Customisation Key to Cloud Success

The technology research company Gartner recently predicted that around 50 percent of all businesses will have adopted hybrid cloud technology by the year 2017. This is indicative of the success of cloud computing in the modern corporate world. Additionally, the statistic shows that cloud computing is progressing based on different organisations opting for very different set-ups. The size of business involved, the type of industry and the specific requirements of business all contribute to which particular cloud solution is put in place.

Thus, it is important to emphasise that there is no one cloud setup which will give all companies the best possible outcome. It is essential for every organisation that is interested in adopting the cloud to determine what specific data and departments within their organisation will best benefit from cloud solutions. Additionally, the type of cloud solution implemented can vary greatly in efficacy depending on the type of information and business set-up being dealt with.

Customising the Cloud

With this in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that customisation of cloud services is a growing trend in the industry. There can be all manner of motivations for this customisation, aside from the fact that different businesses have differing requirements. One of the main reasons for customisation is the varying security regulations that face companies operating in various international markets in the ever expanding global marketplace. In response to this, many companies are placing content within private class solutions which enable them to more readily customise security and access settings according to the country or region within which they are operating.

Of course, some industries are more heavily regulated than others. Traditionally, the industries which have to cope with the most red tape are government and social services. So for organisations in these particular strata it is especially important that cloud solutions can be heavily customised. The adherence to international legislation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Safe-Harbor Frameworks or Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) is obviously extremely important, and this requires a cloud approach which is flexible and tailored to specific needs.

Maintaining Data Control

Another advantage of the private cloud is that it enables commerce to maintain total control over their data. With public cloud computing, access is potentially handed over to a third-party provider. When we see big examples in the mainstream media of successful hacking attempts on huge companies such as eBay, it is perhaps not surprising that businesses are increasingly reluctant to put their data in the hands of other people. Thus, non-sensitive data is increasingly frequently placed in public clouds, keeping that which is sensitive stored in a private cloud.

In this context, it is hardly surprisingly that hybrid clouds offer the best fit for the data security requirements of businesses. The hybrid cloud is certainly gaining in popularity lately, and the ease with which it can be customised could be the vital factor in this rise.

Mobile Key Area

Another area where we are seeing extensive customisation in cloud services is in the mobile realm. With more and more employees utilising mobile devices for everyday work activities, and technology such as a Bring Your Own Device making this ever more feasible even for small businesses, this trend is only set to expand in the coming years. But it is obviously essential that companies are able to introduce such devices into their network without inadvertently introducing security risks, and customisation is seen as being central to this process.

Aside from these issues, the infrastructure requirements of companies do not always remain constant. The consumption of resources within a commercial network can differ over a variety of timeframes, both short and relatively long. It comes as no surprise that this can differ on a day-to-day basis, but many companies also find that their usage of network resources also differs on a week-to-week or even month-to-month basis.

Cloud computing has made this mobile integration feasible and practical, and now commercial concerns are choosing cloud productivity based on the type of mobile access that their workers need.

Scalable Infrastructure

Many businesses have now cottoned on to the fact that they can easily scale infrastructure while operating within the hybrid cloud, and that this can be customised effectively to coincide with a specific usage. This can be a big money save for a lot of companies, particularly when used strategically.

For example, a company may have peak consumption of CPU during the core operating hours of their business, but naturally overnight there is far less requirement for network resources. Cloud computing enables companies to either scale up or down based on their particular levels of consumption.

It seems inevitable that this trend of customisable hybrid cloud computing will continue to grow in the near future, with providers that fail to offer easily customisable options beginning to see business declining. The opportunity now exists for companies to develop and implement a unique cloud adoption strategy that fits their needs. For this reason, building a customised cloud strategy is crucial and will be extremely beneficial for the overwhelming majority of companies.