Updated May 17, 2023
Introduction to Advantages of Cloud Computing
Despite being considered new, cloud computing has existed for approximately a decade. Gradually people started believing in the powers and Advantages of Cloud Computing. Many businesses have already moved to the Cloud and are planning to move. A survey shows 73% of organizations have started using the Cloud. It is well-known that those using a cloud computing system for their extensive data processes enjoy faster and better services. Even today, many enhancements are happening to provide the best and most comprehensive service.
This not only helps an organization to manage resources effectively but also helps them to serve their customers better, which in turn helps in the overall growth of the business. Facebook, Instagram, google drive, and Gmail are some of the services through which we unknowingly use the Cloud. All these applications have their servers hosted on the Cloud. That’s why our data is safe and readily available in these applications.
Top 7 Advantages of Cloud Computing
Given below are the top 7 advantages of cloud computing:
1. Cost
Every business’s ultimate objective is to earn a profit. Organizations are concerned about the hefty amount they must pay to implement the Cloud in their environment. But then data is also essential. Those who have weighed the advantages and disadvantages of the Cloud know that it is economical to use the Cloud. With the Cloud, services are easy to maintain and operate. One can use services when required and pay for them only. Different cloud providers offer other pricing tiers. One can select the types of services they want and their duration.
Some cloud providers also offer pay-as-you-go services. When the user has no idea how much resources they will need. They can opt for this service. When implemented in a house, organizations end up deploying resources that are not used very frequently and paying more than they use. That’s why many organizations are going for a cloud. This is economical and fast.
2. Flexibility
With growing time, users can never be sure how many resources they need. So deploying resources like processing servers and storage databases on a vague guess might end up deploying too many resources or too few. This might impact the business as well. Another problem with these types of infrastructure is that it needs a team of professionals to maintain and manage the resources. With these issues, the user can not focus entirely on the growth of their business. That’s why it’s preferred to let third-party handle all the infrastructure-related mess, and users focus on the business goals and customer service.
The advantage of cloud computing is that users can use resources whenever needed and pay only for usage. Help will be available instantly and released as soon as they finish their work. This gives users the freedom and flexibility to work on any data size. This flexibility increases the efficiency of the user. They can focus more on logic than infrastructure.
3. Mobility
Cloud is an internet-based service. This means that all the resources in the Cloud are accessible through the internet. A user has to log in to their account and access the resources they have on the Cloud. This makes the user flexible to access services from anywhere in the world. Cloud services are also accessible by using a mobile phone. Applications like Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, etc., are also available on mobile.
4. Security
With the growing cybercrime rate, cybersecurity is a concern for every organization. It is a common perception that data available on the Cloud is not secure. When data is stored on the internet, it becomes vulnerable to cyber theft.
The cloud provider must practice appropriate safety measures to save data from theft and another inappropriate usage. Many parties use encryption and authorization certificates to prevent unauthorized data access. They have provided many levels of access control checks for accessing data. The user decides all these access control policies. Different security settings can be set according to the user. Thus the user has full control over to whom the data should be accessible. This gives users freedom from worrying about the safety and security of their data.
5. Replication
Cloud providers replicate data to multiple sites and ensure applications are not affected by downtime. This prevents loss from disaster or any other unexpected mistakes. There are many types of replication methods available. Some are – Locally Redundant, Region Level Redundancy, Geography Level Redundancy, etc.
The user can choose to replicate data according to their business requirements. A user can also decide when to archive the data. The data will be stored in lower-cost storage and available when needed. Cloud services provide quick data recovery for emergency scenarios, from natural disasters to power outages. Thus ensuring the unobstructed growth of a business.
6. Updates
To maintain proper system functioning and protect against various software vulnerabilities, it is necessary to apply timely updates. When infrastructure is deployed in a house, the user must ensure that all the systems are upgraded and all the applications are updated whenever required. This is both time and money-consuming activity. One need not worry about all these updates with a cloud in service. The cloud provider’s job is to ensure all the resources are updated and antiviruses are of the latest version.
7. Efficiency
The main objective of the Cloud Platform is to increase the user’s efficiency. With all the services provided on-demand, the user need not worry about technical issues and can focus entirely on business. With hundreds and thousands of servers readily available for assistance, the process becomes faster and generates effective results in no time.
IT professionals can focus on logic keeping aside all the infrastructural problems. Thus increasing the efficiency of every person. Besides, cloud computing has many advantages, such as sustainability, flexible storage capacity, processing speed, insights, collaboration, consistency, etc. That is the reason why organizations are readily migrating to the Cloud.
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