Moving to the Cloud: Business Advantages and Challenges

Cloud computing can be far more efficient at meeting your computing and storage needs than traditional computing. You can obtain far more computing power and storage at a fraction of the price of traditional computing solutions. The cloud allows your organization, regardless of size, access to many of the same tools available to enterprise-class organizations. While the cloud is nothing new — it’s been around since at least the 1960s — it’s widespread use is changing the lives of consumers and businesses alike.

The cloud, in a sense, is mass transportation for data. Rather than everyone taking their metaphorical car to work, the cloud is streetcars. You and other organizations can share space securely, dividing up the costs for your services, allowing for a higher level of purchase power.

From the perspective of business, there are five main reasons the cloud is attractive:

• The Cloud Is Cost Effective: You only pay for the storage you actually use — no more, no less. Compare this to traditional storage, where you must purchase, as a capital expenditure, storage you might not use for months, if ever.
• The Cloud Is Energy Efficient: Cloud services are up to 70 percent more efficient than traditional storage solutions.
• The Cloud Is Secure: Because cloud services are provided by specialists, they are able to provide a higher level of security than in-house technicians can. They are also able to respond more quickly and flexibly to emerging threats.
• The Cloud Is Redundant: It’s rare for your data to be kept all in one place in the cloud. Rather it is stored in a number of places, both digitally and physically, meaning the chances of losing all your data are very slim.
• The Cloud Is Scalable: Cloud storage is very flexible in terms of scalability. During peak periods, you can use more of the cloud without capital investments in expensive on-site servers. While the cloud offers many quick and easy wins, it also comes with challenges and pain points when deployed.
• Unstable and Opaque Costs: Costs fluctuate and can in some cases fluctuate widely, making it difficult to predict costs. What’s more, many cloud service bills are very opaquely written, making it difficult to know how to adjust your usage to save money.
• Cloud Creep: The ease of scaling with the cloud isn’t without its downside. Some companies continually move more and more of their computing power and storage into the cloud, whether they need them or not. This leads to spiralling costs and perhaps even decreased efficiency.
• Lack of Understanding: It can be difficult for companies to understand their services, especially for organizations outside the world of IT. You might end up paying for services you don’t really need, or, alternately, not purchasing services because you’re not sure why you need them.

The mistake many organizations fall into is having one-size-fits-all solutions not designed for their specific needs, as well as working with larger organizations with less concern for their individual needs. We at BCM One design cloud solutions specifically for your organization, helping you to get everything you need and nothing more, while also providing transparent communication with regard to your cloud services.

Download our white paper about the promise and challenges of cloud computing. It also provides tips for how your organization can optimize your cloud services for increased efficiency at decreased costs.