Why Does Your Enterprise Need Cloud Computing?

The cloud computing market has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. Vendors are increasing the number of services they provide via the cloud, and public cloud environments like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are bigger than ever. The majority of companies, no matter the size, have adopted the cloud in some shape or form, typically in the form of non-critical business software. Some, however, rely on the cloud for large, vital parts of their infrastructure.

However they implement it, one thing is clear: businesses want to use the cloud. They recognize the capabilities the cloud brings and how it can impact their work. Despite the benefits, though, adopting a cloud solution isn’t something that should be done without a second thought. Enterprises need to consider: why do we need cloud computing?

The answer isn’t universal, as it will differ from company to company. Depending on your business needs and the workflows and tasks you perform on a daily basis, the advantages you can bring from the cloud will change. The cloud is very flexible, thankfully, so just about any solution you need, no matter how big or small, can be done in the cloud. If your enterprise is considering adopting the cloud into your infrastructure, it should be aware of the benefits the cloud can bring and which will provide the greatest impact for them. Below, we’ve listed a handful of the reasons why enterprises move to the cloud to help you understand what the cloud can do for you.

Cloud storage space

Enterprises work with huge amounts of data on a daily basis, and they need somewhere to store that data. While physical servers are still a decent storage option, building and maintaining the hardware necessary to store the quantity of data enterprises generate isn’t always cost-effective. Not only can it be expensive to maintain servers, a data center can also take up a large part of your campus that could be used for other purposes.

With the cloud, however, companies essentially use a virtual server where everything can be stored off-premise. Cloud storage still uses actual servers, but companies access the data stored inside via the Internet. Storage providers take care of managing and securing the data within while using a multitenant approach to section off your data from other users. Storing data in the cloud is one of the most common uses for a cloud computing environment since it’s relatively simple to set up and start using.

Abundance of computing resources in the cloud

The initial push behind initiating the public cloud was to provide developers with the computing resources and building environment they needed to create and run projects. Cloud providers give developers a pre-built database as well as a vast library of resources to pull from, eliminating the need to build computing components for each project. Because the cloud provides a common infrastructure for each project, it’s also easy for your enterprise to synergize applications and developments. Developers will find collaboration between each other simpler because they don’t need to worry about reconfiguring their database to run someone else’s project.

The pay-as-you-use pricing model

One of the biggest and most-advertised features of cloud computing is the pay-as-you-use pricing model. In this model, enterprises only pay for the cloud resources they utilize rather than pay a flat rate for a fixed amount. This payment method promotes cost-efficiency because you aren’t wasting money on resources you don’t use. Because of its flexibility, it also fits perfectly for businesses of any scale. Whether you need a large amount of cloud resources or only a little bit, you’re still maintaining the same level of cost efficiency.

Cloud computing solutions for mission-critical tasks

The cloud has a wide spectrum of potential uses from businesses, ranging from small scale applications to business-critical workflows. Enterprises using a cloud deployment have the ability to move their traditional workflows onto the cloud and take advantage of the resources and convenience the cloud provides. Public cloud providers offer several services that help businesses handle tasks in various verticals.

However, the challenge of adopting cloud solutions is knowing what to perform in the cloud and what to keep on-premise. The cloud may be able to perform a lot of tasks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your enterprise needs to use it for everything. Using a cloud solution may be less efficient for your business than your already in-place procedures and installations. It also might not be worth retraining your staff to employ the new cloud solution. Adopting the cloud for your workflows should be done on a case-by-case basis – your enterprise needs to consider the advantages and disadvantages of performing each task in the cloud.

Cloud scalability and flexibility

Cloud environments are naturally scalable and flexible, both of which are beneficial for enterprises. Cloud environments allow companies to scale up and down to suit their current needs. If you use a certain amount of resources one month and then realize you need more, you can easily increase the amount of assets available to your company. Combine this with the pay-as-you-use model and your cloud environment will provide the resources you need at any given time while maintaining cost efficiency.

As we’ve already mentioned, the cloud offers a multitude of different services for businesses. However, you can tailor your cloud solutions to match the needs of your company. Public cloud vendors have multiple services on offer that they market under the same public cloud umbrella. However, you only need to adopt the specific solutions your business wants to use. You can choose to utilize whichever services you want or need, giving you control over how the cloud will work for you.

Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud MSP vendors for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask providers and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

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