5 Benefits of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a future-ready technology that has been around for almost two decades- it can empower organizations and enterprises of all sizes.

Despite the data pointing to the business efficiencies, competitive advantages, and cost-benefits cloud computing brings, many organizations continue to operate without it. A 2019 study by Deloitte showed that 69% of organizations are using cloud technology, and 18% are planning to implement it. All this shows that there has never been a better time to migrate to the cloud.

Cloud hosting encompasses data storage across different servers, making it accessible from anywhere. Instead of relying on servers utilizing physical server space to handle a client's web hosting requirements, cloud hosting providers leverage virtual space that can be scaled up or scaled down at a moment's notice. Cloud platforms use a pay-as-you-go model with the bandwidth load spread across various servers. 

In this article, we'll discuss the benefits of cloud computing technology, and why you should be hosting your website or web applications in the cloud.

While operating fees are usually manageable, organizations could be concerned about the initial costs of migrating their data to the cloud. However, moving to the cloud will likely reduce the cost of managing your IT systems, offsetting the initial expense and paying off in the long run. Instead of purchasing equipment and systems for your business, you can leverage the resources of cloud service providers. Here is where you could save on operating costs by using cloud infrastructure:

• The cost of system upgrades, new software, and new server hardware are all included in the contract.This means greatly reduced operational costs and infrastructure investment.

• Cloud reduces your energy consumption cost.

• Cloud 'pay-as-you-go' models help reduce cost.

With cloud computing technology, companies no longer need to worry about considerable investments in procuring and managing systems. In 2021 67% of organizations stated that cloud financial management (CFM) helped increase revenue, with 31% saying they have sustained revenue.

The pay-as-you-go systems apply to resources required to service clients and stakeholders. This means you only need to pay for the services you use and can eliminate extra resources. These factors result in reduced costs and higher returns.

Your business can scale up or down your storage and operation needs quickly to suit your requirements allowing flexibility with the change in needs. Instead of buying and installing expensive upgrades on-premise, your cloud service provider handles this for you. In a cloud environment, new IT resources are a click away. This means that organizations can reduce the time needed to make new resources available to employees from weeks to just minutes. It results in a dramatic increase in the agility of organizations since the time and cost it takes to experiment and develop are remarkably lower.

Moreover, cloud technology allows employees to be more flexible. It allows them to access data anywhere, on holiday, or via the commute to and from work. If they require access to data while they are off-site, they can connect to virtual offices easily and quickly. The ability to share files and documents over the internet also supports both internal and external collaboration.

Many businesses might not want to adopt cloud technology due to perceived security concerns. The cloud host is responsible for monitoring security, which is significantly more efficient and effective than on-premise systems. The managed cloud service provider RapidScale claims that 94% of organizations observe an improvement in security after shifting to the cloud, and 91% said that cloud service providers make it easier for them to meet government compliance requirements. The key to this robust security is the encryption of data being transferred over the networks. Using these robust cryptographic algorithms makes data less accessible to cybercriminals.

Despite only 46% of companies surveyed in Germany in a 2020 IDC study being in an advanced phase of their Cloud implementation, organizations on the whole seem to put a high degree of trust in cloud vendors. The 2021 Thales Cloud Security Study showed that 48% of organizations globally are choosing to store critical data in the cloud. In Addition to its security capabilities, cloud computing is favored for its backup solutions. Once the data is stored in the cloud, it becomes easier to get backups and recover data, which can be a time-consuming process on-premise.

One of the most important factors contributing to business success is control. Downtime in a business can lead to lost productivity, brand reputation, and revenue. If you can’t prevent or even anticipate the downtime, your organization could face potential harm. Likewise- if you can prevent downtime or speed up disaster recovery, you are further optimizing your business process. Cloud-based services offer quick disaster recovery for various emergencies, from power outages to natural disasters. Some solutions even offer 24/7 monitoring and support, to cover you at all hours. In a worldwide survey conducted by the MIT Technology Review in summer 2020, 43 percent of IT executives said that they plan to invest in or optimize cloud-disaster recovery solutions.

Cloud computing enables mobile access to corporate data via smart devices. It's a great way to ensure that no one is left out of the loop. Cloud hosting allows information, systems and data to be accessed by sales staff “working on the road”, staff with a hectic schedule, or work from home/remote arrangements. Cloud technology can give your organization the flexibility needed to work from anywhere outside of the corporate office. It's no surprise to see that companies with employee satisfaction listed as a priority are also more likely to increase their cloud computing capabilities.

The benefits listed above mean that cloud computing can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on organizations. It facilitates a change in the way businesses operate and host their websites by providing virtualized and shared resources. Apart from improvements in business scalability and flexibility, cloud technology has fundamentally changed the way organizations pay for resources. From infrastructure to on-demand resources and mobility, cloud computing is making its presence known throughout the entire IT ecosystem.

Do the advantages of cloud computing outweigh your concerns? Do you need help moving your IT into the cloud? Here at Bright IT we offer fully managed cloud hosting services for your digital platforms and solutions, combined with first-class support. Our solutions and services meet robust security and performance standards. Moreover, we support complete end-to-end GDPR compliance based on active management risk and certified data security.