Why You Should Consider the Cloud

Introduction

By now, anybody working in the technology sector will have heard of Cloud computing. But the concept is increasingly being paid attention to outside of IT departments, with growing recognition among boardlevel executives of the potential of this range of innovations. Frequently, senior personnel are hearing stories about how the Cloud helps organizations reduce costs, boost efficiency and expand their operations, so they’ll be excited about what the Cloud can do for them.

As a result, Cloud is one of the fastest-growing parts of the IT industry. Gartner forecasts that by 2016, this technology will make up the bulk of new spending in the sector Meanwhile, International data Corporation predicts that in 2014, Cloud spending will surge by 25 percent, taking it over the $100 billion milestone for the first time: As a result, the number of options available to businesses when it comes to choosing Cloud solutions and other related technologies is constantly growing.

Because the decisions a business takes now will affect its operations for years to come, migrating operations from on-premise networks to the Cloud is not a task that should be undertaken lightly. The key for many organizations will be knowing when they will benefit from making such a transition, what services they should be investigating and what potential risks they need to be aware of.

The choices available to organizations can be bewildering, particularly if they do not have a great deal of expertise in the area. There are Cloud-based as-a-service options available for almost any activity, including software (SaaS), infrastructure (IaaS) and platform (PaaS), as well as several others.

Determining which aspects of a business to place in the Cloud and which would be better served remaining on-premise is one of the first decisions a company must make. In addition to this, there are choices about whether to opt for private or public options, or even a combination of the two as part of a hybrid package.

This may seem a lot to think about, but by asking a few basic questions at the beginning of the process about what organizations expect to achieve as a result of using the Cloud, they can identify the most appropriate tools that will help get migration projects off on the right foot.