Cloud-based technology has significantly evolved over the past few years. As you may already know, cloud computing was originally designed as an online storage solution which allowed businesses to store their data in remote data centers and access it whenever they want, from any location or device in the world.
However, cloud computing has become so much more than a simple storage solution. Today, even the best online casino leverages the power of cloud computing in one way or another. Cloud-based technology has, therefore, helped revolutionize business operations as we know it.
Furthermore, cloud computing has also made a digital transformation for offline businesses much more seamless than it was before. It’s safe to say that cloud computing has become an integral part of every online business today. With that in mind, here’s why cloud computing is important for businesses today.
Subscription-based model
Arguably the most convenient feature of cloud computing is the subscription-based model. As a matter of fact, cloud-based services are distributed to customers using monthly or yearly subscriptions.
In other words, you can subscribe to any cloud-based service that you might need and use it for as long as you need to. If you no longer need a particular service, you can simply unsubscribe from it. Here are some of the most common cloud-based services you can subscribe to.
- SaaS (Software as a Service) – The SaaS model allows you to use any software your company might need. The software solution is available via the Internet browser so there’s no need to purchase physical copies or install the software on company computers. Instead, the software is available for use on any device and at any location in the world.
- PaaS (Platform as a Service) – Cloud allows companies to use premade platforms for software development. You can use existing infrastructure and resources to develop in-house solutions for business use or as a product you’ll be selling to other companies.
- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) – IaaS is perhaps the most valuable cloud-based service available to businesses today. As its name suggests, IaaS allows you to subscribe to additional computing power without the need for additional physical hardware.
Instead, computing resources are provided to you via the internet and virtual machines hosted at remorse data centers. This allows businesses to scale up and down using a cost-effective and seamless approach.
Some may argue that a subscription fee is more expensive than a one-time purchase, especially over longer time periods. However, the cost-effectiveness of cloud services and the benefits they offer can greatly outweigh the costs of subscription fees.
An effective data storage solution
As mentioned before, cloud was originally designed to be a massive storage solution where businesses will store their data and digital files remotely and online. However, since the early days, cloud has significantly perfected this service.
Not only is your day kept online but it’s also secured and encrypted. Your data uses multiple data encryption keys that are stored in multiple datacenters, not all at one location.
That way even if someone manages to breach the data center’s security and acquire your data, they’ll have only a portion of the encryption which is unusable and unreadable without the rest of the keys. That said, your data is adequately protected, even though it’s stored on a remote computer somewhere.
Other than that, your data is available to you at all time and on all devices regardless of where you might be in the world. This has allowed businesses to not only undergo a digital transformation by moving online with the help form the cloud but also help them expand to foreign markets by centralizing their data and business processes.
Cost-effectiveness
Perhaps the most important factor for businesses when using cloud computing is potential ROI and expenses of using cloud-based services. The fact of the matter is that cloud services were designed for cost-effectiveness.
That said, businesses are able to plan ahead how to use cloud services in a most effective way. By scaling when necessary, companies can leverage cloud services to boost sales, develop a new product or services and increase their performance during lucrative periods, such as holiday seasons or other promotional campaigns.
After they’ve accomplished their objectives, companies can simply stop using cloud services for the time being. This allows businesses to actually maximize profits while minimizing the costs. With a good strategy in places, companies can leverage the full potential of cloud-based services without investing too much.
Disaster recovery
It’s no secret that it’s of vital importance for businesses to be available to their customers or potential customers 24/7. It’s also not uncommon for something to go wrong, especially when you operate online. In such cases, cloud can be of great assistance.
When a critical failure or a data breach happens, it’s essential that companies get back on track as soon as possible. Since all your data is safely stored in the cloud, you can also use the cloud’s disaster recovery features that are included in the service.
In other words, you can quickly restore everything that’s been lost and set everything prior to the breach or failure. That way your business will have almost no downtime whatsoever and you customers won’t even notice that something went wrong, in the first place.
The cloud’s backup and recovery features are well-designed and very useful for companies that cannot afford to lose their momentum, especially when they’re trying to thrive in a very competitive environment like today’s online market.
Closing Words
Cloud computing and cloud services have come a long way in the last couple of years. That being said, the majority of online businesses today use at least one cloud-based service on a daily basis today.
The main reason is that cloud technology has made almost everything more seamless and thus helped businesses improve their productivity, efficiency and overall performance in the market.
Moreover, there would be a lot more offline businesses today if it wasn’t for cloud computing. Therefore, it’s safe to say that cloud-based services are of the utmost importance for businesses today.
See Also: Cloud Computing can Expect Revolutionary Changes in Coming Years
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