Cloud computing allows businesses to move their IT operations to an external provider that hosts their data and applications in a virtual network that is accessed through the internet. The benefits of cloud computing business is that it is cheaper and faster to run business applications on a state-of-the-art IT architecture that is maintained by the provider and for which the business pays on a use-case basis. There is no longer any need to run a datacenter or pay employees.
Cloud architectures are extremely flexible; services and resources can be scaled up and down on demand: businesses can buy space and applications as required on a rental basis rather than having to make a capital investment in hardware and software. Computing resources become ubiquitous and are available wherever there is an internet connection.
Business benefits from cheaper, faster and more flexible IT infrastructure while users enjoy the latest versions of applications with a guaranteed speed and service level that is available wherever they are located and through whatever device they are using.
The security and compliance aspects of the IT function are also managed by the cloud provider which brings added advantages. They are a convenient method of backing up data and storing it to meet regulatory requirements as well as using the latest security measures to protect it. Backup data can be stored at a variety of access levels ranging from hot-swapping a user’s entire IT function in the case of disaster to storing archived data that is rarely accessed.
Cloud security will become of paramount importance as more businesses migrate to cloud computing. Measures to meet these threats include using artificial intelligence to analyse user behaviour to spot anomalies, unified threat management where providers collaborate with each other to identify and protect against attack and cloud-specific security techniques.
The amount paid by cloud computing business providers for their services surpassed the amount spent on maintaining traditional data centers globally in 2018. The business case for cloud computing is a compelling one: it offers a cheaper, more flexible and efficient means of managing all aspects of IT infrastructure while also having the added benefit that there is no penalty for either rapid growth or downsizing when market conditions change. With more and more application vendors and other service providers migrating to the cloud there is no sign that the move to cloud computing is going to slow any time soon.
