Why Cloud? Why Now?

Cloud is becoming the new standard for business computing and delivery of software and applications, and is rapidly overtaking the traditional in-house system as a reliable, scalable, innovative, secure and cost-effective IT Platform.

Why? 

• Resilience and Elasticity - Data and applications hosted in the cloud are evenly distributed across multiple servers and regions, which are connected to work as one. Therefore, if one server fails, no data is lost and downtime is avoided. The cloud also offers unlimited storage space and server resources, including the newest cutting edge compute and storage power. This means your software and applications will perform faster. Traditional IT systems are not so resilient and cannot guarantee a consistently high level of server performance. They have limited capacity and are susceptible to downtime, which can greatly hinder workplace productivity.
• Flexibility and Scalability - Cloud hosting offers an enhanced level of flexibility and scalability in comparison to traditional data centers. The on-demand virtual space of cloud computing has unlimited storage space and unlimited server resources. Cloud servers can scale up or down depending on the level of traffic your application receives, and you will have full control to install any software as and when you need to. This provides more flexibility for business to grow rapidly. Traditional IT infrastructure, you can only use the resources that are already available to you. If you run out of storage space or the demand for servers is greater than your on-hand capacity, the only solution is to purchase more and if you over purchase then you’re left with resources not being used consuming power and space and depreciating in value.
• Automation - A key difference between cloud computing and traditional IT infrastructure is how they are managed. Cloud hosting is managed by multi-billion dollar corporations that are focused solely on service and performance who takes care of all the necessary hardware and ensures it is the most modern, ensures security measures are in place, and is staffed with the highest level or engineers 24/7 365 days of the year and is backed by the highest level of SLA's. In cloud you can quickly automate deployment of hundreds of servers in seconds without waiting to acquire hardware and personnel. Traditional data centers require heavy administration in-house, which can be costly and time consuming for your business. Fully trained IT personnel are needed to ensure regular monitoring and maintenance of your servers – such as upgrades, configuration problems, threat protection and installations. It can take months and sometimes years to deploy business applications.
• Innovation- If your business needs to leverage modern business Innovations like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, NexGen Security and IoT which are becoming standards in Healthcare, Financial and Retail Industries they are becoming more and more only available in Cloud.
• Security- The maturity of the Cloud providers around security, compliance and security services are now built into their platforms. Standard offerings are access telemetry, advanced threat-Intel leveraging AI, data encryption (in motion and at rest) also cloud providers have built collaborative global security partnerships to protect their customers. These standard services far super-passed the modern data-center abilities without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to bolt on several third party solutions and finding local trained and certified security staff to manage this has become increasingly difficult. Many next generation security services are now only available in cloud which will continue to trend and leave the data-center at a major disadvantage.
• Running Costs - Cloud computing is much more cost effective than traditional IT infrastructure due to methods of payment for the overall services. With cloud based services, you only pay for what is used – similarly to how you pay for utilities such as electricity. Furthermore, the decreased likelihood of downtime means improved workplace performance and increased profits in the long run. With traditional IT infrastructure, you will need to purchase equipment and additional servers, network equipment, storage upfront to adapt to business growth. If this slows, you will end up paying for resources you don’t use. Furthermore, the value of physical servers decreases year on year, so the return on investment of investing money in traditional IT infrastructure is quite low.