The term ‘Cloud Computing’ refers to a number of various computing concepts which involve a large number of computers which are connected through the internet and in essence allows the ability to run a particular program or application on various systems at a time. Today its use is highly popularised among various medium and small business owners as well as some major multinationals. Cloud Computing allows various businesses to use a variety of common programs and application via a centralised server space. The programs are commonly known as ‘client server software’ and are commonly used by various business organisations. Few of the major names in Cloud Computing service providers are Amazon web services, Google cloud, Microsoft’s Windows Azure, Citrix etc.
Cloud Computing has brought forth a multitude of great benefits to business owners worldwide. In this article we shall list out and discuss the major benefits of using Cloud Computing services.
1. Cost Effectiveness
Cloud Computing has brought out one of the most cost effective software solutions to the business owners. The cost of installing individual software on each desktop is extremely high, especially when it comes to licensing fees and upgrade costs. Cloud Computing only involves the cost for the server space which is paid as per the user needs. It not only facilitates the use of a particular program or application on multiple systems but is also relatively cheaper than buying individual licenses for each program. Thus, lowering a company’s IT expenses by a huge degree.
2. Virtually Unlimited Storage
When it comes to storage specific hardware, no matter how much cash we spend, there will always be a limitation of space as the useful data which a particular company might want to store is voluminous. The cloud storage takes care of such problems by providing virtually unlimited amount of storage space that can be accessed from anywhere and it works as a total crash free backup for your company’s important data.
3. Automatic Updates
As a business owner, one already has a lot on his/her mind and one probably doesn’t want to worry about updating the software and applications which are essential for the business. The Cloud Computing service providers handle that part for you. They make sure that your employees not only get to use the programs and applications installed with the latest updates and fixes, but without the tension of incurring more costs involved in updating and upgrading.
4. Easier Collaboration Among Workers
The Cloud Computing allows easy collaboration among your workers and clients. As the files can be stored at a central location and are virtually accessible to anyone who has the necessary permissions to do so. Files stored on a cloud server can be opened and edited by anyone and be saved on the cloud server, it also provides various applications through which employees can chat which in turn facilitates better communication among workers. Cloud Computing services help a great deal to globalize one’s business.
5. Flexibility Of Work Practices
We all know the cost of creating the infrastructure is high and one has to keep worrying about the employees showing up for work along with the cost of various business specific systems and their up-gradations. Through Cloud Computing services traditional work practices are quickly getting obsolete. Cloud services allow total flexibility of work as the important files and applications necessary for work are stored at a location which is virtually accessible from anywhere through a simple internet connection. Cloud Computing provides the facility of work to be done from home, holiday or even during one’s commute to work.
6. Easy Backup And Recovery
In a business, it is essential to make sure that the important data is always safe and accessible. The vital data of a company can be hindered by various elements such as power failure, natural disasters or any other form of crisis. The traditional methods of storage like hardware and hard copies are all susceptible to data loss in case of any form of disasters. Cloud Computing provides one of the most secure locations to back up your company’s important data which is in turn easy recoverable if in case a crisis occurs resulting in data loss, which is an important factor which can have a big effect on business continuity.
7. Environment Friendly
Cloud Computing makes the use of traditional business practices virtually obsolete. No longer do we need personal servers to backup and store the data, or use immense quantities of paper in making hard copies of the vital company data. The businesses now use only the server space that they need which in turn, decreases the energy consumption and lowers their carbon footprint. This is even more useful for the small and medium enterprises as they can lower their energy consumption even further.
With the aforementioned advantages, ‘Cloud Computing’ has very well justified their increase in popularity among the business enterprises and owners. It not only makes their work more streamlined and efficient, but also facilitates ‘green globalisation’ of business, now a reality.
