Cloud in Here to Reshape IT and Fuel Innovation!

We are living in an era, in which conventional thinking is changing every passing day, and cloud computing is a major contributor in this change. Enterprises are endowing their best inputs to employ cloud and digital services to enter new markets and redefine existing ones. No matter whether it’s a startup or a large corporation – cloud is in the wish-list of every entrepreneur seeking to achieve new levels of customer engagement and agility. Balancing the constraints of the market, including the regulatory environment, the demands and the budget of the organization, was not that easy before the inception of the hot listed cloud technology. Today, cloud has become a critical asset for a market leadership strategy.

In essence, the prime motivation behind cloud-based services is to shed costs and intricacies, associated with dynamic IT ecosystem. Cost formulas work as the primary step into cloud; however, if you are considering cloud only for cost-reduction strategy, you are missing the bigger picture.  So far, it is observed that small and mid-sized players stand to reap much from the promise of cloud computing.

SMB cloud computing service market in U.S. is expected to grow from $43B in 2015 to $55B in 2016.

Three cloud applications that small and mid-sized players are planning to adopt in approaching few months are E-mail/collaboration software, Web/e-commerce, office tools & productivity. 

Source: Cloud Computing in Small Business, New Jersey Institute of Technology (Infographic)

Let us take a glance at some of the key traits of cloud that explicitly connotes why SMBs leverage enterprise class cloud solutions:

Dynamically Scalable: One of the key features that differentiate cloud computing from all other sorts of computing technologies is that it is formed with the aggregation of multiple networked servers that can be scaled up/down as and whenever required. The elastic cloud computing provisioning model enables organizations to extend their capabilities without being a victim of resource crisis.

As a service Approach: The abstraction of underlying technologies and various operations from the end-user make cloud a viable alternative for many, as it provides quick access to resources as services, instead of products. This service-based model to computing resources allows SMBs to pay for the provisioned services on a pay-per-use basis. Notably, this model is applicable to infrastructure, software, and platform.

Eliminate IT Complexities: Besides offering access to suite of IT resources to SMBs, it allows companies to focus on core contingencies by eliminating all the worrisome tasks, associated with installation, management, and running of infrastructure from their key responsibility area.

Uninterrupted Technical Support:  Most of the cloud service providers employ a team of technical experts who remains available round the clock to assist customers at the time of technical emergencies. Right from the software patches to software integration, antivirus updation, and workload management is taken care by experts at service providers’ end, allowing SMBs to focus on other important projects that can add value proposition to their business.

Service Levels: Cloud hosting providers offer service levels with respect to network uptime and technical support, ensuring maximum reliability and performance. Keeping up with the expectations of end-users without exceeding their IT budget is always a concern for SMBs. Herein, cloud emerges as a robust alternative that not only keeps up with business standards but also fosters growth.

Flexible Resource Allocation: After cost, the flexibility of cloud is the reason for motivation for many small and medium scale businesses, as it allows them to perform resource planning and dynamic resource allocation in cloud onsite locations.

Cost Reduction: Cloud is foiled with plethora of benefits. It allows businesses to reduce both operational and capital investments. Choosing cloud technology for critical processes allows SMBs to save on hardware/software deployment, configuration, and maintenance.

By leveraging public cloud computing, SMBs can gain access to reliable and elastic IT capabilities, such as computing, bandwidth, and storage capacity. In addition, cloud enables them to access configurable platforms for integration between business and vendors.

SMBs: Key Motivation Factors 

The Bottom Line: Cloud computing is undeniably going to refresh the conventional business doing methodologies, providing immense opportunities to each sector with its unmatched capabilities. The technology will leverage SMBs, largely, by ensuring operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product leadership. To put it simply, SMBs deploying cloud and digital services will become more responsive and efficient to sharpen and accelerate their business processes.