Cloud computing might be the new buzz word, but what does the term really mean? Essentially it provides a convenient way of accessing computing services, independent of physical hardware, over the internet.
The cloud computing market is currently worth almost $2.4bn, and Gartner predicts that by 2013 it will grow to almost $8.1bn.
As more and more people want access to their files from everywhere, the cloud platform gives them the opportunity to merge home and workspace.
Even if you may be new to the term it is likely that you are already using a cloud computing service without knowing it.
Hotmail, Flickr, Blogger and Facebook allow users to pick up personalised information from any device, anywhere in the world. Google offers a host of online productivity tools and applications including email, word processing, calendars, photo sharing, and website creation tools.
With large corporations such as Amazon, IBM, Sun and Oracle investing in cloud computing, more businesses can dip their toes into a range of cloud-based solutions, knowing they are in safe hands. But, it isn’t just the larger companies who offer cloud options; every day there are new start-ups who offer clients easier, better, faster and more secure options.
There are numerous benefits of moving to a third-party cloud host is, you can access the company’s data and software over the internet, without building an IT infrastructure.
Cheap: Even a start-up can afford a standard network solution as you only pay for what you use, either by subscription or transaction-based models.
The cost benefits, provided by cloud computing, include price, performance and the ability to mitigate data centre operational costs. According to Compass electricity accounts for 7-10% of data centre costs, by converting to cloud computing a company can save money whilst also behaving in a more sustainable way.
Grant Sayer, Technical Director, Outsourcing Operations, for RSM Tenon says that cloud computing offers him a “cost effective accounting solution that creates the least amount of effort to utilise and maintain. We found that the functionality, flexibility, pricing and scalability of the system meets all of our needs.”
Quick: Clouds provide businesses with the ability to move quickly in highly competitive business environments. The most basic cloud services work out of the box, skipping hardware procurement and capital expenditure phase.
Companies can activate or retire resources as and when, update infrastructure, and improve efficiency without having worrying about creating new infrastructures for each new application.
Mobile: Cloud services are designed to be used from a distance, perfect for a mobile workforce. IT resources can be consolidated allowing costs to be more effectively managed without sacrificing security.
For the critics who shout about cloud services not working offline, have they forgotten the downtime that occurs when a physical server goes down; usually through the working day. Most cloud hosts have prepared for such an event even Microsoft, a relative newcomer, offers offline applications that integrate seamlessly and allow users to pull their data in most circumstances.
Analysts Gartner and Forrester believe that cloud computing can only get better, and the improvement of shared, virtualized and automated IT architectures will accelerate adoption amongst businesses.
This is just at the start of a business evolution. All business computing will be more web-enabled with some companies will reach the point where they will be totally web centric.