What Is Cloud Computing and Why You Should Use Cloud Computing

The Basics.

As businesses expand, they begin to experience some really difficult and expensive information technology (IT) challenges. Maintenance of hardware and software facilities can be a pain in the neck with traditional business computing systems. Cloud technologies and services present a smart, user-friendly solution. It’s also cheaper than traditional systems and increases the productivity and workflow of the business.

Cloud computing, by definition, is technology that makes use of the internet and servers centralized in remote data centers to store and maintain data and applications. So, Cloud technology makes computing more efficient by centralizing the storage of data, processing, and bandwidth.

Cloud services and products also allow users to make use of applications and software without installing the application on their personal computers or mobile devices. Users can access their personal files and documents by using any computer or device with internet access. The costs in effort and money spent on maintaining an in-house IT infrastructure is are gradually being replaced with Cloud-based infrastructure. While Cloud-based services are perfect for large enterprises, they’ve also proven ideal for small and medium-sized businesses.

Private Cloud or Public Cloud

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)- Examples of SaaS include SalesForce, Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, Gmail, and so on. With these services, just login with your credentials and get full access to the application and your previously stored information. With SaaS services, you can access your information anytime, anywhere, as long as you have internet access.

Private Cloud-The term “Cloud computing” or “the Cloud” also includes the utilization of outsourced hosting environments for remote data and file storage. Primarily, there are two cloud hosting scenarios that should be considered. These are shared, virtual servers, or dedicated, private Cloud servers. A private Cloud consists of servers that are dedicated to your company and data. Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services are the largest providers of Cloud hosting solutions.

Why You Should Use the Cloud.

Money savings-Cloud computing saves you substantial amount of money, the cost of Cloud computing is much more flexible than traditional methods. If there is need to pay for any service, you only need to pay for the services that you are using.

Disaster Recovery-With Cloud computing, it’s very easy to recover any file as long as they are backed up on the Cloud. So, if your physical devices malfunction, or are lost or stolen, your data is still safe and easily recoverable.

Work anywhere-Cloud computing enables you to access your files from anywhere as long as you’re connected to the internet. Many Cloud services also offer mobile apps so you can have access to your files irrespective of the device you are using.

Reduce Hardware-The use of Cloud computing reduces the amount of hardware used and the size of data centers. Some organizations eliminate physical data storage completely by operating their business totally on the Cloud.

Improved Collaboration- Cloud computing improves collaboration by allowing groups to meet virtually. You can view and edit shared documents and material with controlled access. This ability reduces the time spent to market and increase product development and customer service.

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