The number of businesses migrating to the cloud is constantly growing. According to the 2019 research study by the Cloud Security Alliance, 69% of enterprises are moving business-critical information to the cloud. 

Statistics also say that 81% of businesses are using multi-cloud solutions. The recent State of the Cloud report claims that companies use approximately 5 cloud environments, while some greater enterprises invest in even more complex cloud infrastructures.

For starters, let’s see how moving to the cloud can benefit your business.

Generating Greater ROI and Minimizing Costs

Many businesses, especially small ones, are concerned about the initial costs of the implementation of the cloud. Still, you should keep in mind that choosing the right cloud services is a crucial investment that would enable your company’s growth and reduce its costs in the long run.

The cloud works on the pay-as-you-go principle. Therefore, you don’t have to be worried about paying for the features you don’t need. Instead, you’re paying for only for the services you’re using actively.

Ensuring Greater Data Security

Data security remains one of the major concerns of businesses adopting cloud computing solutions. The above mentioned report by the Cloud Security Alliance shows that 65% of businesses are worried about migrating their sensitive data, while 59% of them have security concerns. 

However, you should know that data security is a cloud host’s responsibility. They will provide numerous options for preventing cybersecurity threats and protecting your data from them. One of such solutions is encryption that provides an additional layer of security to your data. Encryption ensures that, even if hackers intercept your data while migrating to the cloud, they won’t be able to open and use it. This is a far safer (and cheaper) option than investing in an in-house system, where the majority of data thefts are the consequence of faulty cybersecurity software or employees’ negligence.  

Statistics back me up on that. According to RapidScale’s study, 94% of companies claim they saw an improvement in their security after migrating to the cloud, while 91% of them state it’s far easier for them to meet the government compliance requirements. 

Faster Data Recovery 

One of the main reasons why businesses choose on-premise data storage is control. However, irrespective of the tools you invest in, IT professionals you hire, and the equipment you use, there will always be certain issues, such as thefts, power outages, cyberattacks, malfunctioning hardware, or natural disasters, you cannot anticipate and prevent on time. In this case, you’re risking losing all the data you saved locally. This may hurt your organization’s performance, resulting in lost productivity, revenue, and brand image.

This is exactly where the cloud can help. Namely, cloud services offer fast data recovery for all types of emergency scenarios, from natural disasters to power outages. The above mentioned RapidScale’s stats say that 20% of cloud users claim disaster recovery in less than 4 hours, as opposed to only 9% of non-cloud users. Given that, it’s not surprising that almost half of IT executives are planning to invest more in cloud-based disaster recovery options.

Providing Better Scalability Options

I’ve already mentioned that one of the greatest benefits of moving to the cloud lies in the fact that it is a pay-as-you-go solution. Another great advantage of these systems is that they’re offering more efficient scalability opportunities. For example, when your company starts growing and its demands rise, a cloud provider will be able to meet its demands instantly by letting you update your IT infrastructure fast. This may make a notable improvement to the overall productivity of your company.  

Increasing Workplace Efficiency

The cloud-based infrastructure can boost your company’s efficiency in multiple ways.

First, it enables a real-time flow of information across multiple devices and locations. This is something you cannot afford to ignore in today’s mobile-first era. By moving business data to the cloud, you will ensure a faster and more effective communication between your staff members. Your employees will be able to collaborate and share data and insights in real-time, irrespective of their location. For you, this means you will be able to hire freelancers and top employees from all around the globe.

Second, the cloud increases data transparency. Numerous cloud solutions come with built-in cloud analytics that let you stay on top of your data. This will help you assess your workplace efficiency, create customized reports for your teams, and set clearer goals to improve their performance. With the cloud infrastructure, all your documents are saved in one place, ensuring greater consistency in data. Making sure that everyone has access to the same data, you will minimize inconsistencies in your reporting mechanisms and reduce human error.

Choosing the Right Type of the Cloud

Now that you understand the benefits of the cloud, you need to choose the right solution for your business. 

Here are the three basic types of cloud services to consider:

• SaaS (Software as a Service) software is available via the public network to any subscriber. If you’re just starting out and you want to invest in a cloud option you won’t need to manage yourself, then this is the right solution for you. Namely, the cloud host provides full control and management of the cloud infrastructure, from security and integration, servers, and virtualization to run times and networking. These are options like Dropbox or Office 365.

• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is similar to the traditional data center, except you don’t need to manage them manually. Namely, this is the most fundamental form of the cloud, where the host provides the servers, network, storage, etc. On the other hand, you’re the one responsible for the management and maintenance of run times, applications, security, databases, and so forth. 

• PaaS (Platform as a Service) – this is where the provider will deal with databases, security and integration, servers, storage, networking, and virtualization so you can focus on the creation and management of a business application. 

Based on the cloud deployment solutions, cloud services can be classified into:

• The public cloud, meaning that all cloud resources are owed by a third-party cloud host. In this case, you’re sharing cloud resources (like bandwidth or servers) with other users. Even though this means lower costs, the public cloud may affect your productivity and lead to greater security concerns.

• The private cloud is more expensive, but at the same time, highly customizable and safer. It is delivered via a separate network, meaning that you won’t share cloud resources with other users. 

• The hybrid cloud represents the combination of the public and private cloud. It provides you with greater scalability and flexibility, as it lets you move your data from the private to the public cloud (and vice versa) when the need arises.

Conclusions

Migrating to the cloud can benefit your business in multiple ways, from reducing your costs to greater data security and increased workplace productivity. However, remember that there is no uniform cloud adoption strategy. You first need to consider your business’ specific needs, goals, and problems and choose the right cloud solution accordingly.

Hope this helps!