On Cloud Nine:
nine reasons to sign up to cloud computing
Cost savings
Migrating to the cloud can bring savings on hardware costs, license fees and maintenance renewals. Project start-up and operating costs are
minimal and subscription agreements are usually ‘pay as you go’.
1.
Scalability
Cloud systems can cater for growing amounts of work, meet your continuing business demands and complement your business infrastructure. The
cloud is particularly suited to new business start-ups, rather than established companies with many users and sites.
2.
Collaboration
Association members and employees can collaborate using the cloud. Information and documents can be shared instantly with anyone wherever they are, increasing efficiency and saving time and money.
6.
Service levels
As well as making your association more flexible, the cloud enables you to be more agile, efficient and improve cash flow. With instant resources available you can experiment with different online strategies to improve service levels quickly, easily and at low cost."
7.
Looking ahead, the CIF study predicts that 15% of businesses will opt for a primary cloud-based IT strategy, 15% will remain entirely on-premise and 70% will have a Hybrid IT environment, meaning that the majority of companies will continue to invest in on-premise IT alongside cloud solutions.
3.
Data security
Data security is one of the mainconcerns about cloud computing. Data loss due to back-up or system failures in the virtual environment is the
worry, although equally, if you lose your laptop the information on it can be recovered from the cloud. Ensure you have a credible supplier by checking that they are certified by the Cloud Industry Forum Code of Practice.
4.
Data privacy
Following the revelations surrounding the leaking of sensitive documents by US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, cloud users are now being reassured by providers that their data will be stored safely and cannot be accessed by US surveillance agencies.
5.
Flexibility
Cloud computing gives you the benefit of an ‘anytime anywhere’ virtual office and the flexibility to connect with a variety of web-enabled devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Reliability
The cloud’s scalability features mean it can meet sudden increases in demand and help you stay online at the busiest times, protecting your brand, servicing members and keeping your association running smoothly. Cloud computing brings improved disaster recovery capability and does away with time spent managing software and security updates which is carried out by the provider.
8.
Environmental responsibility
Cloud computing means organisations no longer need to buy their own servers and computer hardware. Without the need for a physical data centre with power and air conditioning requirements, they can reduce carbon emissions and meet environmental targets.
9.
Clearly, cloud computing offers many advantages, but security remains the main concern. However, the perception of secure on-premise solutions is interesting as Cloud expert Nick Milligan explains: “Most membership organisations do not have armed guards patrolling their buildings, iris scanners, heat seeking sensors, state of the art monitoring systems and servers stored in underground wartime bunkers, with data backed up in multiple data centres. The cloud hosting platforms do! If organisations like Amazon, and Facebook can run on cloud I think most other organisations can benefit from this too as long as they do their due diligence with the hosting partner and opt for something like Salesforce or Microsoft rather than a backyard solution with a poor internet connection.”