When the phrase “the cloud” began popping up in the early 2000s, it had a distinct “buzzword” sound. The idea of accessing computing resources from somewhere other than an on-premises IT infrastructure sounded like science fiction. But things have moved along since then. Today cloud computing has become standard operating procedure changing technology and how we conduct business.
Guide to Cloud Computing for Your Business
- What is cloud computing?
- Advantages for cloud computing
- Things to consider before networking in cloud
What is cloud computing – defining cloud computing
Defining cloud computing is straightforward. Cloud computing delivers computing resources — including storage, processing power, databases, networking, analytics, artificial intelligence, and software applications — over the internet (the cloud). By outsourcing these resources, companies can access the cloud server and the computer resources they require when they need them without having to purchase and maintain a physical IT infrastructure. This provides flexible resources, faster innovation, and economies of scale. For many companies, cloud hosting is an important step in a programme of business data and IT modernisation. Rather than a single server or local machine, cloud hosting or processing is governed by multiple distributed devices, all set up to act as if they were one single entity. If you picture this in your mind, the layout of cloud computing resembles, predictably enough, a cloud. It’s networking in the cloud. Cloud services have become standard in today’s world; many mail services, such as Gmail, photo hosting and sharing sites, such as Google Photos, and online storage facilities, such as Dropbox, are all examples of cloud computing.
Advantages for cloud computing
So why would businesses turn to cloud service providers? There are many reasons. Here are the primary reasons companies are turning to cloud hosting services: Cost Cost-saving is one of the most significant cloud computing benefits. A business can save substantial capital costs as it does not fund the physical hardware required for things like webserver hosting, nor require trained IT personnel to maintain that hardware. If you're interested, discover how you can host a website in 5 easy steps via our beginner's guide. Scalability Scalability is a huge benefit. Without the reliance on a single static server or computer, increasing or decreasing requirements becomes exponentially easier. Not to mention being able to avoid downtime whilst doing so. Speed Cloud computing allows businesses to access the latest applications without costly installation costs. This faster deployment enables you to get the resources required for your system when you need them. Reliability With no single point of failure, websites and services hosted on cloud computing environments are more stable, with demands shared amongst multiple machines. A single event or incident is unlikely to affect processes running off a cloud hosting service. Cloud server hosting will automatically integrate the software you need and make sure your software remains updated. Mobility Employees working in the office or at remote locations can easily access all the applications located in the could. All they need is internet connectivity. During the past couple of years, the importance of cloud computing has become increasingly apparent as the workforce became distributed.
Things you should consider before networking in the cloud
Using a hosting server or a compute cloud service is not risk-free. You must consider a couple of important questions when considering the meaning of cloud computing and its relevance for your business. Your deliberations should include the following issues: Security Before adopting cloud technology, you should be aware that you will be sending your organisation's information to a third party, i.e., a cloud computing service provider. Today, online security is more important than ever. With servers and services distributed non-locally, it becomes harder to guarantee that both the hardware and software of cloud hosting services are secure, emphasising the importance of ensuring that any cloud hosting or computing is implemented and managed by a secure, reliable provider. Internet connectivity With cloud computing, every piece of data (image, audio, video, etc.) is stored in the cloud, and we access this data through the cloud by using an internet connection. If you do not have good internet connectivity, you cannot access this data or access to the data is slow. Webcentral and cloud computing As with any online service, choosing a cloud hosting provider needs to be done carefully to ensure a robust, secure and reliable outcome. Webcentral has been operating cloud hosting environments since the late 1990’s, and is experienced in maintaining reliable hosting security. We have a range of cloud hosting solutions from Microsoft 365 for business software applications, through to a comprehensive range of website hosting plans. We work with businesses to get the best from the cloud computing environment. To get started or to find out more, contact the Webcentral cloud hosting experts on 1300 638 734.
