What is Cloud Computing?
The Enterprise Cloud Computing model allows businesses to access virtualized IT resources from a secure cloud services provider on an exclusively pay-per-use model. This may include additional CPU processing power, networking infrastructure, data storage, servers and more.
The ability to outsource these functions has proven to be a key factor in allowing large corporations to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging IT environment.
What Are the Main Advantages of Cloud Computing?
Cost Savings
In contrast to the traditional in-house IT department, Enterprise Cloud Computing leverages remote computing capabilities to enable your business to pay only for the resources you need. Costly up-front IT expenses, together with ongoing personnel training, hardware, and software upgrades are eliminated.
Security
With cyber-crime an ever-present concern, it is imperative to have contingency plans in place. In-house IT staff will often find themselves unable to deal with targeted attacks in real-time. Cloud computing providers maintain dedicated cyber-security staff to guarantee a speedy response to any threats.
Redundancy / Disaster Recovery
True enterprise-level redundancy is essential. While every business needs a robust backup plan, some events are simply so overwhelming that even the largest enterprise will suffer revenue loss and even potential existential threats as a result.
Enterprise Cloud Computing services provide global redundancy with infrastructure in place to insulate your business from all but the greatest of disasters.
Scalability
Outsourced cloud computing allows IT resources to be scaled up or down dynamically as required. This applies equally to staffing as well as IT infrastructure and eliminates the need for the complicated reallocation, sourcing, or downsizing of high-value project members.
Innovation
In order to stay current, it is imperative for organizations to adapt quickly. Highly dispersed teams with access to the latest technology can collaborate more effectively with complex workloads shifted seamlessly within a cloud computing environment to maintain high levels of efficiency and innovation.
Cutting Edge Infrastructure – Always
IT infrastructure is notoriously expensive. Servers, workstations, and other assets require ongoing maintenance followed by eventual replacement. The cloud computing model outsources all of these concerns to the provider and allows your core staff to focus on what they do best.
What are the Challenges of Cloud Computing?
Transparency
A provider showing any lack of transparency should be challenged or avoided. Why outsource your IT resources only to find that your new service provider is less well equipped than your own in-house IT department?
Complexity
Pricing models should be clear and simple to understand. If you find yourself struggling to understand terms and conditions, then perhaps it will be wise to look elsewhere.
Control
A crisis is a bad time to find that you have difficulty accessing your companies digital assets. Whether it be downtime or the repatriation of data from remote systems, you need to know that your provider will give you the best of service and that your resources, although outsourced, remain your resources at all times.
Summary
The future is clear for Enterprise Cloud Computing. Large corporations will find it increasingly difficult to compete in an environment where they are striving to be experts in both IT and in their area of core competency.
There are clear advantages in terms of cost, reliability, resource access, redundancy, security, and scalability to cloud computing, however, as with any service, it is crucial for a company considering an outsourced cloud computing model to find the right supplier.
If you have any questions about the suitability of Enterprise Cloud Computing as a solution to your IT needs, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.