Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash
Today, the world is at a halt.There is a public health emergency and lockdowns are the new norm. Stock markets are down, lives are quarantined and businesses are stopped. During this time offices are closed but few companies are managing their business.
But there are companies continuing business from home. Even small businesses are able to have their sales team access the software they need and their developers collaborate without being in the same room.
This is all thanks to the cloud!
Cloud-backed business:
The cloud technology is emerging as a new unsung hero for startups and established companies. The cloud is making sure to bring the business community together. Multiple cloud providers allow uninterrupted services for your business. Your journey to the cloud will be the easiest than having an in-house infrastructure.
How does Cloud help to make Business?
Cloud increases efficiency, productivity in odd hours and improves cash flow.
Be it a startup or an established company shifting on a cloud during this crisis time is the best gift for any business. Here we will take a look at how being on Cloud can help you stabilize and grow your business.
1) Ready to use Infrastructure:
Cloud computing provides ready to use infrastructure in a few clicks. The infrastructure services like server, storage database, and networking are given by a cloud provider. These are ready to use services and customers can access them using their accounts and web browsers.
Cloud provides different services or cloud stack as per the customer requirements.
IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service): You can have these basic needs to subscribe to the software as per their project plan.
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service): Software required for your project hosting, managing and maintaining are provided by SaaS. The client needs to subscribe to the software as per their project plan.
PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service): For an ecosystem of the development, testing and maintaining the application PaaS is the best service. The ecosystem allows you to create the web, mobile or even allows you to have a custom stack for your application. The settings, third-party applications, and upgrading the stack is done by providers.
FaaS (Function-as-a-Service): FaaS provides a platform to develop run, manage by hiding the complexity behind applications like building and maintaining. Though it is similar to PaaS, it is void of the constantly running process.
Don’t worry about the updates! Services keep updating the software and security measures as needed.
2) Financial benefits:
The purpose of the cloud is to provide the best service at an optimal cost. The scalable hardware systems can be upscale or downscale. The system has the flexibility of pay-as-you-use. This allows you to streamline your workforce accordingly. As the providers take care of the infrastructure you save a lot on the workforce to maintain your in-house infrastructure.
Cloud platforms allow building and measuring Return Of Investment (ROI) in terms of capacity and utilization of your resources. Your analysis and strategies to identify these measures of optimal use will ensure good ROI for your business.
3) Remote Access:
The major advantage of being on the cloud is to have remote access. Your location does not affect your access to the resources. It allows you to access your virtual workspace from mobile, laptops or other devices through a secured network. As long as the user provides the details for the access of cloud space he can easily use it from different locations and any time.
Employees benefit from remote access. It improves mobility and collaboration by conferences and sharing data under the secured ecosystem.
4) Customer Support:
Cloud services enable continuous maintenance and support. Communication support is always in two ways. The providers need to know requirements and you need to know what services are required for your project.
5) Reliable Security:
Security measures are a concern for the business. Lack of in-house security has doomed the business in the past. On the cloud, security concerns fall into two categories, security at the provider’s level and the customer level. Providers ensure that infrastructure is secured along with the protection of data and application.
One major concern of being on the cloud is risking your sensitive data. The cloud provider values your data and its sensitivity. It is the responsibility of the providers to secure your data. To secure your data centers and network path cloud providers deal with,
1) Accountable policies and strategies to identify control measures.
2) Ensures to follow the protocol of robust identity and access management along with the authentication and authorization process.
3) Measures like password control, encryption of data during rest and transit phases, monitoring of the data is ensured.
4) Active users monitoring, altering and reporting of the ecosystem providers a holistic picture.
6) Recovery System:
Disaster management is a major concern for in-house business. But the cloud provides you a relief by replicating the servers along with the network configurations. These are replicated in-between the centers with backup at regular intervals. The centers are geographically located at different positions.
As the goal of the recovery system is to have a minimum impact on the business. The providers ensure the recovery of data within minutes. The providers provide different cloud-based Disaster Recovery (DR) plan to design the site recovery workflows. Your selective approach to the offsite disaster recovery plan is valued and act upon immediately.
7) Storage Option:
There are plenty of durable storage options that use virtualized infrastructure, have an accessible interface and are scalable. Utilization of shared and metered resources for off or on-premises is available. Depending upon the data used the storage options are divided into blocks.
Storage for dynamic data:
The data that is constantly in use is dynamic. Access and workload are optimized for dynamic data. As the data access patterns are unknown, the price optimization makes sure you are charged for optimal storage.
Storage for active data:
The data like DevOps, mobile, web content, code or application data that is actively used falls under this category. This data is accessed multiple times and actively used by multiple users.
Storage for less active data:
This storage block is less active, as the data retrieved is only available when asked for. This block includes the backups, digital access that is accessed once in a month.
Storage for cold data:
This block is accessed less as compared to less active data. This storage may include the backup, large data including older media content.
Achieve:
You can even store data in this block that is hardly used and kept long-term data retention.
Cloud Companies Levering the Benefits in Crisis
Companies that are working on cloud-based solutions are already leveraging the profits during the crisis time.
Zoom, a video-conferencing provider has lifted the limit on conferencing. The crisis has benefited Zoom and increased its stock price.
Companies like LogMeIn, Cisco is expanding its Webex, Google, Microsoft, Orange Business Services, BlueJeans are rolling out the tools for learning and collaboration from remote locations.
Tech-based, financial and e-learning companies are strictly allowing their employees to work from home under the secured ecosystem provided by the cloud.
Conclusions
Customers’ relying on the could-based solutions for their business has increased. Thanks to the ready to move infrastructure under a secured ecosystem provided by on the cloud providers. You can easily start your collaboration and business activities in no time. The pay-as-you-go options make the cloud providers a perfect business partner during the time of crisis.
Cloud backed businesses are making us collaborate from remote locations.
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