Benefits of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is simply the delivery of computing services over the internet. Computing services include servers, storage, database, networking, etc.
It comes with a lot of benefits and there is no doubt that Cloud computing is here to stay. Here are a few reasons why your business should consider moving to the cloud.
Reduced Cost -Cloud computing helps businesses replace high capital expenditure with low operational expenditure. This simply means you avoid spending funds on the purchase and maintenance of expensive hardware and accessories. This cost factor takes us to the next point.
Flexible Pay per use– you only pay for what you use, be it processing power, storage space, memory, etc. If your peak RAM demand is12 GB RAM but you end up using just 4GB, you only pay for using 4GB instead of buying a server with 12GB of RAM, as you would have it in a traditional data center.
Greater Elasticity– Elasticity simply means expanding and contracting when you need it to. The cloud allows you to automatically expand or contract computer resources as and when you need them. With the example in the previous point, if you happen to exceed your 12GB peak demand, you don’t need to purchase another RAM as you would do in a traditional data center. Cloud services allow an increase or decrease in the capacity depending on your demand.
Unlimited Storage- There is a limit to everything in this universe, but when it comes to cloud storage, there is virtually unlimited space to store all your data. You can store from the smallest kilobyte to the largest Exabyte – if your business will ever need that much.
Scalability – Cloud computing allows you to scale your business in minutes at all levels. The computing resources are already available for you to harness, so it is just a matter of deciding the extent of the scaling. This enables you to innovate without worrying about the cost of purchasing hardware or increasing computing resources. Take an Engineer who has just finished designing a model and wants to test it. It may take days to run a simulation on his personal computer whereas a provisioned cloud server will do it in a few minutes. When this engineer is done with the simulation, the server can then be discarded.
Increased Efficiency in Operations – When you run a business and don’t have to worry about your computing needs, it allows you to focus on your core mission rather than the technical details. The reliable nature of cloud computing resources enhances agility and helps you quickly launch your products and services.
Automatic Software Updates – You do not need to worry about updating the underlining server or operating systems you use in the cloud. This is because it is all done for you automatically.
Redundancy– With data centers spread across the world, cloud service providers allow you to replicate your resources to various geographical regions across the world. In case something happens to your resources in one region, users keep on working like nothing has happened because copies of these resources are running in other regions.
Access to Distributed Remote Workforce– One remarkable thing about the cloud is that you and your staff can work on the same thing anywhere you are in this world. With an internet connection, you can connect to your cloud services and complete tasks in record time without stepping foot in the office.
Cloud computing is here to stay. There are several benefits that weren’t mentioned here, but I can assure you that hopping on to the cloud is one of the business decisions you can make. The only challenge you may have to look at when working in the cloud is your internet connection. In many developing countries such as Ghana, internet infrastructure is growing at an exponential rate and opening doors for more innovation.
With proper business continuity plans in place, internet challenges shouldn’t be a stumbling block for you to make that move.
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