The Strategic Importance of Cloud Computing in Business Organizations
Cloud computing solutions offer organizations increased flexibility, accessibility, and scalability, among many other benefits. This blog will highlight some of the major ways a cloud solution can enhance an organization’s existing business processes and answer the question, “why is cloud computing important?”Ensure Business Continuity
It is imperative organizations that store critical business data have a well-thought-out plan in case disaster strikes. After all, it’s not if – but rather, when – some sort of catastrophe will occur, and depending on the severity, it could be detrimental to a business. These disasters can come in the form of natural disasters, cyber attacks, network and system failures, viruses, human errors, and more. Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) is a key component in keeping a business functioning during an outage with minimal disruption. BDR is essentially a step-by-step plan that outlines procedures and responsibilities in the event of an IT disaster to minimize the impact of the disaster and recover the data necessary for business continuity. Cloud environments are typically very secure, allowing for a business’s sensitive data to remain protected. Additionally, cloud computing is a critical piece of any business continuity plan as it enables automated data backup and recovery on remote machines (versus traditional backup servers) and provides a path for seamless failovers or failbacks in virtualized or cloud environments if and when needed.
Accelerate Digital Transformation
When it comes to the strategic importance of cloud computing in business organizations, an important consideration is how the cloud can boost businesses’ digital transformation strategies. Outdated technology environments can make it difficult for an organization to scale and respond to changing market demands in today’s dynamic business environment. Consumers are becoming more digitally inclined every day, and businesses without strong digital capabilities will fall behind their competitors. Adopting cloud-based infrastructure is necessary to deliver flexible, on-demand access to technologies that promote a company’s ability to improve its service offerings and business operations from a digital perspective. The power of cloud computing also helps organizations’ IT and other areas of the business integrate and work together more seamlessly. The cloud will be able to satisfy technical requirements while other business units can leverage it for growth and business agility. Both sides of the cloud are key to transforming a business for the better.Improve Your Defense Posture
Today’s cybersecurity landscape is constantly maturing and evolving in complexity. This can make it difficult for IT departments to stay on top of potential threats to their business, especially for small-to-midsize organizations, as they may not have the budget to dedicate to properly secure their IT environment.
Fortunately, IT and cybersecurity are areas that remain top of mind for cloud providers. Because they have already made significant investments in their data center’s security technologies and controls and have resources committed to implementing the latest technologies and strategies to combat emerging threats and proactively mitigate risks, businesses can leverage this at a much lower cost. Additionally, cloud providers routinely perform system updates and patch known vulnerabilities, creating a more secure environment for their clients.
As you build out your cloud computing environment, you need to make sure you have the proper security policies and procedures identified and that your cloud framework is properly configured. Having your security practice evaluated by someone dedicated to reducing digital risk is the best thing that an organization can do to reduce cyber risk across the board, including in the cloud.
However, many organizations aren’t at the size or scale to run their own security teams, and even some of the largest Fortune 500 clients outsource portions of their security processes. Cloud service providers that also have a security arm can offer strategic services, such as CISO as a Service, to more specific security functions like running an email security team or performing a cloud security assessment.
Reduce IT-Related Spend
Keeping IT infrastructure up-to-date can be challenging – and quite costly – for organizations, especially those that do not have the budget to continuously invest in new technologies as they become available. This is yet another reason why cloud computing is important.
Compared to on-premises infrastructure costs, cloud computing tends to be a much more cost-effective option. Businesses leveraging cloud services will see cost savings over time as the need to purchase and replace antiquated infrastructure is diminished. The cloud also shifts IT spend from a capital expense to an operating expense, which oftentimes provides more flexibility with an organizations’ IT budgets.
Costs will also fluctuate based on your exact cloud deployment. Deployment models range from public cloud to private cloud to hybrid cloud or a multi-cloud approach. When partnering with a managed cloud service provider, you will want to explore options as to which environment is right for your business. A cloud service provider will also have access to cutting-edge technology platforms at a fraction of the cost, as most cloud providers are operated by an “economies of scale” model, allowing them to extend certain cost advantages to their clients.
Interested in moving your business to the cloud? Check out these resources:
- 7 Cloud Computing Security Issues and Challenges
- The Cloud: Redundant, Resilient, Secure
- How to Overcome the Most Common Cloud Migration Challenges
Make the Most of Your Cloud Solution with Buchanan
As evidenced by this article, the importance of cloud computing is far-reaching within an organization. Buchanan’s cloud experts are cognizant of the fact that every cloud adoption journey may look different, and they have the knowledge and expertise to accommodate a business from concept to delivery or meet them wherever they are in the migration process.
Once a business’s infrastructure is deployed in the cloud, our team will provide ongoing monitoring and management to ensure the environment remains secure and is operating efficiently. Partnering with Buchanan for your managed cloud needs also ensures you get the most out of your Microsoft 365 licenses. Our team will evaluate your user activity through our license optimization report to identify areas where savings can be realized by alternate licensing options, removal of unused licenses, right-sizing of licenses based on usage.
To learn more about Buchanan’s managed cloud services and how they can benefit your organization, visit our website.
