The concept of cloud computing has been around since the 1960s, when computer bureaus would allow companies to rent time on a mainframe, rather than have to buy one themselves, but the term cloud computing only originated recently: during the early 2000s. Since then, cloud computing has only gained popularity as organizations realized that the technology offered a vast number of services for a low charge. According to Gartner, global spending on cloud services will reach $260 billion this year (up from $219.6 billion).
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is an internet-based service that allows individuals to access services that were traditionally only available via download online. For example, Google Docs allows users to create and edit documents online, share these documents with collaborators so they can see adjustments in real-time, and access documents from any computer instead of just the computer the document was created on. This is only one example of cloud computing, and the technology is available for a variety of on-demand computing services, from applications to storage, typically on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Cloud computing allows companies to rent access to services that previously would have required them to own their own computing infrastructure or data centers from a cloud service provider. This technology offers many benefits to companies, particularly in terms of scalability.
Benefit of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing offers organizations a number of advantages, from increasing efficiency to minimizing capital expenditure. Here are the top three reasons why you should consider taking your organization to the cloud:
Flexibility
Cloud computing is ideal for the remote workforce, offering a level of flexibility that traditional IT infrastructure cannot. Not only does the pay-as-you-go nature of the cloud make it ideal for businesses to scale capacity up or down as needed, it makes it easy for teams to collaborate from anywhere at any time.
Time
According to Salesforce data, 51% of employees have found that emerging technologies like cloud computing save both time and effort once integrated. Not only does this create streamlined content for improved collaboration, it means that your employees can access data at times most convenient for them.
Saving
Cloud computing technologies allow businesses to avoid the high costs of hardware. With subscription-based models that make it easy to pay for what your organization needs, cloud computing providers make setting up and managing an IT infrastructure easy and affordable.
Risks of Cloud Computing
While there are significant advantages to moving your organization onto the cloud, it is important to understand the risks associated with cloud computing to fully protect your organization against cyber threats.
Cloud environments experience the same threats as traditional data centers; however, unlike traditional data centers, organizations that operate in the cloud accept some of the responsibility for mitigating the risks associated with software vulnerabilities. For instance, organizations need to perform monitoring and analysis of information about applications, services, data, and users.
Is your organization considering the switch to cloud computing? Learn more about the services and technology PGH Networks can provide. Reach out to us today: contact us today.