6 Ways Businesses Can Leverage Cloud Capabilities in 2016

Featured Article by Roy Eldar, SysAid’s VP Support

Cloud computing has been around for a while, and all this time it has evolved and matured in such ways that anyone can find a good use for it. Today, cloud is commonly associated with security, efficiency, and cost savings, among other things. But what does it really mean, in the end of the day, for businesses or individuals, and what value can it bring?

Before we get into it, I’d like to first try to explain what the cloud really means? For me, the easiest way to understand the cloud is to think of the internet, meaning any resource that is not part of the local network could be referred to as the cloud. There are some caveats to it though, with terms like hybrid cloud or private cloud that may refer to any combination of resources both on the local and external networks.

Now that we got the basic terminology out of the way, let’s look at some examples and ways that enterprises can leverage cloud computing.

1. Add scale for development and testing: Build testing and development environments in the cloud to save on internal hardware costs. On-demand allows for the use of resources only on a per-need basis. This can be even more effective for companies that host their production environment in the cloud, so transition can be transparent.

2. Cloud as a Disaster Recovery (DR) platform: For companies that have internal production data centers and looking to set up a DR site, the cloud can be a good option for that. The DR site is usually not getting any traffic so it would make sense to set up the infrastructure and turn it on/off by demand or scale down/up per usage. This is instead of purchasing expensive hardware with the need to upgrade it periodically.

3. Better reach for services outside the office: Many companies are moving out from the traditional setup of employees working from one office and allowing and encouraging employee mobility, either working from home or from different locations, during business trips, etc. Holding services in the cloud makes it easier to deliver services to employees from outside the office.

4. Large scale processing: Companies that require high processing capabilities, like big data, and don’t want to invest in internal hardware and infrastructure, can leverage cloud resources for that. Processes like big data analysis require large compute resources (CPU, memory, disks) and specific software that can be outsourced.

5. Outsourcing common services: Companies can outsource common services like mail services and file or document management services to the cloud, and save on hardware, staff, knowledge, etc. that are required to maintain those services internally. This can also be true for every service that can be consumed as a SaaS model.

6. Cloud as sandbox: For companies or individuals that look for a place where they can experiment with new technologies, or with processes that may interfere with local infrastructure (require additional CPU resources, heavy networking, etc.), the cloud can be a perfect solution, offering isolated detached environments for that kind of activity.

So, while cloud does make a lot of sense, there are additional aspects for choosing it over private networks, such as the OPEX/CAPEX conflict, where some organizations prefer to purchase the hardware rather than pay for cloud services as part of their operational costs. There are some aspects regarding regulations, policies, maturity, and personal preferences. But for those who’d like to embrace cloud technology, they can surely find the best scenarios that would benefit them the most.

The cloud is definitely here to stay and already presents itself in so many ways in our life. We hardly ever think about where we’re getting the service from anymore. All we care about is the value we get from the service and that it is available whenever we need it.