Cloud Services

Is the cloud a good strategy for your business?

What is the Cloud?

Virtualized environments have been around a lot longer than people think. The concept we think of today as “the cloud” began before the 1950s. The original networks were built by universities who used government grant money to run networked “time share” supercomputers that no one could afford.

The age of microcomputers, or what we better know as desktops, brought a new phase to data processing. At first, big corporations (like the major energy companies) owned these microcomputers and they were connected in small, local area networks in a building. Eventually, offices needed to be networked and regions of the country and the world needed to be connected. As we grew in our sophistication of computing data, the industry moved back to the model originally built, where data was kept more in a central location. The cloud is that central location.

Types of Cloud Services:

SaaS

Software as a Service

A.K.A. Software-On-Demand, is any cloud service where the user can access software applications over the internet.

PaaS

Platform as a Service

Computing that provides a platform and environment to allow developers to build services and applications over the internet.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service

Computing infrastructure which could include virtual server space, network connections, bandwidth, IP addresses and load balancers.

Benefits of Operating from the Cloud

Flexibility

Scalability

Cloud infrastructure scales to support fluctuating workloads.

Storage Options

Users can choose public, private, or hybrid storage options based on security or other needs

Security Features

Virtual private cloud, encryption and API keys help keep data secure

Control Choices

Saas, Paas and Iaas,

Efficiency

Accessibility

Cloud-based applications and data are accessible from practically any device that’s connected to the Internet

Data Security

Hardware failures don’t mean data loss because of network backups. As well as lost or stolen devices can be remotely wiped of data before it gets into the wrong hands.

Reduction of capital-expenditure

When everything in the cloud, you’re buying less hardware.

Subscription Pay Structure

Users only pay for the resources they use and the subscription-based model is easier on cash flow.

Strategic

Collaboration

Worldwide access means teams can work in real-time from anywhere there’s an internet connection. Gone are the days of sending files back and forth as email attachments wondering if which is the most current version.

Automatic Updates

Service providers regularly update offerings to give users the most up-to-date technology.

Competitiveness

The cloud gives access to enterprise-class technology to everyone. Pay-as-you-go service and cloud business applications means organizations can move more nimbly than competitors who must devote IT to resources to managing infrastructure.

The Cloud isn’t right for every business.

While the cloud’s pros typically outweigh the cons, there are some things to be aware of when considering this option for your business. When working with our clients, we talk through these disadvantages and suggest variations or alternatives.

Dependency and Limited Control: AKA Vendor-Lock-In. It’s difficult to move from one cloud vendor to another because of huge data migration. It’s also costly to move out of the cloud altogether. With services in a virtual environment, the user has less control over the hardware and software.
Security and Privacy: Anytime a company outsources services, there’s a chance for a breach in security and loss of privacy.
Outages and Downtime: No provider can guarantee that you won’t experience outages.

So Should You Move Your Business to the Cloud? Click here to take our 7 question quiz.

Featured Product

This month’s featured product is IBM’s Aspera. This high-speed file transfer protocol can move data 100s of times faster than traditional methods, no matter the distance, the file size, or the network conditions. And because it uses enterprise-grade user access controls and encryption, it’s more secure than traditional methods too. With a bunch of tools and variations including a SaaS and Direct-to-Cloud option, this product can be implemented to fit practically any system. It’s an impressive product that we recommend you check out.

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