The Ultimate Enterprise Cloud Computing Guide For Dallas Corporations
Key Points From the Article:
- Cloud computing is redefining how enterprises operate — boosting productivity and improving IT security.
- With cloud computing, enterprises can leverage computing power over the internet instead of depending on local data centers.
- The technology offers different solutions to corporations ranging from system backup, file storage, and processing power to software development and hosting, communication and collaboration, and big data analytics.
- Regardless of your enterprise size or industry, you can leverage one or several types of cloud computing architecture to help your business stay competitive.
Cloud computing is driving the corporate world — offering tech solutions that quickly replace the need to operate a physical data center. Corporations can now migrate their data to the web-connected servers and move their software to the cloud so that users can access and use their resources over the internet.
Enterprises no longer have to host and manage their own server. You can move to the cloud, make your system accessible anywhere over the internet, and stay ahead of your competition.
However, let's start from the beginning.
What's Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet instead of local computers or data centers. Unlike the popular belief that cloud computing is all about backup and storage, the technology offers more solutions to corporations, including:
- Networking
- Databases
- Big data analytics
- Processing power
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Communication and collaboration solutions
- Software hosting and development platform
How Corporations Use Cloud Computing
Nearly all enterprises leverage some form of cloud technology to address their needs or have a competitive edge. However, how a business embraces cloud technology depends on what they want to achieve.
Some cloud solutions that corporations leverage include:
1. Cloud Storage Solutions
The most basic way the corporate world uses cloud computing is by leveraging cloud storage. With cloud storage, an enterprise can store, access, and retrieve data from anywhere and from any device over the internet. All a user needs is to sign into their company's account to access data stored in the cloud.
Cloud data storage is superior to on-site storage in many ways, including:
- Easy scalability because your business only pays for storage it's currently need
- Improved data access
- Ability to move data that an enterprise doesn't frequently access to lower-cost tier cloud storage
2. Software Development and Testing Platform
Cloud computing allows enterprises can create virtual environments for testing and developing software. You can build stress-test software, where your developers can measure performance, load, and traffic without building your software infrastructure from scratch.
3. Communication and Collaboration
One of the most powerful solutions an enterprise can leverage on the cloud is the improved business communication and collaborations capabilities
Your business can leverage cloud-based communication tools such as Microsoft Teams, which allows co-worker collaboration and workplace communication without a physical meeting.
Co-workers can share files, work simultaneously on a document, and hold audio and video meetings — all on one platform. More importantly, your can integrate your enterprise telephony to reduce the cost of calling your business.
4. Backup and Disaster Recovery
The cloud offers corporations an excellent platform to back up their system and data. In case a disaster strikes in, a business can quickly bounce back to its operation in real-time.
Cloud backups will protect your corporation against the damaging consequences of:
- Outage
- Unforeseen events
- Cyber attacks
Your enterprise can recover data you've lost or destroyed without compromising the data integrity.
5. Big Data Analytics
Corporations handle huge amounts of data every day. Some enterprises don't know what to do with the big data they deal with and fail to utilize such data to streamline their business operations and goals.
Cloud allows organizations to leverage big data analytics to their advantage. Your enterprise can collect and analyze cloud data without spending a lot. You can then extract insights and spot trends that can help your business make the right decisions that drive your company toward growth.
The 4 Main Types of Cloud Computing
Choosing a cloud type for your corporation is a unique decision because different options address different needs. What differentiates one type of cloud computing from the other is how the platform is deployed.
Your enterprise can go for any of the four types of cloud computing, depending on your business needs.
Public Cloud
A public cloud is a server available for the general public. When you go for a public cloud, your enterprise will store data on third-party servers.
The public cloud vendor owns the server and maintains its infrastructure — you won't have to worry about buying and maintaining the server. Popular examples of public clouds include:
- Amazon Web Server (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure
- Google App Engine
- IBM cloud
While the public cloud is the cheapest, it might not be appealing to corporations with privacy concerns.
Private Cloud
A private cloud is a server that is dedicated to one company. The architecture might be similar to a public cloud, but the server is only available for one enterprise.
The server might be onsight or off-site. When you adopt a private cloud, you'll buy and maintain the server yourself. While they're the most expensive, they're an excellent option for enterprises concerned about data privacy.
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud combines two or more cloud infrastructures. When an enterprise adopts a hybrid cloud, they connect the different cloud infrastructures over the internet using a VPN (a virtual private network) or a dedicated channel.
A hybrid cloud is excellent for corporations that expect to scale up when they need to run more software.
Community Cloud
A community cloud is an infrastructure that several different organizations share. The platform includes enterprises that share similar concerns, such as:
- Security requirements
- Mission
- Compliance
- Policies
The organizations sharing the community cloud can manage the server or hire a third party to execute maintenance. Organizations choose to go for community cloud to distribute cost or ease scalability.
DataEcon Will Assess Your Business Cloud Computing Needs and Help You Make The Best of It
If your enterprise is planning to adopt the cloud, you first need to address some key concerns. You'll need to execute an excellent cloud strategy, ensure your migration stay on time and budget, and help your business meet its expectation.
DataEcon can offer you professional guidance to help your enterprise adopt cloud computing correctly. We'll audit your Dallas enterprise, execute cloud analysis, and discuss the cloud frameworks appropriate for you. Contact us today to design a cloud strategy for your business that minimizes risks and maximizes success.