21 reasons why businesses are turning to the cloud

There are plenty of reasons why businesses are taking their work onto the cloud. Here are 21 of them.

There is so much buzz surrounding ‘the cloud’. While MailGuard have been massive proponents of and innovators in cloud technology since 2001; we’ve noticed a massive up-swelling of support for cloud-based applications just recently.

Cloud applications have come of age in recent years and according to research from Gartner, are set to grow 100 percent by 2016 (compared with 3 percent growth for the overall worldwide IT market). But what is the buzz all about? And what are the reasons for its rapid adoption? There are practical benefits your business can take advantage of.

21 compelling reasons for the shift towards cloud….

1. Cost Savings– often the number one reason cited for businesses turning to the cloud. Cloud applications typically deliver a lower total cost of ownership compared with deploying a solution locally.
2. Mobility – because applications are delivered via a web browser with just an internet connection required, you can take advantage of the capabilities offered anywhere in the world on any device.
3. Big power on small budgets – because cloud technology is delivered on an on-demand basis, smaller companies are empowered to utilise incredible power that previously only would have been available to businesses with big budgets.
4. Rapid deployment – cloud technology can typically be activated in a matter of minutes so you can be harnessing the power immediately.
5. No installation or maintenance – the service that cloud applications deliver is handled by the provider. Unlike local solutions, set-up and ongoing maintenance is fully managed meaning you don’t have to lift a finger.
6. No hardware – anybody that has worked in IT knows that it has a tendency to fail from time to time. It’s a fact of life. By turning to the cloud you completely negate the problems with updating and managing hardware in-house.
7. Scalability – unlike local solutions, IT capabilities can be scaled up or scaled down on the drop of a hat. There is no lag-time and therefore no loss in productivity.
8. Bandwidth – because complex business processes are completed outside of your network it means that there is less pressure and strain on your resources. The result is greater and more reliable bandwidth for your local network.
9. No software – anyone who has dealt with managing and updating software licenses knows they can be a bit of a headache. Getting additional licenses can take time and installation can be a pain too.
10. Big data management – “big data” is one of the hottest trends in organisations today. On one hand, companies are suffering from information overload. On the other, there is so much value to be gleamed from data (you only have to look at Facebook’s $1bn April purchase of Instagram and their behemoth of an IPO). Cloud applications provide an intelligent way to manage large quantities of data.
11. Data security – so often cited as the #1 concern with shifting to the cloud, data security should actually be one of your primary goals when making the move. Cloud providers have stronger operational systems than many organisations and are usually backed by multi-million dollar infrastructures.
12. Compliance management – monitoring the effectiveness of security and compliance should be simple with a cloud provider. Cloud providers’ systems keep logs that support compliance audits or other requirements.
13. Operating expenses vs sunk costs – cloud solutions deliver more to businesses as an operating expense with no redundancy. Local solutions, on the other hand, require upfront investment costs and could turn into resources that aren’t fully utilised.
14. Automation – the vast majority of cloud applications have a significant degree of automation meaning business processes can be simplified and set on autopilot.
15. Guaranteed performance – the level of service you get from a cloud provider is governed by a Service Level Agreement. In simple terms, an SLA stipulates what are the minimum service level requirements that should be met and the level of compensation applicable if they aren’t.
16. Set and forget – a number of cloud solutions are known as “set and forget” solutions that work in the background and require no end user input whatsoever to be effective.
17. Minimal downtime – downtime is one of the service levels that should be determined in your SLA. Cloud providers that have multi-million dollar infrastructures can guarantee 99.9 percent uptime or above.
18. Intuitive user experience – the user experience of a cloud provider is a significant determining factor of their success. You’ll typically discover easy-to-use interfaces and getting the most out of services should not require too much end user training.
19. Agility – the combination of flexibility, mobility, scalability, state-of-the-art technology, and rapid deployment culminate in providing your businesses with a level of agility that previously did not exist.
20. Support – cloud providers offer support. However, this varies on a case by case basis. Whilst the majority provide extensive web support through guides and FAQs, the best in the business offer fanatical support with local phone and email support around the clock.
21. IT departments restored as value drivers – too often IT is considered the ‘bastard child’ department. IT people are often seen as break-fixers who simply react to problems as and when they arise. Cloud applications can manage business processes effectively and automatically so that IT departments can take on strategic projects and drive endless value into your business (and be restored to their rightful place in the organisation!).