The Cloud: It Grows With You, It Goes With You

Are you ready for the world of enterprise cloud computing?

Last time, we discerned some of the ways you are already using the cloud as an individual. This time, I begin an analysis of a few key benefits of using the cloud – as a business.

In 2015, the cloud storage market brought in $18.87 billion in the United States; this figure is predicted to jump to $65.41 billion by 2020, according to Markets and Markets research firm. Over one-third of IT infrastructure spending goes to cloud computing, and much like the previous statistic, is only expected to increase in the next five years.

So, where does your business fit into the cloud? What can the cloud do for you?

In my humble opinion, here are two of the most advantageous features of the cloud: it grows with you, and it goes with you.

1.The Cloud Grows With You

Having your own hardware provides a fixed amount of storage space. Let’s say you’re an architectural firm, and most of your files are massive drawings taking up enormous amounts of storage space. Running out of room? The only way to increase space is to purchase an entirely new machine, or an external hard drive. Need less room? Sorry, hardware doesn’t scale down – you get all the space you paid for, even if you later realize you don’t really need it.

Moreover, not only does hardware either a) take up space that you don’t need or b) not provide enough space for you to maintain flexibility, but additionally it is expensive to maintain.

You can devote your entire IT budget to simply upgrading your hardware – constantly. Particularly in small businesses or startups, trying to handle all of your own technological needs, or over – or underestimating those needs can have a crippling impact on your costs and, thus, profits.

Enter stage left: the cloud. The cloud provides the exact amount of space required for your operation. If you find that your business is growing faster than intended, you can add space quickly and easily by simply calling your cloud provider. If you find that you overestimated your business’ needs, it is equally simple to decrease the server space you’ve obtained to meet your demands precisely. When the cloud needs an upgrade, your cloud provider does it – seamlessly, in such a way that your business goes on uninterrupted.

Say hello to the cloud; say goodbye to wasted space, wasted money, and wasted time.

2.The Cloud Goes With You

In the increasingly fast-paced world of the 21st century, business deals are made or broken in a matter of minutes. Total, constant accessibility has become not only preferable but also arguably necessary to maintain a successful enterprise with satisfied customers.

Essentially, the cloud serves as a virtual desktop. Anywhere you have an Internet connection is a place you can access your entire business. If you’re a doctor, for example, and you’re on vacation, it may seem like you have time off. But sickness doesn’t take vacations, and how often does a patient need something from his/her physician on the doctor’s holiday break? With the cloud, instead of committing every patient’s medical history to memory, you can easily pull up any patient’s records and solve his/her medical issues – even if you’re lying on a beach in Hawaii.

If your kid gets sick, forcing you to stay home from work the day before your most important project is due, you may fret over the fact that your entire presentation is sitting on your desktop at work. With the cloud, you no longer need to worry; you’ll be able to login in securely from any remote device, even if that device is conveniently situated 20 feet away from your child who can’t stop throwing up.

What’s more – you’ll be able to access your presentation in exactly the same format as you had on your desktop. That is, if you were on slide 14 in the middle of typing “The Business Benef— “, your presentation will pull up on slide 14, with your incomplete title ready to be finished, picking up precisely where you left off.

That’s it – be sure to check the next post for my final 3 benefits of switching your business to the cloud!