Cloud adoption has increased almost 300% in the last year, 57% of organizations now use Cloud Computing, and this trend is not slowing down.
The advantages of cloud computing are many. In this post, we’ve highlighted some of them to help companies understand what they can gain from the transition.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing resources “on demand” over the Internet.
8 Advantages Of Cloud Computing For Companies
1) Improved Productivity In The Workplace
One of the most important advantages of Cloud Computing is the increase in productivity it offers. Disjointed local IT services and / or staff in that department with limited resources create an ineffective program and can have a negative impact on employees’ ability to perform at their best.
Cloud computing enables workers to be given tools that empower them to do their best work without interference from outdated legacy systems, effectively streamlining daily tasks. For example, cloud-based IT services are available to employees from any device, anywhere in the world, just with an Internet connection.
They can access tools like team messaging, file sharing, digital fax, live chat, and video conferencing in the office and remotely, allowing them to perform at a higher level more consistently.
It also provides them with a powerful collaboration platform, allowing teams from various departments or locations around the world to work together. This also means that the leap to the cloud can be made without interruption for remote workers, consequently reducing office costs and increasing the reach of potential candidates, thus enhancing the talent that a company can attract.
2) Reduction Of Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO)
For many organizations, the cost savings they get will be one of the most important benefits of cloud computing.
First, the initial investment in cloud-based IT systems is significantly less than that of an internal equivalent. By using cloud technology, the need to purchase most of the components required to implement these systems is eliminated. Therefore, capital equipment expenses and equipment obsolescence costs are eliminated immediately.
Finally, the cost of maintaining these systems is also virtually eliminated; as the cloud service provider is responsible for ongoing maintenance and updates that keep it operating at optimal capacity. That also equates to a reduction in administration and maintenance costs in the IT department.
3) Continuous Update
Another important advantage of Cloud Computing is the added strategic value of working with technology that is always at the forefront.
Leading cloud service providers maintain the latest hardware and continually update their software to meet new demands and improve their service. Its main objective is to offer companies the best possible user experience. That means being able to always operate at your full potential with IT systems that support optimal performance.
4) Importance In Business Rather Than Infrastructure
The transition to a cloud-based IT platform allows an organization to free itself from the distraction of its IT infrastructure and focus on the core competencies of its business. In this way, resources and capital that were previously dedicated to non-core IT services can be reallocated, achieving a positive impact in other areas of the company.
After all, it is these core competencies that make a company the experts that its customers value and give them a competitive advantage to outperform the competition.
5) Security, Back-ups And Recovery From Possible Unexpected Situations
Rather than investing in a local data warehouse, where security protocols must also be implemented and maintained, the cloud offers businesses a simpler way to protect data.
Most cloud service providers focus on state-of-the-art security protocols, as well as compliance with data protection measures. This is becoming even more prevalent as the industry moves toward implementing a shared responsibility system between data processors and controllers. In this way, a protected copy of your official work data can be accessed at all times to restore systems in the event of a failure or error.
Finally, full recovery from unexpected situations allows an organization to store a backup (back-up) of the entire IT infrastructure, which is typically located in a separate location from standard backups.
6) Increased Scalability And Flexibility
One of the most dynamic advantages of Cloud Computing is the scalability / flexibility factor. Cloud systems can be scaled up or down based on business operational needs. For example, in the case of an annual promotion that dramatically increases your needs for a few weeks, your capacity could be increased to meet demand and then reduced to keep costs to a minimum.
In addition, cloud systems allow for an improved experience during mergers and acquisitions, as with cloud computing, the deployment of new systems can be done much faster.
7) Quick Implementation
Cloud computing can be implemented at great speed. Internal technology changes can take several days or weeks to fully get up and running, but cloud systems can be up and running much faster.
For example, companies can have a Cloud Computing system up and running with a custom solution in just one day.
8) Reduction Of Environmental Impact
A cloud data center is usually much more efficient than an on-site data warehouse. After all, the cloud service provider hosts a multitude of customers with the same infrastructure, allowing for much more efficient use of resources. Additionally, as needs fluctuate, server capacity increases or decreases to accommodate. The end result of all this efficiency is a reduced carbon footprint and a positive impact on the environment.
In conclusion, the advantages of cloud computing are many and go beyond what is on this list. Many organizations continually gain new benefits as they become less and less dependent on local IT systems and move to the cloud.