Over the past few years, cloud computing has become an indispensable asset for businesses of all kinds, including small businesses.
This is due to a changing tech landscape, which has made cloud resources and cloud-based apps easier than ever for businesses to access. At the same time, a growing range of tech — like AI and smart devices — is coming to depend on the cloud to work.
Right now, the cloud is continuing to evolve. This is how changes to the cloud in the next few years will impact businesses, and what they can do to take advantage of the evolution of cloud computing.
Cloud Computing: the Last 10 Years
The cloud — massive volumes of computer resources that businesses can instantly access over the internet — has grown and changed significantly over the past ten years.
Pieces of cloud-based resources have fallen rapidly, and growing cloud adoption has meant that more and more individuals from outside the tech world have started to understand what the cloud means — and what benefits it can offer.
Cloud storage, cloud-based apps, cloud platforms and cloud hosting have all unlocked new applications of existing technology.
Modern tech like AI-powered machine vision or predictive maintenance often rely on cloud resources. This tech, along with the cloud, has enabled a wide range of cloud-connected technology, like self-driving cars and autonomous robots.
The rise of Internet of Things (IoT) or “smart” devices for businesses and consumers has also been dependent on the rapidly growing global cloud infrastructure. Without access to cloud resources for data storage and processing, many smart devices wouldn’t work, or at least, wouldn’t be as effective or quick as they are.
There are a growing number of cloud service providers, like public cloud services Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and IBM Cloud, as well as private cloud providers like VMWare.
These services enable a range of cloud applications — most importantly, internet-based backups, computing resources and cloud-based apps that businesses can use to allow employees to access their work from anywhere and rely less on physical hardware.
The Current and Future Impact of Cloud Computing on Small Businesses
It’s likely that, even if your small business hasn’t made intentional moves to switch to the cloud, it’s still relying on the cloud in one way or another. Many services have started to move to the cloud, replacing local versions with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings that are based entirely in the cloud.
Using cloud computing gives flexibility in the working process that’s why it has become essential for small businesses, they are easy to use and also gives many advantages to the business. With that in mind, making use of a cloud cost management software would greatly help in managing your cloud costs.
Upgrading to cloud-based versions of services your business already uses will help provide employees with remote access to resources and apps, as well as cloud-based computing power.
Some services will also probably be cheaper and more effective when delivered via the cloud. Emergency notification systems, for example, are typically much more cost-effective when they take advantage of the cloud, rather than the typical systems that ENS providers use.
Your business may also already be taking advantage of cloud storage in the form of cloud storage services like Dropbox or SaaS like the Google Workspace suite of software.
In the near future, key cloud developments will include the ongoing rollout of 5G, which will provide ultra-fast speeds over cell networks and help cell towers handle connections from multiple devices at the same time. This will help make IoT devices and other smart technology more practical, especially for businesses that can’t or don’t want to use wired connections or Wi-Fi.
Growing cloud storage capacity and the development of new technology that depends on the cloud — like many AI-based solutions — will also likely make the cloud even more important for small businesses.
For small businesses, there will also likely be passive benefits to the continuing evolution of the cloud. More and more services are adopting the SaaS model,
How Small Businesses Can Invest in the Cloud
Businesses wanting to take advantage of cloud resources should know what options are available and which cloud resources are trending cheaper over time.
The best cloud investments will depend on your business’s needs.
Most businesses, for example, can take advantage of cloud-based storage or backups. Businesses in need of backups for key data may want to take advantage of cloud storage or cloud backup solutions, rather than on-premises backups with local drives. These cloud-based backup databases easily replace corrupted or deleted data in the event of a data breach or accident.
Many businesses can also benefit from upgrading to SaaS versions of the solutions that they currently use, or adopting cloud-based software that fills a similar niche as the tech that they are replacing.
For example, your business may use a graphic design software suite in day-to-day-work. Switching to the SaaS version of that suite ensures that your employees will be able to access that software, even if they’re not logged in to their office computer, so long as they have an internet connection and their login credentials.
Many SaaS tools offer improved scalability — in many cases, you may not have to buy individual licenses, instead adding or removing users as necessary.
Cloud storage can be similarly scaled up and down according to your business needs. If you suddenly need a significant amount of extra backup storage, you can typically secure it with the click of a button. Downscaling is usually just as easy.
More extensive investments in cloud platforms and cloud tech can be useful if you need to build your own cloud-based solutions in-house.
There are risks to pivoting to the cloud that small businesses should be aware of — like the potential for data breaches that can result in the exposure of sensitive business and customer data.
However, for the most part, there are serious advantages to adopting cloud tech right now. Switching to cloud technology should be a serious consideration for any business that relies heavily on digital technology in day-to-day work.
Taking Advantage of the Cloud, Now and in the Future
Cloud computing has rapidly evolved over the past few years, and is likely to continue changing at a fast pace in the near future. Businesses wanting to take advantage of these developments can invest in solutions like cloud storage, cloud-based apps and cloud computing.
Eleanor is editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.
