How Cloud Computing Will Change Your Organization

Over the last 10 years, something quite phenomenon has happened in the IT sector, further cementing the integration between IT and business. This is known as cloud computing and its impact on business so far has been mind-blowing. Just like every other innovation in information and technology, the impact of cloud computing has been nothing short of tremendous, and it has enabled organizations to move on to the next level of operational efficiency. Initially, there was high resistance from organizations and CIO’s to switch to the technology, but gradually this is changing, especially after the realization of what they have been missing being away from the technology. Its acceptance in the business field has been further fuelled by the fact that big and reputable brands are now fully dependent on cloud computing for all their IT needs. Since business is a very competitive world, others have jumped onto the band wagon since they do not want to be left out by their competitors. Additionally, the initial resistance to cloud computing may be attributed to the normal human feeling of fear towards the unknown. People were interested in the technology, but they were waiting for others to adopt it first, so that they may use them as bait to see how it works out. Even though it is a thoughtful strategy, its major undoing is that if it works out well for your competitors, they will be miles ahead of you by the time you are thinking of also switching to the technology. This is because business is all about risk, and those who sit on the fence never hit the pinnacle of their potential.

What started as a small channel to help organizations increase their data storage capacity is now a huge success, and its use is no longer limited to data storage, but is more of a control center from where organizations can access everything that is related to information and technology.

Having highlighted how cloud computing has revolutionized IT in business, it is important to discuss how it has manage to do this. It is therefore imperative to point out and explain the major organizational areas that have benefited from cloud computing.

The role of cloud computing in business

Saves you infrastructural costs the biggest headache for any organization, especially if you are just starting, is setting up the infrastructure needed to for IT. It is not only expensive, it is also time consuming. You also have to incur the cost of hiring the manpower to install it, and many organizations often opt to outsource these services. With cloud computing, you only need to purchase the basic infrastructure such as a stable internet connection source and desk tops. Having set up the basic infrastructure, you will not have to incur the costs of installing software and applications needed for the day-to-day running of your organization. You will be able to access this via cloud.

Setting up the infrastructure needed for running and operating IT in an organization is always expensive, because you are not only considering the initial set-up costs, but also the preceding maintenance costs. Cloud computing ensures that you avoid all this, since they handle the maintenance part on their own, to ensure that their clients get reliable service.

Cost effective cloud computing is very cost effective, since it saves you the cost of hiring extra manpower. Moreover, most of the employees working in the IT department may be used in other areas of the organization, such marketing, because most of their former job description is covered by cloud.

Additionally, the costs incurred in software updates and upgrading will no longer be covered by the organization. Software and hardware upgrades contribute heavily on an organization’s operational costs, since most of them require annual licensing or upgrading. Taking off such costs means that the funds may be channeled to other organizational projects.

Security one thing that most organizations shave to grapple with every day is the security of their system. Any lapse in the security of the servers, may lead to exposure of confidential information to the public domain, which may be used against you if it gets on the wrong hands, such as your competitors. Confidentiality of information is what keeps most businesses ahead of their competitors and any breach may lead to your competitors getting their hands on info which normally gives you a competitive edge. Most organizations have very weak firewalls installed in their system, which means that they can be easily breached. With cloud computing, you are assured of a more advanced security firewall, since the cloud providers usually make huge investments in the security of their servers. This means that you can confidently share out confidential files within the organization, without any fear of a breach in security.

Easier access to information the best thing about cloud computing is that it offers easier access to information. All the organizational files are stored on a common platform, which means that anyone who has authorization may be able to access information. Thus, this enhances collaborative working, which is exactly what is needed in any organization in order to increase productivity. The most interesting thing about this is that any employee may access files and information on any device, anywhere in the world, provided they have an internet connection.

Reduces the need for training any time there are new developments in the IT sector, organizations have to incur a lot of costs in terms of training their employees so that they remain competitive. This means that the employees have to learn first, so that they can implement what they have been trained in the organization. This may take time, because new concepts usually take time for everyone to familiarize, which means lagging behind organizations which adopted the technology earlier.

Ensures that you are at par with big organizations which use the same cloud service one of the most beneficial aspects of public cloud computing, is the fact that you will have access to the same resources, regardless of who came first or last. All you have to do is to subscribe to the most advanced package provided by the cloud. Therefore businesses which are just starting out may have access to the same privileges as huge organizations. This therefore brings healthy competition, because no one has competitive edge over others, based solely on IT.

In a nutshell, cloud computing is here to stay, and from the look of this, it can only get better in the near future. It will be interesting to see the number of organizations that will soon subscribe to cloud computing, and how this will affect the industry.