What is Cloud Computing

You may have heard the term “Cloud computing” and wondered what it meant. Savvy IT professionals are aware that cloud computing refers to a system of servers that gives people access to computer services over a network, such as the Internet.

Cloud computing is taking off because organizations are realizing the many benefits it provides, including saving money on hardware and software, lowering the burden on IT department personnel and enabling companies to back up their vital data safely and securely.

In fact, cloud computing services are expected to generate almost 14 million jobs across the world by 2015, with many of these jobs coming from small-to-medium sized businesses, according to the IDC report “Cloud Computing’s Role in Job Creation.” What’s more, cloud computing could produce up to $1.1 trillion in revenue every year by 2015.

Remote Backups and Disaster Recovery:

If your company does not routinely make offsite backups of its vital data, what will you do in the face of a catastrophic hard drive crash? While prudent managers will at least set up extra servers to back up data locally, it’s important to maintain offsite backups as well, in case of a natural disaster, extended power failure, theft or other problems.

Cloud computing makes it easy to make multiple backup copies of your data, which you can then access via the Internet to recover information during a disaster.

While your competitors are struggling to regain power and reconstruct their databases, you can quickly restore your important files by accessing them via the cloud. Even if you have to evacuate the premises, such as during a severe weather event, your employees can use laptops or smart phones to access data via the cloud from a hotel, coffee shop or their office at home, thanks to cloud computing.

Save Money on Software and IT Services:

Organizations find that they can save money on software and IT services by taking advantage of cloud computing services. For example, instead of purchasing expensive licenses for a suite of office applications or a particular database program for your entire workforce, you can use software as a service (SaaS) on an as-needed basis. The software is always available via the cloud, and your employees access it through a standard web browser.

Your IT department won’t have to worry about updating software or applying security patches, as the cloud computing service provider’s IT department will take care of this task for you.

You can also purchase access to encrypted server storage space from a cloud services provider whenever you need it. Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting helps companies save money, as they don’t need to try to plan ahead and purchase additional server space for local use.

Access Data While on the Go:

Does your organization rely on travelling sales people and marketing specialists to drum up new business? If so, these employees are going to be on the road quite frequently. Instead of trying to bring copies of all necessary files with them on their laptops, they can access your company’s data securely via cloud computing.

When a salesperson develops a lead, he can input the data on his device while out in the field, and the information will be instantly accessible to everyone in your organization’s headquarters via the cloud.

Imagine updating important documents that everyone in your company needs to access quickly and reliably. For example, have you changed the terms of your standard contracts? Your legal department can put the updated files in the cloud so that employee will always be able to access the latest versions.

After examining the benefits of cloud computing, many people will want to consider implementing it for their own organizations. Whether you use cloud computing just to keep safe backups in an offsite location or rely on it for fast and reliable access to inexpensive software as a service, this technology is designed to make your organization work more efficiently and save your money. Cloud computing can give you a boost over your competitors, and that’s reason enough to begin implementing it to some degree at your firm.

Author Bio:

Matt Smith is a Dell employee who writes to help raise awareness on the topic of Cloud Computing and other network management subjects.