How Business agility is driven by adopting Cloud

By: Vikas Bhonsle, CEO, Crayon Software Experts

The cloud is a term used to refer to a system known as cloud computing. Cloud computing is a system which allows application software to be operated using internet enabled devices. This has led to a revolution which enables ease of access of a single application by the same user over many of his/hers internet enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers.

For some time now, the revolutionary Cloud is being talked about everywhere. Suddenly, the industry has woken up to find the solutions to all the doubts under one hood. From accessibility, convenience, security to viability of the concept, adopting Cloud can drive the potential of any business notches higher with its diverse uses and applications.

Cloud computing allows you to manage your computing resources online for your storage and computing needs.A virtual bank with the capability of transforming your business, streamline your modus operandi, speed up organization productivity and greatly reduce costs, Cloud is here to stay and which is why you should be on its bandwagon too.

Accessibility has been the one thing that has ushered the dawn of web-enabled devices, for connectivity remains the need of the hour till date and with the growing number of Smartphones, tablets, Phablets and so on, staying in touch with your data is even easier.

Here are some ways in which your business can bask in the glory of the Cloud for your business:

Cost Effectiveness:

For any growing smart business, cost effectiveness is essential and moving to cloud may reduce costs extensively in terms of hardware, software, licensing fees, system upgrades, maintenance costs, management costs and other computing costs. One could also cut down on purchasing expenses by using the resources of your cloud service provider. In terms of operations, one mayeven save on energy consumption and wages for expert staff.

Flexibility:

Cloud computing allows the users to be flexible by giving them the advantage of accessing their data from anywhere and anytime easily, with the help of an internet connection. Having flexible work hours or options may lead to a balanced work-life balance for some professionals, which in turn may enhance productivity for the organization.

Security:

In case of loss of your laptop or smartphone, you would not have to worry about your data as it will be stored safely in the cloud, and can still be accessed no matter what happens to a machine.

Productivity:

On an average, more work can be done with the help of fewer people by adopting Cloud in less time. Bandwidth could not be an issue, solving the employment costs and saving the time spent on training new professionals. One could also look at this benefit as a way to utilize the limited staff more efficiently thereby increasing employee productivity.

Disaster Recovery:

One need not worry about crisis when moving in with Cloud as the data is protected by your cloud service provider.Be it a natural disaster, system failure or any other crisis, Cloud ensures that your data is backed up and you can access it again much faster than non-cloud users, helping you go back to your business, without affecting your productivity. Cloud is lauded for its record recovery time in times of disaster.

Collaboration efficiency:

Another feature of Cloud is how it allows you to exchange and share data more conveniently. For larger groups, where connections are rather global and across continents, Cloud could help in giving multiple accesses to different people to the same files. One could also choose a cloud computing model that makes it easy for you to share your records securely.

Cloud will not just optimize your resources and speed up your productivity, but also help your business grow and deliver faster, cheaper and effective results to your customers, giving you the advantage over your competition.

Benefits of being on Cloud:

• No Huge Capital Expenditure .

• No investment in infrastructure.

• No need to allocate multiple resources to monitor the entire environment

• Opportunity to use Hybrid Cloud Environment

• Pay for just the services you use.

• Free software upgrades meaning you stay on latest technology

• Availability, scalability, IT security.

• Flexibility of payment

• No loss of data as we take back up of your data every day

• Rich features and functionality.

• Access from anywhere (using a web browser).

• Advanced Admin capabilities.

Whilst Cloud can look like the best place for your IT infrastructure and services, actually getting there can be fraught with complexities that blur your thinking and slow down business. Cloud is often positioned as a destination, but for CIOs and business leaders it’s a journey that has a direct impact on your entire organization, and if not adequately prepared, the journey can be a rocky one.

There’s a reason why global spend on cloud services is predicted to reach $79.1bn by 2018, and put simply – it’s because it works – but only if used correctly.