Following up last month’s Top 10 Benefits of Cloud Computing, we thought we would reveal a number of additional benefits and opportunities that can be achieved from cloud computing,which are rarely discussed or promoted.
“The cloud is not just a cheaper way to maintain the status quo, but also a way to fundamentally transform the way a business is run and how people can get work done together.”
Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google
1. IT Freedom & Best Practice Adoption
Cloud computing provides businesses with the flexibility to adapt to new advances in technology or to easily change the approach to best business practice. With the restriction of CAPEX hardware removed, businesses can quickly adopt and benefit from new groundbreaking technology or apply a business process that is being achieved successfully by another organisation. Cloud computing also enables IT departments the freedom to explore and look at new technologies and solutions to help drive the business forward rather than having to perform routine maintenance and basic tasks that do not provide ROI.
2. Flexibility for Innovation
Innovative IT projects and bringing new products to market are essential for companies to achieve a competitive edge. However, this usually requires heavy investment and time. Cloud computing can help speed up this process by providing the necessary on-demand resources within hours rather than days, as well as reducing the investment required to launch the project. Organisations only need to rent the resources required at an agreed amount that fits the budget and timescale. This can help generate results much quicker thus helping organisations make better, quicker decisions and plan for future development and releases.
3. Mergers, Acquisitions & Expansion
When new acquisitions are made or mergers occur, streamlining all the associated business systems and transferring all the data can become an extremely time-consuming and expensive task. Organisations ideally need a central system up and running immediately to make the transition smooth and profitable, and cloud computing can deliver this. Cloud computing also enables organisations to quickly open new offices to exploit business opportunities. Employees in new offices simply need an internet connection and they can connect to and use the consistent centralised systems for the business.
4. Green IT
Using cloud services can help make your organisation greener in a number of ways. By adopting a cloud strategy this immediately reduces energy consumption and demand for power usually required to run and keep IT hardware and servers cool, making your organisation much more energy efficient. Additionally, due to demand and legislation, cloud service providers are constantly looking at reducing the carbon footprints of their data centres and investing in new technologies. In theory, therefore, by utilising their shared services, this can be passed onto your own carbon offset
5. Cloud Computing Will Set You Up For 2014
Many businesses now require collaboration between application suites for business streamlining and also need to be customer-centred and internally efficient. This has led to the migration towards more modern, flexible and front-facing cloud ERP solutions. Mobile platforms and enterprise mobility are also expected to take centre stage this year, with business processes being conducted on smartphone and tablet devices rather than on personal computers. These solutions demand a cloud-based infrastructure to operate efficiently and will prepare any organisation for the challenges and demands placed on them during 2014.