10 Advantages of Cloud Computing From 10 Leading Experts
Are you new to cloud computing? Or maybe looking for some evidence to prove that it’s worth your company’s time?
You’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of 10 cloud benefits, straight from experts in the cloud computing industry, to help you learn exactly what you can get when your company uses the cloud.
1. Increased Flexibility
Cloud-based remote servers have a vast capacity, which allows bandwidth needs to be met anytime, anywhere.
“Cloud computing allows your employees to be more flexible—both in and out of the workplace. Employees can access files using web-enabled devices such as smartphones, laptops, and notebooks… In this way, cloud computing enables the use of mobile technology.” —Rick Blaisdell, Technical and Business Strategist
2. The Ability To Work From Anywhere
As long as employees have internet access, they can work from anywhere. This can improve their productivity and work-life balance.
“Try this scenario on for size: you’re working on a Word document at work, and you want to go home and finish there. [Just] upload the file to Dropbox, head home, and that file is there for you to work on. Having your files readily available from anywhere will make your life easier.” —Brett Williams, The IT Blog
For an even smoother workflow, you can work directly from synced files in the cloud, meaning all of your files, applications, and services are integrated into one tool that can be accessed from anywhere. An example of this is our unified cloud experience and cloud aggregation service.
3. Automatic Software Updates
Cloud suppliers do all the server maintenance required with cloud computing, including security updates. This frees up your employees, IT staff, and resources for other tasks.
“Using the cloud means you’ll no longer have to worry about purchasing, installing, downloading, and updating software. Cloud computing suppliers take care of this for you—security updates included—thus freeing up your time so you can focus on other important aspects of your business. Not only does this save you hassle, but it also means you don’t have to worry about hackers exploiting out of date software.” —Alex Gavril, 123-reg
4. Increased Security
According to Alert Logic’s State of Cloud Security Report, on-premise server users actually suffer more security incidents than those of cloud service providers.
“Indeed, I’ve been finding that clouds are more secure than traditional systems, generally speaking… Moreover, those who build cloud-based platforms for enterprises typically focus more on security and governance than those who build systems that will exist inside firewalls.” —David Linthicum, Cloud Analyst, Cloud Technology Partners
5. More Reliability
Today, cloud-based server platforms are generally more reliable than in-house servers.
“With a managed service platform, cloud computing is much more reliable and consistent than in-house IT infrastructure. Most providers offer a Service Level Agreement which guarantees 24/7/365 and 99.99% availability. Your organization can benefit from a massive pool of redundant IT resources.” —Biren Shukla, CEO, Levelcloud
6. Easy Collaboration
Cloud computing makes collaboration among employees—wherever they are—possible. They can sync documents and shared apps, as well as receive critical updates in real-time.
“Cloud computing keeps all the files in one central location, and everyone works off of one central copy. Employees can even chat with each other while making changes together. This whole process makes collaboration stronger, which increases efficiency and improves a company’s bottom line.” —Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce
7. A Competitive Advantage
Cloud computing allows even small businesses to compete with large corporations by giving them access to efficient, effective tools.
“The cloud grants SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) access to enterprise-class technology. It also allows smaller businesses to act faster than big, established competitors.” —Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce
8. Reduced Disaster Recovery
Because all data is stored in the cloud, cloud computing reduces the need for disaster recovery. If something were to happen to a device you use, your data would still be stored safely, and your cloud service providers would know how to recover lost information if needed.
“When companies start relying on cloud-based services, they no longer need complex disaster recovery plans. Cloud computing providers take care of most issues, and they do it faster.” —Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce
9. More Cost Efficiency
Most cloud services are paid on a subscription basis, so capital expenditure is reduced. Cloud computing is also much faster and easier to deploy, so there are fewer startup costs.
“Cloud computing is probably the most cost-efficient method to use, maintain, and upgrade. Traditional desktop software costs companies a lot in terms of finance. Adding up the licensing fees for multiple users can prove to be very expensive for the establishment concerned. The cloud, on the other hand, is available at much cheaper rates and hence, can significantly lower the company’s IT expenses.” —Priya Viswanathan, Mobile Devices Expert, AboutTech
One thing to keep an eye on with the cloud is SaaS (software as a service) cost creep. SaaS applications are easy to download and use, so the purchasing of these apps should be monitored in order to prevent unnecessary spending and keep costs low.
10. Automatic Software Integration
Not only does the cloud provide automatic updates, but it also provides automatic integrations. Rather than taking the time to customize your system, the cloud can do it for you.
“In the cloud, software integration is usually something that occurs automatically. This means that you do not need to take additional efforts to customize and integrate your applications as per your preferences. This aspect usually takes care of itself. Not only that, cloud computing allows you to customize your options with great ease. Hence, you can handpick just those services and software applications that you think will best suit your particular enterprise.” —Priya Viswanathan, Mobile Devices Expert, AboutTech
Reap The Benefits of Cloud
Obviously, the cloud has a lot to offer, which is why tons of companies are making the switch to cloud-hosted servers and applications. When these services are properly managed, they can make your company more efficient, more advanced, and more profitable.
If you’re ready to start using the cloud in your company, contact us to find out how we can help you easily manage all of your cloud-hosted services to ensure you take advantage of these 10 benefits.
