pace of enterprises moving to the cloud is picking up, many are still dragging their feet, possibly concerned by short-term implications of initial cost and disruption. But from increased agility to improved security, improved scalability to long-term efficiencies and savings, there are plenty of good reasons to make the move. In fact, here are 12 of them…
Cloud computing is far from new, but a sizable proportion of large corporations have still to make the move to full Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provision. Despite Gartner’s prediction of 17.3% growth in worldwide public cloud revenue in 2019, concerns about risk and expense are contributing to resistance to a move that most view as inevitable. Here are 13 very good reasons why they should:
1. Agility and speed
With the ability to access the cloud securely from virtually anywhere in the world, you can make changes across multiple websites and systems easily, and achieve global rollout in minutes.
2. Cost savings and Adaptability
Traditional operations like DR, backup, or hosting a mission critical environment are cheaper on the cloud, thanks to pay only for what you use and its scaling capabilities. Since you only pay for what you use in the cloud, you can trade large Capital Expense investments in hardware updates for more cost-effective, variable Operational Expense payments.
There’s no need to invest in hardware or software developments that you may never make full use of.
3. Easily scale up and down
The nature of the cloud means you can quickly deploy new applications across your entire estate. You can scale up as your workload grows, instantly. Or immediately shut down resources that are no longer required. And if you have to scale down you don’t have to pay for any unused infrastructure.
4. Flexibility
The cloud can provide whatever you need it to, from web, mobile and social applications to dedicated business applications, secure access, big data analytics, high-performance computing as and when you need it, easily accessible backup archives, disaster recovery back-up and more.
5. Security
Today’s public clouds are backed by advanced security procedures which use the latest intelligence and data, all proven by certifications from major cloud providers.
6. Reliable back-up
You can back up all your data, frequently and regularly, minimizing risk of losses. Maintaining a Disaster recovery (DR) structure is cheaper than on premises. You can scale up only when an enhanced DR structure is needed. You can keep your DR spend on minimum in normal times.
7. Global expansion
The cloud is a great resource for expanding companies that are outgrowing their existing infrastructure. You can deploy a single platform for multiple uses, thanks to multi tenancy. Refactoring your application will provide a much more controlled and easy-to-manage architecture and bring huge effectiveness.You can use it to connect employees globally and roll out changes in selected territories or around the world.
8. Rapid implementation
Implementing transformation or rolling out changes is much faster via an integrated cloud than with traditional on-premise deployment, which typically involves a range of not-quite-compatible legacy systems.
9. Upgrades included
Whatever applications you use, you’ll automatically upgrade to the latest versions as they’re rolled out – so your technology is always up to date, without the need to review and pay extra for upgrades.
10. Ease of Accessing Expert Resources
When you buy managed services from someone competent who builds and integrates
systems for a living, you can be sure they’ve thought a lot about building and
integrating systems. So you get the skills and experience for a fraction of the upfront cost of
sourcing them yourself. Good MSPs also hire the best people to get the best results for their
clients – and the nature of regularly renewable contracts and SLAs mean it’s in their interest
to make sure their clients are satisfied, all the time.
11. Frequently added new features
Application upgrades generally include new features to improve functionality, security and more. These will be available to you as soon as they’re rolled out – instantly.
12. Subscription billing
You can plan budgets and expenditure accurately according to your needs, as you pay only as long as you use each machine, or a fixed monthly charge, or pre-agreed additional usage charges, for instance when you need to upscale your computing power temporarily.
Runibex is an MSP specialising in e-commerce, cloud services and SAP consulting. Find out more about how we could help your business