Cloud computing has fundamentally altered the IT consumer landscape and has transformed the storage solutions available to end users. Driven by dramatic leaps in mobile technology and the BYOD (bring your own device) culture, cloud computing has become an essential part of support network which users need to tap into while on the move. Currently estimated as having 10 billion users and set to rise to 60 billion by 2020, the cloud is here to stay and the revolution is only just beginning.
With the demand of end users increasing in terms of how they interact with cloud technologies, businesses have a plethora of solutions available to them, whether you opt for a private cloud or sourcing-specific infrastructure. Despite the complexity that cloud computing brings to organizations, the vast majority of users and technical support managers would say that its virtues outweigh its negatives. According to a recent survey by Cisco and Intel, in 2013, 83 per cent of its managers and users believe the cloud will impact positively on IT planning.
The major trends on its services include managing email services using cloud computing to ensure flexible accessibility, plus reliability and ease management. If you’re looking for a secure cloud solution for your organization’s growing business needs, look no further than Mimecast. If you need a cloud solution to handle your email needs and streamline your global business needs, then Mimecast is a go-to solution which you should put first on your list.
Security and risk management are one the key issues for cloud technology development. However we look at it, cloud computing is here to stay and the cloud will be the backbone of the next revolution for the Internet Of Everything, having a powerful impact on how businesses plan, procure, deploy and operate. Currently private cloud usership sits at 45 per cent and is growing, while public cloud networking is set to rise from 23 to 27 per cent.
In particular, new emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico and India are investing heavily in cloud technologies because they are realizing the value of it to lower costs and increase productivity and reliability and evolve their security options in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
One of the major selling points of the cloud is its pure convenience and versatility to allow users to work on a platform from any device, from any place without having to worry if they’ve got access to their documents from all their drives. However, the most pressing issue is indeed security and how to ensure that users have a robust and secure solution which is able to handle interoperability across internal and external providers systems.
The important thing to remember is to choose a cloud solution to suit your own specific organization’s needs. With the right solution, organizations can decrease the complexity of their computer systems, providing greater flexibility and predictability. It would seem that Lines of Business (LOBs) are driving the IT planning and implementation of online cloud storage. It is increasingly evident that it will be lines of business that will finance and procure new cloud solutions for the whole organization driving forward the uptake of both private and public cloud solutions and circumventing IT departments. However, LOBs must understand the importance of strategic management and experience as well as consistent policy. Many IT managers do not envisage a diminished role and feel it may even be desirable for LOB to procure cloud systems which can address their dynamic needs.
Ultimately, there will need to be a shared accountability for achieving business outcomes. Greater collaboration will have to take place between lines of business managers and IT Managers and greater understanding of key business goals and objectives will need to be laid out. New funding mechanisms will need to be created to service the needs of business in terms of risk planning and governance.
It is true that cloud will unlock the opportunity for employee-led innovation and drive growth through enabling innovation and opportunities for business transformation in IT. Moreover, it will become increasingly important as close partnerships are developed and maintained between IT and LOB’s in order to enhance organizational skills to support cloud-service delivery. All that remains is for organizations to embrace cloud technology and ensure that they use it to create further business opportunities and adapt to changing technological platforms.