Valuable insights on various aspects of Cloud computing

Picture this. You have been slogging it out in front of your laptop, spending sleepless nights for an urgent presentation that you’re supposed to hand over to your superior at work. But just when you were adding the finishing touches to your presentation, bad luck strikes, and your system malfunctions. Sounds too relatable, right? Gone are the days when situations like this would make your heart rate shoot up like Haley’s comet. This is possible because of the formidable force known as cloud computing. It’s superpowers not only save you from these mini-heart attack moments but also makes your life simple.

Testifying the efficacy of the cloud technology is this particular statistic published in Forbes that reveals 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020.

Without further ado, let us enlighten you on what cloud technology is all about and how it works.

What is cloud computing?

Also acknowledged as Cloud, this technology presents novel ways for individuals and organisations to accumulate digital resources over the internet. They can gather the resources from just about any part in the world that has smooth connectivity. Ideally, cloud computing is presented by a third party in the form of a software service.

Cloud computing generally lowers or eliminates the need for on-site hardware and/or software. For instance, if an individual purchases a hard drive backup service that supports cloud computing, he/she has the option to transfer his/her files through an internet connection. That way, the files are stored on servers that can be located in another area or even in another country.

The stored files would be kept with extra layers of security that is impossible with standard hardware solutions. The concept of outsourcing is quite usual in the domain of customer support. This is because organisations outsource their call centre duties to representatives in other regions when they are unable to find proper client support agents locally.

What is cloud computing

Source: Pixabay

Features that set cloud technology apart

Several considerations put cloud technology ahead of other technological innovations and make it especially suitable for businesses. For starters, cloud computing technology offers a manageable service so you can solely focus on whatever activity you are performing.

You can access many cloud computing tools &services on-demand, and these are quite scalable. If your requirements change, you can simply pay more or less for the services (depending on your usage). Traditionally, there was always the hazard of purchasing an expensive computer programming network and realising it was larger than what you needed. Or, you realise that the setup you have is too small for what you intend to do. Cloud computing eliminates the possibility of such situations. You can easily subscribe to most cloud computing services without getting involved in lengthy contracts.

Cloud computing services can be used publicly and privately. A cloud-based email account is one instance of a public cloud computing service. However, many organisations use virtual private networks (VPNs) to access safe, private clouds that are only accessible to people within the company.

Other features of cloud computing include-

  • On-Demand Self-Service

It is one of the most vital features of Cloud Computing. This allows the users to continuously monitor the server uptime, capabilities, and allotted network storage. The users can also monitor the computing abilities.

  • Ease of maintenance

“It is quite convenient to maintain the cloud computing servers, and the downtime tends to be very low. In fact, in some cases, there may be no downtime,” quips Julian Foster, an expert on IT  for assignmenthelp.com.sg. Cloud computing automatically presents an update in order to gradually make the services better. The updates are generally more compatible with the devices and perform the activities faster than older versions, and also fixes those bugs along the way.

Ease of maintenance

Figure 1, Source: Pixabay

Application of cloud computing across various industries

Many of the industries have already started decoding the cloud technology to incorporate it into the business processes. Some of the industries touched by this magical technology are as follows.

  1. Reinventing the education sector

The benefits of cloud computing are recognised by the educational institutions world over. The implementation of cloud-based technologies has minimized the need for procuring expensive textbooks. The technology allows students to gather less expensive digital versions. Teachers can provide updated learning materials through the cloud. The best part about this technology is it doesn’t require any expensive hardware or software integration. Both the students and the teacher can access the cloud from the mobile devices.

  1. Disrupting the sphere of healthcare

Cloud healthcare solutions allow the doctors to effectively stay connected to their patients and promote collaboration. It offers solutions which comply with various healthcare regulations. The activities like completing patient history and making referrals can be accomplished in no time using cloud computing. These tasks are no longer tedious for healthcare professionals. This also means practitioners can devote complete attention to the patients.

  1. A new dawn in the domain of retail

The retailers purchase products and goods in bulk from the wholesalers and then include their margin to sell it to customers. In this case, cloud computing provides advantages like reduced expenses, scalability, lesser time and flexibility, access to a huge volume of stored data from anywhere and anytime. It also ensures an improved relationship with customers, segmented market, etc. With cloud technology, monitoring the current trends of consumer behaviour towards different brands, and targeting the right customer has become rather simple.

It saves the trouble of running expensive hardware systems because the hardware equipment and software applications are located on servers in large data centres. This feature lets the retailers carry on their business even within a limited budget and with the latest infrastructures. It assists in evaluating a large volume of sales data and simplifies real-time inventory management.

  1. Boost in the processes of banking

In the banking sector, cloud computing allows the scope for new ways of lending, saving, lowering banking costs, banking of remote populations, and making payments. There are two trends in the banking sector that have been driving cloud computing.

First is the implementation of cloud by traditional banking establishments for back-office and customer operations. The second is fintech which emphasises on the use of cloud-based services to carry out various responsibilities within the domain of banking.

  1. Reshaping the automotive sector

The automotive companies leverage the internet of things, indigenous cloud applications to design an assortment of software development methodology. For instance, Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest car manufacturer company utilises an open source cloud computing platform to develop a private cloud. This private cloud helps in hosting websites for its brands like Audi, Porsche, VW, etc. Volkswagen is one of the few automotive companies that are implementing transformational technologies for a digital future.

  1. Enhanced operations in manufacturing

Integrating the cloud technology in an industry is no longer an option but a necessity. With the help of cloud computing, you can synchronize data gathered from multiple sources into a single dashboard. This relieves the workers from the burden of manually transmitting data from one system to another. It also supports in synchronization of data by determining a single point as a source of information and enabling access to it via the internet. Cloud software is a convenient and flexible choice for the manufacturing industry as it comes with platform, service, and infrastructure.

  1. An undeniable force in the production sector

When it comes to the production industry, organisations need to manage diverse location and supply chains that need large database applications. Now, the cloud technology enables the companies to unite anywhere and disseminate crucial information to influence each location. It cuts down the operational cost that incurred by an organisation while managing different locations. It helps to eliminate exorbitant capital expenses. It’s dependable and reasonable and is exceedingly accessible in times of need.

  1. Secured operations in the area of finance

Security has been a cause of concern for the financial sector, but with the implementation of cloud computing, the finance industry has emerged victorious. Cloud computing offers Tier 3, class 1 data, encrypted information and limited access credentials to prioritise confidentiality of data. This allows the financial institutions to accomplish their daily activities like billing and customer interaction with ease. Over the years, cloud computing has reshaped the way the financial world operates.

In conclusion,

Cloud computing is a disruptive force that has garnered immense popularity across different sectors. And if the industry stalwarts are to be believed, its popularity is going to shoot up and above in the near future. Have you embraced the cloud yet? Share your stories in the comments below.

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