7 advantages cloud computing holds for your business

Cloud computing is gaining traction globally. The practice refers to data access and storage services that do not require end-user knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system delivering a particular service.

Trends in cloud computing indicate software may cease to become the tangible product we are used to buying in stores or through online shopping. Companies and individual users can access software that resides on their servers in the “cloud” or the “grid,” enabling users to acquire that software and information from any device with internet access. There are seven clear reasons cloud computing is no longer pie in the sky, but increasingly good for business.

1. Keeping your software in the ‘clouds’ reduces the maintenance required for your computers. Since almost every computer these days has an update function that searches for the latest software, when updates take place, the upgrades don’t require restarting one’s computer. Unless the update affects functionality or visual elements, you as the user are positively oblivious to the changes.
2. Cloud computing guarantees increased reliability and saves users from the threat of losing unrecoverable data on their computers. “In the case of grid computing if a storage server on the cloud fails due to hardware or software issues, the service provider needs only to shift the load over to other servers or bring up a backup server in its place. If it occurred at a users premises with installed software a simple issue can turn to hours of technical support over the phone, costly downtime, and unhappy users and customers,” says Gilberto J. Perera, author of the article “10 Reasons Why Cloud Computing is the Wave of the Future”.
3. Computer data storage is never an issue if you are willing to pay for it. And the expense is minimal, a time saver and a safety guarantee. In the cloud computing environment, storage is not an issue as the service providers need only to add servers or shift load from one server to another to accommodate for the additional use of space.
4. Companies and individuals can cut costs in a number of ways. Capital expenditures are lowered as service providers can at ensure lower cost. The spending is due to an end in hardware purchases and a reduction in staff required as the majority of the maintenance is performed at the service provider.
5. Eliminating software upgrades as it is done automatically in cloud computing is also accompanied by fast access to new technology, rather than forcing them to wait for a final, packaged product to be shipped as has been the case till now.
6. For companies committed to effective environmental practice, cloud computing is highly conducive to company commitments towards sustainability. “When businesses use current assets instead of purchasing additional hardware they reduce the size of their carbon footprint because it is one less server that is put into service, it is one less server that is consuming electricity ,” points out Perera. The collective benefits accrued through millions of companies switching to cloud computing is immense and likely to be viewed as a responsible business practice by environmental groups
7. In a market where mobile and internet are increasingly bosom buddies in the global increased rate of internet access, the mobile platform is going to be heavily impacted by this technology is set to increase as move into the future. Though the mobile cloud industry is still in its infancy, it’s expected to accelerate the commercialization of IT and that can only be good news for mobile phone users and customers using cloud computing.