5 Reasons Cloud Computing is Key to Business Success

Has your organization ever suffered from a cyberattack or a hard drive crash resulting in a loss of critical data?

The ongoing need for secure systems combined with the surge in digital services puts the cloud at the forefront of an enterprise's digital experience. According to Gartner analysts, cloud revenue is estimated to total $474 billion in 2022, with more than 85% of organizations embracing a cloud-first principle by 2025.

Cloud computing is taking the business world by storm. Here are five reasons why transitioning to cloud-based platforms should be a "no-brainer" for your business success.

1. An Ideal Solution for Remote or Hybrid Work Environments

According to Gallup News, 45% of the workforce population are working either partly or fully remote, compared to only 20% pre-pandemic. Working from home is quickly becoming the industry standard, and with the right technology, collaborating from a decentralized location has become more achievable (and safer) than ever. Here's why:

• Increase Accessibility: One of the most significant barriers to successful remote work just a few years ago was accessibility. Cloud computing gives remote employees 24/7 access to the information they need to do their jobs. The cloud also makes it easier for administrators to control access to specific cloud resources ensuring that employees have the correct permissions for what they can and cannot access.
• Enhance Security: The cloud is designed with cybersecurity in mind. Cloud services operate on a shared responsibility model, which means there's a guarantee of safety between providers and cloud users to a certain degree. In addition, public cloud platforms, such as AWS and Azure, give users the ability to designate specific security measures, such as setting up user permissions, encrypting data, and enforcing other measures to prevent security threats.
• Boost Productivity: When employees are remote, their productivity can be impaired by the need for consensus decision-making. However, with cloud computing, the data is securely stored in the cloud allowing for more visibility and analysis by anyone who needs it, enhancing productivity.

2. Increased Customization

The beauty of the cloud lies within its tremendous flexibility. It's a low-risk, low-cost solution that can be customized to align with your business specifications and evolving needs at your own desired pace.

Without cloud products, your organization is forced to constantly monitor the changing needs of your business and upgrade your solutions at regular intervals. For example, if you use only on-premises infrastructure, you're required to invest in expensive physical servers, networking equipment, and software licenses to scale up your growing business. On the other hand, most cloud service providers will enable you to easily upscale, downscale, or personalize your cloud resources to accommodate your needs.

Tailoring the cloud to your needs can be an intimidating task, but partnering with a trusted service provider will enable you to establish a functioning, secure infrastructure with confidence.

3. Adjustable Storage Capacity

When you make a capacity decision before deploying an application, you often end up either sitting on expensive idle resources or dealing with limited capacity. Similar to computer hard drives, you can only save a finite number of files, documents, and data, often leaving you with too much data and not enough storage.

With cloud computing, you can access as much or as little capacity as you need and scale up and down as required with only a few minutes' notice. There is no hardware to purchase, storage to provision, or capital for "someday" scenarios. You can add or remove capacity on-demand, quickly change performance and retention characteristics, and only pay for storage that you use. Less frequently accessed data can even be automatically moved to lower-cost tiers in accordance with auditable rules, driving economies of scale.

4. Improved Safety

As more data is stored digitally, the potential for cyber hacking continues to grow. However, cloud providers have the expertise and the resources to stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats. This means the cloud is not nearly as penetrable as its name might imply.

While potential cloud security challenges can never be fully anticipated, the pros of cloud computing safety in comparison to on-premises data centers easily outweigh the cons. Here's how:

• Redundancy: Losing data can be almost as harmful as having it stolen. Whether a server fails or a hacker gains access to a corporate network to delete or attempt to ransom vital information, this can cost companies months of productivity. However, most cloud networks recommend keeping data in at least three locations. This redundancy means that losing data in one place will not have the disastrous impact it could in an organization relying on a single on-premises data center.
• Safe Sharing Policy: If you have used SharePoint, you have an understanding of how file sharing works. Based on user permissions, certain files can have limitations on who can share a file and who that file can be shared with depending on their team, internal, or external status. Some users simply have access to the information. This is how safe sharing works. It prevents any unauthorized copies from being created or distributed to unauthorized personnel or externally.
• Encryption: It is challenging for a hacker to gain access to files (provided a user keeps track of their password). They are being stored either entirely in the cloud or at a secure, remote facility in an unknown location. Since the user's connection to this information is encrypted, following it to gain access would be difficult, if not impossible, for a human hacker.
• Resilience to Threats: Deployment of layered defenses paired with the ability to respond and recover quickly to incidents and attacks is the key to highly resilient networks and systems. Having tiered defenses creates multiple barriers for attackers. If they successfully break through one barrier, they encounter another, increasing the difficulty and length of time to steal data successfully. In traditional networks, these tiered defenses can be inconsistent and varied depending on the geography and age of the network, making them less resilient to attacks.

5. Free Up Your IT Staff

The costs associated with an in-house network aren't limited to the physical hardware and software licenses alone. Your entire IT department has its focus pulled away daily to maintain servers, solve connectivity issues, monitor the network for potential threats (malware, viruses, etc.), and upgrade software.

Rather than supporting all on-site equipment with a robust IT department, you can have a streamlined IT department that has the freedom to focus on strategic, core goals for the company. Meanwhile, your cloud services provider can be responsible for keeping your employees operating efficiently.

Let's Get Started

In today's world, you run the risk of falling behind your competition and losing your competitive edge by choosing to forego moving to the cloud. However, you can create a sustainable road map for growth and future-proof your business with a robust cloud strategy.

If you're ready to discuss implementing cloud infrastructure for your business, Ascend Technologies can help. Our experts are here to simplify the process of customizing your cloud and ensure a successful and smooth adoption for your organization. Contact us today for a free consultation.