What Do You Need to Succeed in a ‘Cloud-Based’ World?

When it comes to cloud computing, we often hear about how it’s going to change the world of IT as we know it, lifting the burdens that many companies struggle to cope with. However, there’s a little more knowledge required to succeed in a ‘cloud-based’ world and here we cover the important bits so you can embrace it wholeheartedly.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a multipurpose term covering everything from infrastructure as a service; basically renting someone else’s server equipment through to software as a service; usually websites that someone else runs for you. In the middle, there is a platform tier providing the micro services that power the likes of iPhone apps, as well as many web-delivered services.

The Three Different Types of Cloud Computing:

1.      Software as a Service (SaaS) 

SaaS allows you to use an application running on someone else's system. It’s a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. Examples of this include customer relationship management (CRM) systems, business performance management (BPM) systems, not to mention social portals.

2.      Platform as a Service (PaaS) 

PaaS provides a platform that allows developers to build applications and services over the internet using web-based tools run on systems software and hardware provided by another company. For example, you might develop your own ecommerce website but have the whole thing running on a merchant's server.

3.      Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 

With IaaS you are buying access to raw computing hardware over the internet, such as servers or storage. A straightforward example of IaaS is ordinary web hosting where you pay a monthly subscription or a per-megabyte/gigabyte fee to have a hosting company facilitate files for your website from their servers.

What Do You Need to Access Cloud Computing from your Corporate Network?

·        Greater Bandwidth

As more and more things are becoming cloud-based, there is an ever-increasing need for greater bandwidth. Bandwidth refers to the volume of information per unit of time that an internet connection can handle. Greater bandwidth is required as a result of cloud computing and refers to the speed of the connection and the download speed.

·        Wide Area Network (WAN)

A wide area network (WAN) for businesses enables users to share access to applications, services and other centrally located resources. This stops the need to install the same application server, firewall or other resource in several locations.

A WAN is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs). Typically, within a company, a WAN may consist of connections to a business's headquarters, branch offices, cloud services and more, enabling access to the internet from all office locations.

·        Identify Restrictions

Begin by understanding as clearly as possible the risks and avoidance of the cloud for your company, for instance, some industries, locations and laws prohibit putting data in the cloud, so you’ll need to familiarise yourself with these before you begin.

·        Experiment with Apps

A wide variety of business software is currently available in the cloud. This includes applications for office productivity and collaboration, such as Microsoft Office 365, not to mention social media monitoring, such as HubSpot, and customer relationship management, such as Salesforce.com.

·        Enhanced Security

Think about privacy and security software to protect from risks of putting valuable data in the cloud, ideally use an encrypted cloud service and be serious about using passwords. Additionally, avoid storing sensitive information in the cloud where possible. 

What Are the Benefits of Cloud Technology?

-         Infinite storage; benefit from unlimited file storage as part of cloud collaboration suites

-         Significant efficiency savings

-         Lower upfront costs and reduced infrastructure costs

-         Easy to develop applications

-         Scale up or down at short notice

-         Service Level Agreement (SLA); all managed by the SP

-         Environmental benefit (carbon savings); many users efficiently sharing large systems

Cloud computing is becoming commonplace in office environments as companies look to boost the productivity of their employees, enhance their accessibility and create a mobile-friendly environment. Ultimately, it’s inevitable that over time the economics of building and running a technology infrastructure will favour the cloud over on-site computing. 

Over & Out.....