In a digitally contemporary society, there’s been extensive conversations about cloud computing and cloud storage, like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. Seen as practically everything in the digital world is associated with cloud one way or another — unless specifically kept in local storage for security purposes; tech geniuses continue to find new ways to organise, process and present data. In conjunction with exceptional innovation throughout the technology industry, cloud computing will play a more and more fundamental role in our lives.
The Future of Cloud
The popularity of cloud is promising with significant growth predicted by 2021. Cloud will be more effective and flexible ultimately convincing ‘no cloud’ corporations to migrate. Even with private data centres, cloud technologies will alter the way infrastructure is viewed alongside application platforms and software development. The majority of organisations that will migrate to cloud will opt for a hybrid-cloud strategy, splitting their workloads over more than one public cloud.
The pace of innovation in infrastructure and services also has an influence. Primarily, enterprises don’t want to be locked in. Cloud wars will trigger cost wars. If a corporation can get significant cost reduction on infrastructure, this can mean major savings a year.
As innovative technology solutions are continuously being developed using artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing will grow significantly. The remarkable capacity of information produced will require storage space. Furthermore, cloud computing will make AI, machine learning and data analysis more accessible, due to hardware found in offices (e.g. smartphones and laptops) lacking the computing power to run these applications effectively.
Key benefits of cloud computing for SMEs
1. Reliability and availability
Cloud computing gives you unlimited data storage whilst freeing up space on your dedicated server. This makes your systems run efficiently without overloading your servers and crashing. As a result, your staff will experience less downtime. Furthermore, automatic backup means you don’t lose any work.
Cloud computing service providers also take responsibility for monitoring, maintaining and upgrading system networks. Using advanced tools, system administrators can detect potential problems and rectify the issue before the network crashes.
2. Security
With cybercrime on the rise, there is intense public scrutiny on a company’s ability to protect their data. Cloud computing can help to provide a solution by adding an extra layer of security to your defense systems.
Data that is stored in the cloud is encrypted to block hackers attempting to intercept files. Furthermore, advanced technology can identify corrupted files and incubate viruses to prevent them from spreading and putting your entire network at risk.
3. Scalability and flexibility
The digital arena is maturing quickly. As a result of new technologies and consumer behaviours, SME’s can struggle to keep up with the pace of the marketplace. No sooner have you installed a new program, and it needs updating with improved software or faster hardware.
Taking advantage of cloud computing services negates the need to constantly invest in a traditional IT infrastructure. Software is easily accessible and affordable, and pay-per-use models mean you are flexible enough to adapt to changing markets without burning your budget.
The Future of Cloud Security
In reference to securing the cloud, there are several meanings; securing the ideal cloud for your company, ensuring you migrate to the right cloud with innovative support. Securing your brands future and protecting your data ensuring it’s safe, secure and risk free.
Essentially, if you’re considering purchasing one of Amazon’s, or Microsoft’s cloud-based services, you’re buying into world-class abilities at keeping data secure. Security can therefore be perceived as convincing motivation to migrate to cloud-based systems rather than a reason to ignore them.
The challenges exist not in the security of cloud itself but in the policies and technologies for security and control for the technology. Most enterprises are accustomed with cloud or at least the notion of cloud, misconceptions and misunderstandings about what technology can offer still remain unclear. Uncertainty about the advantages of cloud computing is compounded by numerous genuine and imaginary concerns about the security and control implications of different cloud models.
Enterprise security should instruct and educate their teams about the control features offered by cloud providers. The naïve impression that cloud providers are solely responsible for their customer’s security indicates that enterprises are ineffectively failing to address how employees are using external applications, by leaving those in charge to regulate huge amounts of often-inappropriate documents shared with other parties and occasionally the entire net.
The future of cloud computing and security is extremely promising with a huge opportunity for technological breakthrough for the companies already using this technology today. The next few years will show the impact cloud will have the world than one has ever been able to imagine. Soon enough, cloud technologies will support working faster and more effectively than it is today.