How Businesses Are Embracing The Cloud In 2012

October 29, 2012 By Guest Author 1 Comment

Big businesses are looking to cloud computing as a solution for backing up sensitive and private information. Also, many business owners have turned to online backup services to help them to recover from a variety of disasters. Larger businesses depend heavily on their IT systems and cannot afford to have them inaccessible. Besides, with more businesses depending on virtual staff, online file backup provides the flexibility companies need to function efficiently.

Greater flexibility

Business owners who have telecommuting staff members or are operating in a virtual environment often need to have several people accessing documents during any given work cycle. Online backup services allow employees to access documents online regardless of where they are. This type of system allows employees to work collaboratively on projects from nearly any device and from nearly any location.

Saving Money

One of the biggest benefits is that companies can save a significant amount of money. Because of cloud computing, most companies will not have to keep a full-time IT staff onsite.

In years past, companies who lost their system often had to wait hours or days to get a technician to reset their employee computers. The hours of pay without work added up quickly. Today, however, cloud backup allows most companies to reclaim all of the data from their system in a matter of minutes. Additionally, companies who have a telecommuting staff often find that documents stored online are easier to access and allow for more collaboration, increasing the efficiency of those employees.

Security Reasons

Security of data is a major concern for companies of all sizes. Fortunately, cloud computing offers higher security than most internal IT systems. The security of customer data, credit card information and internal forms is critical to long-term business success.

Because these systems allow a “set it and forget it” backup, there is far less concern about losing valuable data. This type of security is invaluable for business owners of all sizes.

For greater capacity

Businesses of all sizes face challenges with having an IT system that allows them to store sufficient amounts of data. One of the best features of cloud computing is the lack of size limitations. Companies can take advantage of cloud computing to ensure that regardless of how unwieldy their system may become, there will be sufficient space without a significant investment in new technology.

Many business owners are often hesitant to use cloud computing without realizing they probably use it more frequently than they know they do. Users of systems like Gmail, Skype and other online technologies are already using cloud computing without necessarily being aware this is part of the “cloud”. Fortunately, more businesses are discovering the many benefits of using cloud computing services.

Some business owners may never understand that cloud computing is vital to their business, all big businesses are embracing the cloud now, especially since they have discovered that there are countless benefits. Saving money on software, allowing collaboration between team members and allowing quick and easy access from anywhere are only a few of the potential benefits. Cloud computing also means that you will never lose valuable time due to a natural disaster that knocks out power, potentially destroying files.

Author Bio: Julio McPartland studied graphic design and wrote for his local paper on the side. He now writes for various technology blogs and forums.

Importance Of Disaster Management In Cloud Computing Technology

October 12, 2012 By Medha BN Leave a Comment

Lot has been said and discussed about how cloud computing technology can be a boon when it comes to disaster management. But, I see there is no much discussion going on about how can disaster hit even the remote servers or hardware platforms and how can it be managed. After all clouds are responsible for thunder and lightning; they too disappear after the rain!

Best examples are 9/11 and Japan’s Tsunami 2011 which were the greatest examples of recent times man-made disaster and nature thrown disaster. It’s interesting to know that cloud computing itself is the solution for businesses and companies to manage disaster but then disaster can hit even harder to cloud resources and ruin multiple businesses all at once if proper backup and disaster recovery measures are not taken. Here’s what can be done:

It is excellent to find a cloud computing company who can offer first hand backup plans for their clients. It is a good move to invest and collaborate with such companies even if it means paying little extra bucks for quality and assured back up options.
The other option would be to invest with a second cloud computing for minimum resources so that you keep your backup data updated frequently so as not to miss any of your data in case if you have to recover from an uninvited disaster taking place with your first cloud services company.
Apart from relying and engaging cloud resources you should maintain critical data like your stake holders associated with different clouds, your in-house employees whom you can trust when in disaster for added value to recovery process, etc in your private resources to come handy when in cloud crisis.
Additionally your PR department employees and customer service personnel should be good enough and trained well before hand to handle media hazels and customers nerves!
Costumers are believed to be Gods in disguise! Once if your costumers are turned off due to any of your clouds failure or if you cannot recover early from a disaster then you may have to forget your business. Have more than one ways to reach your customers and keep them informed of your crises and what is being done about it. Surely, social media is a great weapon that can be used to reach masses in less time.
Your associates, investors and partners have all the rights to get first hand information about cloud failures or any disasters. Maintain valuable database with quaint essential contact information so as to alert any crises or calamities.

So initially it might look like it is a little too much to invest and manage for recovery and backup processes but only that can help you stay calm and contained while in disaster. Clouds have failed many times before and still they bet a chance to fail again! Cloud computing is no doubt a trending business choice to save funds and get work done remotely and this is why companies like Syntax has managed it so effectively. But still this technology stands a fair chance to put you in disaster like any other technologies can do.

What do you think? How important it is to plan for disaster management for the technology which itself is used for disaster management?

How Cloud Computing is Influencing Our Social System

July 18, 2012 By Guest Author 1 Comment

When the term “cloud” first hit the scene, it seemed like it would float away as just another technological fad. But the cloud is here to stay: by saving individuals and companies’ money, the cloud is ensuring its survival in the future. As technology changes, so to do best practices, small and large businesses alike are finding a future in the cloud.

The Hype is Waning

When the cloud first came to be, there was a great deal of hype about this new “server in the sky” technology. Not a lot of people were behind the idea of the cloud, and it seemed that there was a limit to its advantages. That has all changed. According to David Linthicum at Info World, both web designers and businesses have come to realize what the cloud means to their bottom line—and they like what they see. For example, the cloud saves businesses money by reducing the need for purchasing huge operating systems for a short period of use, such as store websites needing substantially more bandwidth on Black Friday. Web designers can save a lot of time and energy purchasing and updating software using the cloud. It’s now easy to find the best 10 web hosting companies for your needs. As more cloud services emerge, the value of comparing services with common factors also increases.

IT Departments Floating Up, Up and Away

Mike Vizard at IT Business Edge explores the fact that the cloud has revolutionized the IT departments in businesses. Instead of having an inner office department that handles computer issues, corporations now have the option of outsourcing this work to cloud computing. Companies like Amazon Web Services are already on the scene. Users can use AWS for computer power, storage, and remote IT staffers. Since users only have to shell out for what services they use, they can cut their IT costs significantly.

The Money Market

According to David Weidner of The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, the cloud has found its way onto the stock market among the best 10 web hosting companies. In July 2012, Ariba Inc., which manages online purchasing networks, was bid on by SAP AG SAP for $4.3 billion. Following that bid, a day later Oracle Corp. announced it was purchasing Vitrue, Inc., which is a company that is focused on designing software for cloud-based social marketing. The social network provider Yammer Inc. was soon purchased by Microsoft Corp. a few weeks afterward. It is clear that the cloud is a highly desirable commodity that is quickly racking up points in the financial sector. Furthermore, “according to Salesforce.com, demand for cloud services is expected to rise 20% to 25% annually through 2016, which makes it a clear opportunity for established players looking for growth.”

Use of the cloud in the Web grants users nearly unlimited storage capabilities. Internet operations ranging from saving family photo albums online to providing speedy access to websites on their busiest days have been revolutionized by the cloud. Everyone from the aging grandmother creating digital scrapbooks using the cloud to the scrappy young gent on Wall Street looking for the next big thing in technology are directly influenced by the cloud. Expect to see the cloud in all its glory in the near future on the Web and beyond. What do you think will come of the cloud in the years ahead? Have you had experiences using the cloud that aren’t described here? We’d love to hear from you!

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