Cloud computing is quite a useful technology. It has transformed countless processes and procedures. It has made the world a smaller place, connecting people and organizations globally, helping everyone access anything from anywhere, anytime. But what is cloud computing really?
What is cloud computing?
According to the world’s number one cloud computing platform Amazon Web Services, cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. So, instead of buying, owning, and maintaining physical servers and data centers, one can access technology services like computing power, storage, and databases, on a as-needed basis from a cloud provider.
According to the world’s second-most popular cloud platform, Microsoft Azure, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence over the internet to offer faster innovation flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of services over the internet, helping organization pay-as-they-go, and not invest in establishing physical data infrastructure. It helps the organization access the services from anywhere at any time.
The top models of cloud deployment are:
- Public cloud
- Private cloud
- Hybrid cloud
The top service models in cloud computing are:
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
- Serverless computing
The top players in the cloud computing platform space are:
- Amazon Web Services
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud Platform
- Alibaba Cloud
- IBM
- Oracle
- HPE
How is cloud computing useful for startups?
Startups are risky business, and their budgets are usually smaller. Of all the startups that are born every year, experts say that only 5% survive and go on to get significant funding, inching their way towards major success. Moreover, they often don’t have a fixed location and could have their teams spread out across geographies. Startups usually have limited resources – both financial and human. Startups would benefit from a solution that is budget-friendly, good value for money, is not bound by locations, is secure, and scalable. Cloud computing is exactly that.
Some of the most important benefits of cloud computing for startups are:
- Easy to use: Cloud computing doesn’t need any specific infrastructure or any special resources. Even if your startup has nothing to do with technology, cloud computing can be very easy to use for everyone.
- Budget-friendly: If there’s something that’s always tight for startups, that’s budgets. Startups need to spend every penny very wisely after thinking a lot. Cloud computing comes out as a very wise decision to make for them. With cloud computing, you only pay for the resources and services you have used. Even a small budget can go a long way in supporting the startup when it comes to cloud computing.
- Security: Privacy and security of the data is a top priority for organizations everywhere, and startups have to be extra careful with it. Startups are still in a very nascent stage of winning the confidence of their customers, and their ideas need to be guarded extra-carefully. At such a time, the slightest breach can destroy everything for the company. Cloud computing brings this major advantage for startups by offering great security features for the data stored on the cloud.
- Speed: The world is moving towards 5G and nobody wants anything to be slow anymore. Patience is going down, and the demand for quicker services is soaring. For startups to keep up with this fast-moving pace of demand, cloud computing is the perfect answer. Cloud computing helps startups access their data and applications quickly, making their work quicker and easier. A few mouse clicks and their job is done!
- Flexibility: If there’s one thing startups badly need from the infrastructure and solutions they deploy, it is flexibility. Startups work hard to make predictions and forecasts, but it is the nature of the business that often tends to throw these predictions on their head. But with cloud computing’s flexibility, startups don’t need to block their time and resources by rationing in advance for the future. With cloud computing, you pay-as-you-go, and you have the flexibility to use the services in accordance with your demand and business.
- Scalability: Startups have specific goals and targets to meet, if they want to break even and survive in this extremely competitive world. They also need to scale up to be able to secure funding and continue to maintain positive prospects as a successful investment for the funding companies and venture capitalists. This requires their business to be scalable. And they would also require solutions that would grow as their grow, keeping pace with their scale. For this, cloud computing is the perfect fit for every startup. Cloud platform solutions are highly scalable, and can accommodate all the needs of the business as it grows. Thanks to the pay-as-you-go model, startups can select their preferred cloud models – SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, etc. and then expand their service requirements on the cloud according the pace of the growth of their business. This wouldn’t be possible with in-house physical servers and data centers, and would call for humongous investments to manage and upgrade each time.
- No geographical boundaries: One of the biggest advantages offered by cloud computing is that it is not defined or confined by any geographical borders. So far as you have an internet connection, and have the required access credentials, you will be able to access your cloud from anywhere, anytime. You can have your teams spread all across the world, working from anywhere – their homes, their garages or even the top of Mount Everest, so far as they have an internet connection and the accesses, they will be able to use the cloud from any device, in any part of the world. Nothing can stop you succeed!
- Transparent cost planning: Cloud platforms have very transparent tariffs, and depending on the cloud services model you have chosen, you will have a very clear idea of the expenses you will be incurring for that period of time for your cloud services. As you grow, you can upgrade your usage plans, and plan your budget accordingly. You will only be charged for the services and resources you have used, so you have full control over how much you wish to spend on the cloud.
As it is very clear by now, cloud computing is the most efficient and effective choice for startups everywhere. You could have just come up with your business plan and elevator pitch, or you could be just finding your feet in the market, or you might be a unicorn startup, cloud computing will be immensely useful for you in all your operations, and will also keep your investors happy with easy access to all the information they need. You could even maintain real-time reporting with the cloud. Cloud computing will be your loyal companion throughout your journey.
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