SEVENC | 7 REASONS TO USE CLOUD COMPUTING IN 2023
SevenC, a leading IT infrastructure and network service provider striving to identify and make available the best possible ICT strategies for its clients’ unique needs, provides seven reasons to use cloud computing in 2023.
You may have heard the terms cloud, cloud computing, and cloud storage. But what exactly is the cloud, and why should you be using cloud computing in 2023?
“Simply put, the cloud is the Internet – specifically, everything you can access remotely via the Internet. When something is in the cloud, it is stored on Internet servers rather than your computer’s hard drive,” says Graeme Millar, managing director of SevenC Computing.
“Convenience and dependability are two of the most compelling reasons to use the cloud. You’ve already used the cloud if you’ve ever used a web-based email service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail.
All emails in a web-based service are stored on servers rather than on your computer’s hard drive. This means you can access your email from any computer with an Internet connection. It also means that if your computer crashes, you’ll be able to recover your emails.”
SevenC looks at seven compelling reasons to use cloud computing in 2023.
- Work From Any Location
One of the most compelling and frequently cited benefits of cloud computing is the ability for employees to access critical business applications from anywhere. In fact, the main reason for cloud adoption is to provide access to data from anywhere. This is more important than ever now that so many South Africans work from home.
- Reduced Expenses
The cost savings of using the Cloud is frequently cited as a significant advantage over on-premise deployments. These cost savings are the result of a variety of factors, including:
Purchase costs are lower when compared to purchasing perpetual licences
Lower hardware costs (no need to purchase servers)
Minimal IT resources are required for operation (fewer IT personnel are needed)
Less expensive to manage (vendor performs updates and database management)
- Agile And Flexible
It’s no surprise that CIOs and IT directors rank operational agility as a top driver of cloud adoption; agility and flexibility can provide businesses with a true competitive advantage. Flexibility and agility refer to the ability to respond to and adapt to market and environmental changes quickly and cost-effectively.
Cloud-based solutions are inherently flexible, allowing businesses to scale up or down in response to demand without adding to or retiring existing infrastructure.
“Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) frequently struggle to scale their operations safely and cost-effectively,” adds Millar.
“Instead of investing significantly in scaling, a business can instead provide the resources it requires as needed with cloud computing. This is especially useful for businesses experiencing intermittent waves of activity and fluctuations in user counts, such as those caused by the current global pandemic.”
- Better Collaboration
Collaboration skyrockets when teams can easily access, edit, and share documents in real-time. The cloud facilitates this type of collaboration by making documents accessible from anywhere, at any time, and by providing complete transparency in the collaborative process.
According to a Millar, while collaboration can occur outside of the cloud, nothing beats the cloud’s ability to facilitate collaboration across functional boundaries, time zones, and organisations. And, at a time when face-to-face collaboration is becoming increasingly rare, cloud collaboration tools have become critical for business continuity.
- Enhanced Security
Early cloud adoption was hampered by security concerns – executives were hesitant to entrust their data to others. However, according to Miller, many of these concerns are unfounded. He advises CIOs to shift their focus from “Is the cloud secure?” to “Am I using the cloud securely?”
Cloud providers, for their part, have worked hard to reduce security concerns and continue to invest heavily in security. Today, there is no doubt that public cloud service providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft provide a more secure environment than your on-premise servers could ever hope to provide. Humans are usually to blame for security breaches caused by inadequate cloud data protection.
The main security risks are stolen log-in credentials, disgruntled employees, accidental deletions, insecure wi-fi connections, and other employee mishaps, all of which can be avoided with the right tools and training.
- Low IT Infrastructure
Cloud computing enables users to virtually access computing and storage resources while requiring minimal resources on their end. Companies can reduce or even eliminate the costs associated with server and storage maintenance. The absence of on-premise infrastructure eliminates associated operational costs such as power, air conditioning, and hardware and software administration.
As a result, businesses will likely require fewer (if any) dedicated IT personnel and will be able to focus those resources on their core mission.
According to research, companies can save 26% by replacing perpetual software licences with cloud subscriptions and an additional 15% by reducing associated staff.
- Constantly Up To Date
Remember the massive Equifax data breach in 2017, which exposed Social Security numbers, birth dates, and home addresses for up to 143 million Americans? The hackers gained access to the credit reporting agency’s data by exploiting a known vulnerability. A patch for this security flaw was available two months before the breach, but the company failed to update its software.
Software updates are essential because they frequently include critical security patches. When software is hosted in the cloud, updates are typically performed automatically, ensuring that users always have the most recent version. Other advantages of staying current include the following:
Spend less time updating server applications and desktop devices
Take advantage of the most recent features and functionality regularly
Take advantage of ongoing advancements in speed and security
Maintain regulatory compliance as regulations change
Conclusion
Cloud backup provides businesses with flexible, fast, and cost-effective functionalities.
Is your company taking advantage of all the cloud has to offer? If not, contact a managed IT services provider such as SevenC, who can assist you with all your cloud computing needs.