Cloud infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components required to support computing requirements of any cloud computing model. They include storage units, servers, virtualization monitoring, and networking software. Businesses have greatly benefited from adopting cloud services. Here are 10 reasons businesses should shift to the cloud.
1. Cost-efficient: Cloud computing eliminates the high cost of hardware, and you can opt for a subscription-based model that suits your budget. It provides the ability to pay for exactly what you need rather than having to pay for unused services. Setting up the system is also an inexpensive affair.
2. Increased collaboration: Cloud allows your business’s team to access, edit, and share documents and data with each other from any location, anytime. Productivity and efficiency drastically improve when the business supports collaboration. This includes real-time updates through cloud-based workflow and file-sharing apps.
3. Seamless integration: There has since been a shift from siloed applications. Businesses prefer an integrated approach, which is offered by the cloud. It offers a common platform for integration such as infrastructure services, data management, and development.
4. Promotes scalability: Every business will experience changes within itself – it will either expand, cut-down, or witness seasonal changes. Cloud has the ability to accommodate and respond to such changes. This promotes scalability and allows the company to grow as and when it needs. You don’t have to constantly change software whenever you want to scale up or down.
5. Offers great user-control: Employees can now carry their own devices instead of relying on those provided by the IT department. This offers remarkable user control, at whose heart lies Active Directory, which is the foundation for personalization, compliance, and security of data. This empowers users to value and learn from data insights within the business.
6. Tension-free software maintenance: All your servers will be off-premises, and you’ll be working on a virtual infrastructure. Whenever there is a new update of software, cloud service providers will take care of it and ensure that the software stays upgraded at all times. This makes sure that the system is functioning smoothly without lagging behind. You won’t have to spend any time and energy on maintaining software – you can rather spend time on other critical business matters.
7. Great speed: The time taken to commission, implement, and configure cloud services is just a few hours, whereas the same would have taken a few weeks for similar services that need local servers and equipment to set up. The turnaround time is also quick. Replacing virtual desktops and solving virtualization problems is almost immediate and doesn’t take weeks, as it normally would.
8. High flexibility: Cloud offers immense flexibility and enables employees to work from anywhere. They no longer have to be restricted to their workstations to access information and execute tasks. The presence of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) allows the IT environment to be fluid and respond to changes quickly. Additionally, you can enjoy the ability to make rapid changes to marketing campaigns as the cloud provides intelligent market insight. This flexibility enables companies to adapt and deliver the right services to their customers at the right time.
9. Big data: Big data is obtained by collating multiple strands of information from several sources. This data is then analyzed through the analytical tools of the cloud. This helps business managers in learning and understanding information about their customers. The big data analytical techniques can be used to quickly deliver more detailed data about any business area.
10. High security: Cloud is generally more secure than on-premises infrastructure. Cloud makes sure that none of your data is vulnerable to those who aren’t authorized and protects it from hackers and similar security threats. You can even remotely wipe data from lost laptops so that important business details don’t fall into the wrong hands.
A successful implementation is extremely crucial for realizing the benefits of cloud and its infrastructure. This is why you should spend an ample amount of time in planning so that the move to cloud is cost-efficient. Monitor it at every stage when the implantation is on, and ensure that regular maintenance is performed thereafter.