The how and why of using Cloud technologies
Back in the day clouds meant rain, but in today’s day and age they mean evolution, growth, and the future of how everyone will share and safeguard their data. Slowly disappearing are the days where we keep our valuable data sitting in a server box in our offices worrying about power failures, natural disasters, or theft of hardware.
Companies are warming up to the cloud more each day for data storage, ubiquitous access from any internet connection, robust websites, or putting their line of business applications into a cloud platform with reliable computing that doesn’t rely on your local power company. Each of the major cloud services use web based interfaces to provision and get your new server up in no time.
Data in a fortress
Picture this for a moment. Your data sits in a heavily guarded facility, some of which houses data for Fortune 100 companies. That facility has redundant power, is most likely reinforced against natural disasters, has data backup systems that many smaller businesses could never afford, and it essentially runs 24/7. So, given that reality why would anyone want to keep their data in a small server box sitting in a telecom or broom closet in their office? As for security issues, the firewalls and other security services employed by the Big 3 Cloud vendors (Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google) would put any single firewall to shame. Sure we’ve heard of breaches in the cloud but many of those are caused by lax security policies or you guessed it human error.
Resilient technologies
Cloud Servers now have more redundancy than any local server. Systems like those in AWS and Azure utilizes image based backups or snapshots that let you quickly roll back your server in the event of corruption or heaven forbid a virus runs amok. Load balancing allows you to easily scale up in case you need more horsepower.
Hardware worries are gone
How long does a physical file server last? Do you really want to get a call in the middle of the night that the hard drives, power supply, or motherboard in it failed? Is your latest backup tested and viable? What about adding memory or expanding disk space when your company grows? Let’s cut to the chase and realize that all of these questions can keep even the most seasoned IT professional or business owner up at night. Each of these worries can be addressed by moving to cloud computing. For example, disk and memory upgrades usually involve a request to your cloud provider and voila, say hello to better performance.
Say goodbye to Capital Expenditure (CAPEX)
Worried about the capital cost of your next new server, backup system, and warranties? A move to cloud computing can help you convert those capital expenses into a monthly budgetable operational one. This is helping companies get a more predictable model for expenditure.
When all is said and done it really comes down to evolution and efficiency. CARA can free business owners from a lot of anxiety, planning, and support headaches. In the process it can also open the doors to solutions that live in a single and universally accessible place.
