Cloud computing has been predicted to be a commercially significant technology for the last few years. But adoption to this revolutionary approach to computing has taken some time because of the fact that enterprises are often reluctant to go through a transition that they perceive will be complex. But does this impression actually stand up to scrutiny? Our friends at UnitedLayer help us to help you better understand the cloud.
Reasons to Adopt the Cloud
There are numerous reasons to switch to the cloud which should overshadow any doubts about doing so. These include the increasingly low cost of cloud services, the relatively low barriers to entry given the zero hardware costs involved, increased security and mobility, and probably above all else, the limitlessness scalability and flexibility that the cloud provides.
[quotes style=”classic” align=”center” author=”Abhijit Phanse, UnitedLayer CEO”]One solution doesn’t fit all problems; the ability to change the mix of your solutions is extremely important for organisations and enterprises.[/quotes]
Cloud Myths
Many myths persist about the cloud, despite the technology being widely utilized by enterprises across the globe. One of the most common myths which has been a barrier to businesses switching to the cloud is the notion that all network activities need to migrated. This is simply not true. In fact, the private cloud is currently the most popular model for cloud computing. This system enables companies to retain data in-house, and utilize the cloud for processor-intensive activities.
There have also been security concerns about the cloud. Many of these are based on ignorance and a natural conservativeness within human-beings which makes us inherently believe that we should be suspicious of anything new. In fact, there have been very few security breaches in the public cloud, and the previously mentioned flexibility of the cloud means that applications that your business operate which require the most security can continue to be run in private should you wish to do so.
UnitedLayer Cloud Migration Experience
Unquestionably, managing the migration of your existing systems to a cloud computing model does require some logistical organisation. It would be fanciful to suggest that shifting to the cloud is not a significant undertaking for any enterprise. A Total Product Marketing customer, UnitedLayer have built up a wealth of experience in dealing with this process for businesses of all sizes.
While it might seem as if you are an early adopter were you to opt for the cloud now, this impression is simply false. One-in-three small businesses already utilize the cloud in their daily operations and this is expected to increase to four-in-five by the end of the decade. It should be clear from these statistics that far from jumping into something before it is necessary, businesses that fail to adopt the cloud will in fact be left behind.
Cloud Adoption Models
So once you have made the decision to migrate to the cloud, how can you make it as easy as possible for your enterprise? A great deal of research has been carried out into the cloud and how to implement it within businesses that have not utilised it previously, and this has led to a series of cloud adoption models being produced.
Such models have been developed by both industry experts and academics, and they enable your business to understand a wealth of vital information related to adoption of the cloud. Cloud computing adoption models can assist enterprises in understanding the capabilities they need to develop in order to be successful, where they are on a cloud adoption spectrum, and how much time and expense it could take to switch to the cloud. This enables companies to make informed decisions about whether they wish to adopt the cloud, and to what degree it should form part of their daily operations.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Another aspect of cloud computing adoption which should be taken into consideration is a cost-benefit analysis. This is still relatively in its infancy, as understanding of the performance and monetary cost-benefits for cloud applications is still developing.
But asking important questions before adopting the cloud can help you gain a strong impression of the potential benefits of the cloud relative to this expense before you begin. Cloud hosting providers, such as UnitedLayer are able to help you work through these questions. Issues to be considered include:
- What are the performance benefits of utilizing one platform over another?
- What are the specific resource requirements and monetary costs of creating and deploying applications on each possible cloud platform?
- Can cloud computing platforms be used in combination with existing in-house technology in order to improve its efficiency?
- Are the key aspects and advantages of cloud computing particularly applicable to your business?
Cloud computing is growing exponentially; according to technology research company Gartner, the cloud will represent the bulk of new IT spending by 2016. Nearly half of large enterprises will have hybrid cloud deployments by the end of 2017 and by the end of the decade cloud will be commonplace.
Understanding and assessing the benefits of the cloud for your business will offer your company a great commercial and competitive advantage. Quite simply, it is something that any enterprise should do sooner rather than later.
For more on UnitedLayer and the services that they provide, see their website at http://www.unitedlayer.com.
