Top 12 Benefits of Cloud Computing for Businesses

Cloud computing in businesses has changed the way IT practices are carried out and it is predicted to have the most measurable impact on businesses by 2017. In the past, companies would have their applications run on a local computer or a local server in the office premises. But now it allows organizations to access the same applications over the Internet from any location in the world. Cloud platform has helped several businesses, small and big, to manage the workload in the most efficient manner.

The move towards using this technology by many businesses certainly suggests that there are several business benefits of cloud computing, which businesses can leverage. It is estimated that almost 90% of the businesses will be moving towards cloud computing by the end of 2017. Therefore, it is important to understand various cloud computing benefits before shifting your business to cloud. In this article, we have listed the top benefits of cloud computing for businesses and how it can help them to make their processes better.

12 Business Benefits that Cloud Computing Offers

There are different types of cloud computing options that help businesses to make the most out of cloud. Some of the top benefits of cloud computing in businesses are listed here –

1. Automatic Software Updates

   As cloud is off-premise, hence there in nothing a company has to worry about. Any kind of software update which is needed will be handled by the supplier so there is no need for the company to spend on maintenance and software updates.

2. More Flexibility

   This is ideal for companies with fluctuating bandwidth and those who are constantly growing. If a company needs to scale up or scale down their operations, they can easily do it in the cloud environment.

3. Increased Collaboration

   When you have a team spread across the globe, moving to cloud makes it easier for your resources to access the same set of files from different locations. File sharing applications and cloud-based workflow help the team to make changes in real-time and provide them with full visibility.

4. Ability to Access from Anywhere

   With cloud platforms and a reliable Internet connection, your employees can login and work from any location in the world. With some of the latest cloud services, your resources will not be restricted to the device they are using for work. This can help businesses to provide their employees with better facilities without compromising on the productivity.

5. Enhanced Data Security

   It is a cumbersome task to gather all the lost data when a laptop or a mobile phone is lost. The data stored locally on the systems are permanently lost when the device crashes. Instead, using a cloud environment can give you better security irrespective of what happens to the device because all your data will be stored in the cloud.

6. Increased Competence

   By moving to a cloud-based environment you can get access to the best-quality enterprise technologies, making you more competitive in the market. This helps smaller businesses to compete with the bigger ones, act faster, and disrupt the market.

7. Reduced Capex

   Cloud computing reduces the capital expenditure of a company to a considerable extent. Although the main costs which are saved are of hardware, the “pay-as-you-use” or the subscription model makes it easy on the expenses. The costs to setup and manage the infrastructure also gets eliminated with cloud computing.

8. Superior Disaster Recovery Solutions

   Disaster recovery systems are one of the most important elements for businesses to run smoothly. Cloud-based security systems enable small businesses to have a secure data back-up and recovery solution in case of mishaps or other emergencies.

9. Better Document Control

   With more and more people working on the same file and communicating through e-mail and the file going back and forth several times, the content can end up in a conflicting mess. By moving to a cloud environment, the document will be stored centrally and everybody will be able to see only one copy of it. This can improve visibility and collaboration to a large extent.

10. Environment Friendly

    By opting for a cloud-based environment, businesses do not leave a carbon footprint when they need to scale up or scale down their operations. Businesses can use the energy only to make the required change and nothing else.

11. Greater Integration

    A cloud-based business solution aids in easy integration, giving small businesses the freedom to choose and integrate with different cloud-based providers. There are several specialized services which can be integrated with back-office operations even for small businesses. Therefore, small businesses can now easily manage their back-office needs at lesser costs.

12. Easy Manageability

    Cloud computing provides businesses with simple IT management and maintenance support. Besides, once you move to cloud, the IT infrastructure will also be updated automatically without any extra expense. Hence, not much maintenance is required as everything is managed by the service provider. The service level agreement ensures guaranteed and timely delivery, and maintenance of your IT infrastructure.

Cloud Computing Predictions for Businesses

Although there are numerous benefits of moving the business to cloud, one of the major advantages is that capital-starved businesses can leverage big data without the big bill. Businesses can organize themselves and run their operations in a much professional and efficient manner. Considering the recent trends of cloud computing, the future of cloud computing looks bright as more and more people will start moving their businesses to cloud. However, following are some of the stats that uphold rapid growth in cloud computing –

• 74% of the Tech CFOs estimate cloud computing to have the most measurable impact on businesses by 2017
• 37% of the US small businesses have completely adapted to cloud computing and this percentage is expected to shoot up to 80% by 2020
• The global market for public cloud services to grow by 18% by the end of 2017, to revenue of $246.8 billion

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