It may sound funny to hear that a ‘cloud’ is changing the way we do business. After all, how can those white wispy clouds which bring us rain, hail, and snow be influencing business? However the cloud I am referring to is cloud computing. Cloud computing is the act of delivering computing services, ranging from servers to intelligence over the Internet. Cloud computing is scalable, meaning that it is flexible, and it is changing the way businesses operate and do business!
Why do companies prefer the cloud?
Most companies prefer the cloud because it is flexible and scalable, therefore they can use more of it and more intense during the busiest times of the year, and they can leave it idle during down times. The beauty of the cloud which other computer storage and transmission systems do not offer is flexibility – this allows businesses to only pay for the storage and transmission services and capacity that they actually use. This in itself saves them a lot of money in the IT section of their budgets. Businesses find that their infrastructure and revenue streams become more efficient and grow as their expenses decrease, and their overall productivity increases – increased productivity brings in more revenue and profit streams!
Businesses prefer to use the cloud for a variety of reasons, some of which are discussed below:
The cloud is cheaper
Because the cloud is infinite and expansive, it allows businesses to store all of their hardware, software, and business infrastructure on the Internet. This eliminates the need for bulky and expensive storage spaces. This reduces expenses, and increases corporate bottom lines as a result. The cloud also saves businesses money because it reduces the need for in-house teams of computer programmers, developers, and people to maintain the IT equipment and infrastructure – now businesses can outsource all of these tasks to a third party organization. This saves them substantial labor costs which they can then pass on to the end consumer in the form of lower product and service prices. This makes them more profitable and powerful as a result.
The cloud provides its own services
Since the cloud comes with its own services, businesses do not need to spend a great deal of money acquiring such services as business analytics, and data analysis – among other functions. This allows the cloud to offer its users a substantial amount of resources in a matter of minutes. Businesses no longer have to pay for these resources and store them because they are available virtually and instantaneously! This takes pressure off the capacity planning section of their budgets, and saves them money in the long run. The overall prices of their products and services lower as a result, and they can pass these lower costs onto their consumers in the form of lower product and service prices!
As is evident, the cloud is starting to rapidly transform the way business is done. Its vast and expansive nature allows business to store an unlimited amount of information and related resources on the Internet at low prices. This encourages businesses to be more efficient and to look globally for current and future markets.
