To The Cloud Or Not?

A surprisingly large number of organizations are still on the fence about cloud computing. Should they move all operations to the cloud, should they only move some operations to the cloud? Or will cloud computing end up costing more and causing more headaches later on?

Unfortunately, there is a not a one-size fits all type of question. As each organization and its operations are in fact vastly different, so too are the questions when contemplating cloud computing.

With that in mind, perhaps a better way to look at this is to examine some of the benefits of moving to the cloud. One of the top benefits touted by just about every cloud computing provider out there is the built in Flexibility of cloud services. Cloud computing has the unique advantage of being able to deliver more bandwidth the moment that it is needed.

The next most popular benefit associated with cloud computing is associated with disaster recovery. When companies and organizations use cloud based service, the in-house disaster recovery plans can be much less complex. Moreover, in most cases, the cloud computing provider is able to do this sort of thing much faster.

Automatic software updates is yet another feature that providers frequently offer. The typical cloud computing supplier will take care of server maintenance including all security updates and more.

The next feature of cloud computing frequently catches the eye of the accounting department. By adopting cloud computing, organizations find they can decrease or even eliminate the need for annual capital budgeting. Not only that, the cloud computing fee is predictable and budgetable as an ongoing operating expense. Moreover, as seen in the number of new startups, new business organizations have substantially lower startup costs by starting out with cloud computing.

Security is one area where the cloud computing provider can really save the day. If all of the data is safely and securely stored in the cloud, the loss of one laptop or the crash of one desktop computer does not stop the organization in its tracks. Instead, the laptop can be deactivated remotely and all of the data is still intact in the cloud.

Lastly a business or organization using the cloud computing option actually ends up needing and using less office space. Obviously this is yet another savings that goes straight to the bottom line.

As you can see, cloud computing is here to stay. The benefits are just too numerous for organizations to continue to keep computing resources in house.