Clearing the Overcast: Changing Business Perceptions and Considerations Around Cloud Computing
The integration of a cloud computing backup solution into a business has become crucial. Over the past year, the sudden outbreak of the global pandemic drastically accelerated the digital transition of virtually every industry. It was essential for the possibility of daily business operations to be done online as remote work arrangements became common.
Within the current context of the business landscape, data has become one of the most valuable assets that companies should strive to protect. While cloud computing is not necessarily a novel technology, it’s still evolving constantly. The sophistication of cloud models continues to develop, but this is also what makes it confusing and discouraging for a few business leaders.
Rediscovering the Cloud
Adopting cloud technology has been proven to have countless benefits for businesses, from seamless workflows to the protection of files against cyber attacks. It’s undoubtedly become a norm for most companies, especially given the circumstances that have come up over the past year.
Yet surprising as it may be, not all businesses have fully embraced cloud solutions into their digital infrastructure. There are still some entrepreneurs and business leaders out there who are uncomfortable with cloud-based solutions.
They often perceive the concept of the cloud as too overwhelming or intimidating, even both in most cases. As such, certain mindset changes are called for in the hope of making cloud computing more straightforward and welcoming for all businesses.
The Digital Shift
Flexibility is one of the key benefits that cloud-based solutions can offer to any company. It’s dynamic and easily scalable for everybody in the organization. This allows business leaders to cut down on unnecessary hardware and infrastructure costs without significantly affecting operations.
Many businesses were particularly driven to migrate or integrate cloud-based capabilities into their infrastructure to replace outdated data storage tools & equipment. As the world’s digitalization continues, being able to keep up with the latest technological solutions is tantamount to survival.
Evolving Workflows
One of the most difficult shifts that businesses had to accommodate over the previous year was the remote work setup. The concept of working from home posed an apparent threat to employee productivity, engagement, and collaboration.
The adoption of cloud computing provides to businesses serves to improve workflow conditions despite the remote work arrangements. As employees continue to work from home even in the post-pandemic setting, cloud solutions will definitely allow better access to necessary company data regardless of location.
Up on the Clouds
Overcoming the hurdle of discerning whether to integrate cloud computing into an organization’s current setup is the first step towards digitalization. The next step comes in choosing which cloud storage provider would be the best for a particular company.
It’s important to note that there is a wide selection of cloud service providers. Each of which has its own benefits and disadvantages. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to cloud computing. However, there are certain considerations every business leader should recognize to choose the ideal cloud storage.
Safeguarding Data
Threats of a cybersecurity breach are always looming, especially when the internet is concerned. In fact, most business owners believe that their data would be much safer if it’s kept outside of the cloud. While there have been breaches in the past, this is not necessarily true with developed cloud solutions.
Willfully giving valuable data to a third-party provider is understandably alarming. Nonetheless, it’s the company’s due diligence to review a particular cloud storage provider’s security measures and guidelines to guarantee safety. This can come in the form of anti-virus software, data encryption, or regular updates.
Storage Location
Data that are stored in the cloud is not necessarily just left to float around on the internet. Cloud storage providers also have actual facilities to store the data of their clients. This is another key factor that should be acknowledged.
When choosing a cloud provider, always review that company’s information. It’s important to know where a provider’s data centers are located since it can affect data safety. Avoid cloud providers with data centers located in other countries or disaster-prone areas.
Cost-effective Solutions
The integration of cloud computing has helped countless businesses significantly cut down on operating costs. However, prices for cloud services have become very competitive, especially over the previous year, as the demand increases and more providers enter the picture.
As a business, it’s still important to realize the costs that cloud capabilities require. A majority of providers will usually offer free storage up to a certain limit, but company data can easily exceed those set amounts. Generally, it’s important to examine the pricing structure of a particular cloud provider.
Cloudy with a Chance of Growth
Ultimately, adopting cloud-based solutions has become is extremely important given the current landscape and circumstances. While there some business leaders are still opposed to the idea of the cloud, it’s been proven to have more advantages than disadvantages. It can greatly improve a company’s capabilities, especially if it can choose the right cloud solutions for its needs.
Meta title: Why Cloud Computing Is Essential
meta desc: Cloud computing solutions have become extremely essential over the previous year. Despite its popularity, however, some business leaders are still opposed to its adoption. This will shed light on the increasing relevance of cloud-based solutions and how to choose the right provider for a company.
