Cloud Technology - Is It Really Worth The Investment?

One of the most basic ways to explain cloud computing is that it allows computing from anywhere where there is an available internet connection. Some of the benefits of cloud computing includes enabling remote employees access the same applications they would use on their desktop computers, lower costs on IT infrastructure upgrades, and improve overall collaboration and productivity within your company.

It is estimated that billions of dollars will be invested in cloud computing technology so the trend is clear that cloud computing will only grow in popularity for the foreseeable future.

But is it worth the investment for your business? Let’s take a look at he below reasons why your company definitely needs to take a look at this powerful technology.

Benefits of Cloud Technology

Here are just a few of the benefits cloud technology can offer your business:

1.  Enhances collaboration: The fact that cloud computing can work from anywhere any and on any device with an internet connection allows remote workers to collaborate more efficiently and be more productive. From document sharing to holding impromptu meetings, cloud technology improves the sharing of information and enables businesses to be better prepared to react to any changing situation.     

2.  Cloud technology helps cut the costs of updating old infrastructures: The cost of typical IT expenses such as server upgrades, power costs, software licenses and regular hardware maintenance can be quite significant for businesses, especially when they are small businesses. Cloud technology enables many of these services to be done online and thereby reducing or eliminating altogether some of these traditional expenses.

3.  Cloud technology makes employees more productive by freeing up more of their time: IT staffs spend a significant portion of their time troubleshooting hardware and software issues. By working with cloud service providers like Macquarie Telecom, however, companies can free up more of those tasks and have their IT personnel work on projects that are more geared to growing and developing the business instead of just maintaining it.

Determining the Return on Investments in Cloud Computing

Determining the ROI from investing in cloud technology is a significantly difficult exercise that entails performing a complex and flexible analysis that is directly dependent on the type of business and issues you are trying to resolve. In other words, calculating cloud computing ROI is far from being an exact science.

However, instead of focusing on the traditional measures of ROI, which measure how much money you get back from using a product or service, companies may be better off using a model based on how much value you are getting from cloud computing services. After all, using cloud technology is really about how much satisfaction businesses get from using cloud services and not about how much money you get back from investing in hardware or software.

The true value in cloud technology lies in its ability to improve the services of an IT department of a business and empowering its users to serve themselves with cloud-based applications that will lead to more efficient processes overall.

In Australia, marketers are seeing the shift to focusing on engaging and retaining clients over productivity. With cloud technology, these goals are made significantly more possible. 

Technological Breakthroughs of Cloud Technology

The benefits of cloud computing go beyond just providing low-cost data storage and fast applications. Some innovative applications of cloud technology have helped companies achieve amazing technological breakthroughs. Here are just some of the most recent breakthroughs that have been achieved by the innovative use of cloud technology.

·  Cloud technology helping in genetic sequencing: Doctors are using the cloud to store scientific calculations for cancer research. This would help them understand the genomic sequencing that occurs in cancer patients. This would also enable teams to use supercomputers to scan these databases and provide customized treatments to patient DNA.

·   MS Office for the iPad: This breakthrough might not be world-changing, but having Microsoft’s Office products available on the iPad, and can safely be synchronized to the cloud is the real game-changing benefit for business users. In addition, Office products support iPad features such as swiping and other hand gestures.

·   Amazon WorkSpaces: This product finally offers employees virtual desktops that are always available and have a speedy performance. This technological innovation greatly enhances network optimization via Amazon Web Services.

Transitioning your business to the cloud will bring your company various benefits including flexibility to allocate more resources to your business as needed within minutes; it will ensure business continuity during bad weather or natural disasters and will increase your company’s overall competitiveness by giving you access to enterprise-class technology.

As seen in the recent Google Cloud Platform Live, big data cloud pricing seems to be going down across the board making it even more attractive for businesses to invest in and integrate into their services.