Cloud computing is responsible for changing IT practices. Apart from freeing organizations from running applications on a local server or a computer in the office, it has also encouraged more effective workload management. No wonder the cloud computing market will be worth $162 billion by 2020. Businesses can leverage several advantages of the technology and reap the cloud computing benefits listed below:
1. Decrease operational expenses
Businesses switching to the cloud can do away with capital intensive purchases and also don’t have to invest resources in maintaining equipment.
As a result, their costs decrease drastically. There are no unnecessary utility expenses, no hardware costs, and no facilities charges when growing your business. Also, you don’t require a big IT team to take care of your cloud datacenter operations as the cloud provider staff will do this on your behalf.
You can also eliminate downtime, because cloud computing comes with 24/7 support. Plus, your security receives a boost thanks to fewer IT staff, reduced maintenance, minimal strain on company systems, and the lack of on-site servers. The flexibility of the cloud platform contributes greatly to cost savings.
2. Better support for new apps
Before cloud computing took the business world by storm, new applications took a while to run smoothly. But now cloud-based applications are executed successfully within a short period of time.
In fact, the majority of cloud-based apps are usable right after signup. As a result, businesses receive numerous benefits. For example, businesses that migrate to the cloud can use machine learning and artificial intelligence applications a few hours after signing up.
3. Greater competence
Moving to a cloud-based platform enables businesses to access the highest quality enterprise systems. This provides an edge over the competition and allows startups and small businesses to go toe-to-toe with larger firms, thereby disrupting the market.
And these cloud computing benefits are not limited to giant enterprises. Thanks to the easy integration of cloud-based business solutions, small businesses also have the opportunity to choose and integrate with various cloud-based providers. Thus, it is now possible for small businesses to manage their back office demands more efficiently at a reduced price.
4. Improved accessibility
Cloud computing enables businesses to access important information from the cloud instead of a specific device or service. So, one of the best cloud computing benefits is that you can access the data anytime, anywhere, from any device.
It does not matter whether you are a personal user who wants to check your email, or a remote worker seeking to share information with other staff — you can do all this with the increased accessibility offered by cloud computing.
5. Increased flexibility
Employees enjoy greater flexibility through cloud computing. Because just about everything is now Internet-based, employees can access files both inside and outside the workplace, meaning they can work in the office or remotely. This allows companies to provide flexible working conditions to employees and minimize the necessary office space. This may also include allowing staff to work from home and using hot-desking systems at the workplace, which will trim costs even more.
Laptops, smartphones, and other web-enabled gadgets allow the staff to collaborate with others in real-time by using online conferencing and sharing synchronized files. In fact, several businesses now have a BYOD policy supported by the local access authentication protocol for security.
6. Experience easier management
Cloud computing offers simple IT maintenance and management support to businesses. Also, once a company moves to the cloud, the IT infrastructure gets automatically updated without any additional expenditures.
Therefore, the service provider only needs basic maintenance to keep everything in order. This type of service level agreement also guarantees timely delivery as well as upkeep of IT infrastructure.
7. Be more environmentally aware
When you move to the cloud platform, you no longer require a datacenter. This allows you to decrease your carbon footprint considerably. No longer will you have to power the servers or keep them cool. Plus, you can reclaim office space previously needed to house your datacenter.
But there are several other environmental benefits connected to cloud computing than offloading your carbon footprint to the provider. The new technology enables you to use energy more efficiently, thus reducing the overall impact on the environment.
8. Avail remote working capabilities
For employers and employees, cloud computing is the golden opportunity to start working from anywhere. Aside from working remotely from their homes or other sites (Starbucks, PF Chang’s, whatever), the staff can also share information with employers without exchanging millions of emails that become difficult to manage over time.
9. Instantly scalable cloud computing resources
Having your own datacenter involves increasing your computing resources significantly. You must invest in new servers, install, and configure them.
This is an expensive process. If you require the capacity to fulfill a short-term need, you face two issues — first, you might be investing in something that you won’t need most of the time. Second, in case of sudden demand, you might fail to get the server up and running within the stipulated time.
Cloud computing comes to the rescue with excellent scalability. If you require additional resources thanks to a sudden spike in site traffic, you can add to your computing capacity at once. If that peak lasts only a day or two, you have the option of scaling down along with the demand level.
Moreover, a pay-as-you-go charge on cloud computing means you spend money only for the extra resources. So, you can do without permanent upgrades like hiring a new server or a larger package. This way, the cloud offers cost-efficient resourcing and greater agility.
10. Extra availability
More businesses rely on apps to run essential operations. In this scenario, downtime can lead to catastrophic outcomes. A company may come to a total standstill and getting back online may prove difficult. In the worst-case scenarios, the process can take a long time and cause extreme losses for any business (even a public agency). But cloud computing eliminates the chance of server failure leading which correlates with downtime and lost money.
A cloud environment provides consistent and predictable performance with 100 percent uptime since clients are hosted on virtual machines.
Take advantage of these cloud computing benefits
Businesses can count on numerous cloud computing benefits, from cost-effectiveness to reliability, flexibility, agility, and scalability. All you need to do is choose the right cloud service provider, and you are good to go to lead your business to success.
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