Traditional computing requires end-users to run a program via a centralised computer or server, which is often situated in the same building. While it has been tried and tested to work, this arrangement comes with several drawbacks, primarily requiring employees to be onsite to get any job done. If they cannot complete their work during regular office hours, they will have to stay in the office instead of bringing their work back home with them.
With the increased emphasis on flexible working hours and widespread incorporation of remote work into the modern working environment, many organisations have begun to adopt a cloud-first or cloud-only policy. These strategies allow their employees the convenience of working from home, in addition to various other benefits.
However, it is understandable that some businesses still hold reservations towards the reliability and authenticity of cloud computing, namely the concerns surrounding copyrights and data security. Nevertheless, we believe the benefits of cloud computing far outweigh its risks. If your business has not done so already, let us share five compelling reasons why your company should adopt cloud computing.
1. Cost-effective
In a traditional computing arrangement, physical servers must be housed within the office premises, taking up extra commercial space and increasing rental costs. Furthermore, additional overhead costs, such as the amount of electricity used to power and cool the servers, need to be taken into account.
When your business switches to cloud computing, these extra costs can be kept to a minimum or eliminated, freeing up additional resources that can be better used to hasten the achievement of critical business tasks or bolster employees’ skills, such as enrolling them in IT security courses.
2. Automatic software updates and integrations
Although installing software updates is never a welcome task, the fact remains that they are crucial to patching up vulnerabilities and deploying fixes that preserve the security of your IT infrastructures. However, updating your company’s system software often requires a substantial amount of time and effort. The servers have to be brought down so the IT staff can manually patch and upgrade them.
In contrast, this process is automatic and, more importantly, hassle-free when you switch to a cloud platform. By passing this responsibility to your cloud infrastructure provider, you can save a significant amount of time by not having to manage your IT infrastructure constantly. Moreover, common DevOps tools and logging systems are compatible with most cloud environments, making it easier for you to monitor and detect issues in production.
3. On-demand access
Cloud computing solves the restrictive nature inherent in traditional computing arrangements. Any information stored on the cloud can be easily accessed, retrieved, and restored in a matter of minutes from any devices and locations as long as there is an internet connection.
With this convenient feature on hand, everyone in the company can now work on the go. You and your employees are no longer restricted to getting the tasks done in the office during working hours. Moreover, business continuity is assured regardless of any disruptive events that may interrupt the normal flow of operations – the COVID-19 pandemic being a prime example.
4. Scalability
Expanding your company’s IT infrastructure to accommodate increased business demands is no simple feat and requires plenty of planning and decision-making, with the finalised proposal often taking a significant amount of time to implement.
However, on a cloud platform, you can start with the IT requirements your business needs for the time being and tweak them when the situation calls for it. On top of this flexibility, the process of scaling up or down is also quicker and more efficient, making cloud computing an ideal solution for businesses with fluctuating bandwidth demands.
5. Unlimited storage capacity
When your business grows, you will require greater storage capacity to store your clients’ data. However, physical servers have a maximum storage capacity, so you will be required to purchase additional servers to store new data.
Fortunately, there are no such concerns with cloud computing. On the cloud, storage capacity is essentially unlimited. Moreover, it is capable of holding any type of data in different storage formats.
Conclusion
Transitioning to the future that is cloud computing is inherently a risky move, which may put off sceptical organisations that only focus on the potential issues and disregard the benefits it offers. However, businesses that recognise the advantages of cloud infrastructure can easily get ahead of the competition and gain a massive edge over their rivals. With such compelling reasons, you should consider switching over to cloud computing if your company has not done so already.
However, if you are unfamiliar with cloud computing infrastructures, it is advisable to take up a cloud computing workshop to familiarise yourself with the essentials. At BridgingMinds, we offer a wide range of cloud computing courses from a variety of IT vendors. With the help of our qualified instructions, you can rest assured that you will be equipped with the relevant knowledge to help your company shift to a cloud computing model.
