“Get your head in the clouds.”
Cloud computing delivers computing services like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence. “Cloud” is a metaphor for the internet, so these services are provided over the internet and offer you faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Traditionally, companies would own their own data centers or computing infrastructures that they used. Of course, it’s not so feasible for companies of all sizes to maintain infrastructure like that. It can get very expensive and complicated. Cloud computing makes it possible so companies can rent these services as needed, without having to maintain the entire infrastructure. Basically, you are renting out someone else’s computer to run business operations on. This brings a lot of benefits.
| Cost | Speed | Global Scale | Productivity |
|---|---|---|---|
| With cloud computing, you don’t have to buy hardware and software, set up/run on-site datacenters, hire a department of experts for the management of said centers, etc. You also only pay for the resources you use. | Cloud computing can be self-service and on-demand. This enables high velocity services. You can get even very complex tasks done with just one click, making the planning phase much easier. You can also request more resources whenever you desire, this makes expanding operations much faster. | You can choose the exact amount of resources (computing power, storage, bandwidth) according to your needs. You can get these services from any geographic location. This is a huge advantage for scaling. | IT management is no cake walk. On-site datacenters need hardware setup, software patching, etc. Cloud computing releases this weight off your back, so that your IT team can focus on important business goals |
| Performance | Reliability | Security |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud computing providers already keep up with cutting edge tech. They run on a worldwide network of secure datacenters and regularly upgrade them. This reduces network latency and provides great performance. | Cloud providers can mirror data at multiple sites, which makes backup and disaster recovery much easier. We have reliable disaster strategies to ensure you can continue your business as safely as possible. | Cloud providers offer a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls to help make your computing activities secure. Our priority is to protect your data, apps, and infrastructure from potential threats. |
The Uses of Cloud Computing
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Cloud-native application development
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Data storage, recovery, and backup
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Delivering software on demand
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Streaming services (audio and video)
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Application testing
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Running data analytics services
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Embedded itelligence
The Types of Cloud Computing
| Public Cloud | Private Cloud | Hybrid Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Services are provided through a network that is open for public use. They are owned and operated by 3rd party providers. You can access it through web browsers. Microsoft Azure is a good example. Pros: 1- No capital cost 2- Low IT overheads 3- Infinite scalability Cons: 1- No customization 2- Governance issues 3- Potential latency |
Used by one single organization, on a private network. This could be located physically at the organization’s on-site datacenter, or could be hosted by a 3rd party. The corporate firewall acts as an additional security but it doesn’t provide nearly as much scalability as public cloud. Pros: 1- Customizable 2- More secure 3- Higher performance Cons: 1- Capital cost 2- Under utilization 3- High IT overheads |
A combination of public and private cloud. You can move your data and apps between public and private clouds. Different data can be stored at different types of cloud. They are very common at the moment Pros: 1- Very flexible 2- Resilience to outages 3- No capacity ceiling 4- Few IT overheads 5- Manageable security Cons: 1- Compatibility |
Types of Cloud Computing Services: IaaS vs SaaS vs PaaS
1. Infrastructure as a Service
Cloud computing in the most basic sense. IaaS provides virtual datacenters. You rent servers, virtual machines, storage, networks, operating systems; basically the entire IT infrastructure and pay as you go. Examples are Azure and AWS .
2. Platform as a Service
PaaS provides the environment in which you would develop, test, deliver, and manage software applications. Developers skip the phase of setting up/managing an infrastructure and can quickly and effectively develop apps.
3. Software as a Service
SaaS provides you the software application on demand. SaaS providers host, manage and maintain said app and idrastructe themselves. Apps are available to access over the internet. SaaS improves innovation speed and easy access, and reduces time-to-market, marketing efforts and churn rates.
Cloud Migration
If you are a startup that is looking to run everything on cloud, you should have a pretty clear path. If you are a company that already handles data/apps in other ways, and decided to transfer your data, processes, and business workloads from an on-premise setup to the cloud; then you need to migrate to cloud. Or do you want to change providers? This is also a form of migration, from cloud-to-cloud in particular.
Cloud migration is not an easy deed. Let’s say you have coplex/custom apps that you have to migrate to cloud. You might need to rewrite these apps to optimise them for the cloud. The act of actually transferring the data, and to do it securely, could cost even more. It’s not as easy to find people qualified to execute a migration process. Our team has a lot of experience handling cloud and cloud migration.
Build and Implement your own Cloud Strategy
1. Form a Team or Outsource
You can form a team from your IT and networking team members. You could also look for consulting on cloud computing from 3rd parties.
2. Analyze Existing Applications
Then you can start analyzing your apps, which ones should be migrated to cloud?
3. Build a Hybrid or a Multi-Cloud Strategy
This is where you should answer the questions that are gonna build your road-map. What cloud services do you want to invest in? What cloud vendor do you choose? What are the requirements?
4. Reskilling and Upskilling
You should work on your workforce. It is necessary to focus on upskilling and reskilling to enhance the cloud-driven roles at the organization.
5. Implementation
This is the step where the data is actually moved. It usually consists of three phases that focus on different types of data.
Same organizations tend to be sceptical about the security of cloud. Security is one of the most important elements of cloud. It constantly implements strategies to guard your data and applications. The safety of your cloud is based on how safely the environments has been built, along with how you use it, of course. Risks are unavoidable. Organizations should come up with a well-thought strategy to mitigate those risks.
Organizations are getting more and more comfortable with storing their data at other locations, this creates more and more demand for cloud computing. As time goes on, it makes less sense to store everything in a server in your basement. Moving to cloud can seem costly at first look, but it is slowly becoming necessary practice for a reason; the advantages of keeping up with technology standards can’t be ignored. It breaks down data any organisational silos and helps you rethink business processes and accelerate business change.
Feel free to contact our experts for consultation on your cloud strategy.