Improving Daily Productivity with the Cloud

Cloud computing in recent times have grown from festivities to staple daily standards. Where now a plethora of services on the Internet readily offer application services that aid us with day-to-day tasks. To most laymen all the surrounding talk about the Cloud seems to be another tech jargon that somehow seemed to have crept itself into everyone's lives. 

What is the Cloud? 

The cloud is virtualization of programs or applications that run on connected servers rather than a traditional computer allowing programs with greater requirements to utilize many connected computers at the same time distributing resources to allow it to run, while appearing to the user as a single program or application. It provides the end user and operator benefits including on-demand self-service, broad access across multiple devices, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and service metering capabilities. A simple example that everyone can relate to is how we use electricity in our homes, when we need more we can use more, and in the event that we do not need so much electricity we don't have to use it. Similar to the Cloud we can use more resources if required compared to the traditional computer which is only limited to the resources housed in the physical device that you are currently using.

How does it add value and not more unnecessary load to our already complex technology environment?

Having a physical device is already complex on its own as there are many requirements to maintain it to function to its best. Virtualization should generally add a layer of complexity on top of existing computing requirements, however cloud computing services are built so that users find it easy to use and the transition from a traditional computing approach. The Cloud promises to give significantly greater improvements to accessibility, computing power requirements, allows greater scalability beyond that of a local computer and that in itself is already proving to be a highly attractive offer to companies seeking greater growth.

Early localized virtualization was made popular with Oracle's VirtualBox. Where computers could be put within existing computers allowing the operator with unique additions to what seemed to be a fixed physical program or application running on a computer.

According to International Telecommunications Union, 2013 Worldwide Internet users are estimated to be at 39% of the world population (2.679 billion users).

Has the Cloud environment changed productivity on the Internet for the better? 

A study in 2010 by Mimecast discovered that 7/10 companies using cloud services are willing to and will move new applications to the cloud. Many would have done so by 2011. Small companies should consider moving to the cloud as they are able to access advanced IT solutions on pay-per-use basis, offering the opportunity for faster work, much greater accuracy, and more productivity. It allows programs and applications to be accessed online without the need for outright purchase, powered by the cloud vendor's own data center infrastructure giving you the required 'power' to do the work that you need. Ease the burden on your workforce as solutions are designed to ensure that leaders and employees are always able to carry on with their work, wherever they are. It could be in the hotel, airport, daily commute to work. This ensures businesses can get more done with the same resources, but without increasing pressures on their people.

More businesses are tapping into the cloud as popularity for it continues to grow. The 2013 Future of Cloud Computing Survey questioned 855 IT decision makers, cloud vendors, and business users, found that 75% of survey respondents are using the cloud in some way. A growth from the previous year where only 67% said that they were using the cloud.

A Microsoft survey has shown that many fears may be unfounded, especially conceding security and network reliability. 94% of businesses reported that they saw an improvement in security after switching to the cloud, and 75% said that network availability improved. 91% of respondents also said that their cloud providers made it easier to meet government compliance requirements.

Is security a top concern?

54% for migrating applications to the cloud, according to a very recent LinkedIn survey out of 7052 participants. GoGrid conducted a similar survey and also concluded Security as a top concern for migrating. However, 57% disagree in a 2010 survey by Mimecast agreed that cloud computing actually improved their security.

"There is no doubt that cloud providers provide flexible, high-quality services for often times less cost, and businesses who refuse to take advantage of this will fall further and further behind the competition. "

How you can jump in on the bandwagon.

Most cloud based services offered on the Internet give users a lot of freedom to try before requiring you to commit. Among the services on the Internet that can be used for initially for free that is powered by Cloud technology are:

Dropbox

Gmail

Flickr

Microsoft 365

EVERWORKS Cloud Infrastructure Hosting as a service.

Interested to do more with the cloud? Build with little worry as EVERWORKS provides Infrastructure Hosting for the cloud as a service. We take away all problems related to setting up an environment for a cloud. All that is required of you is to build your application or program and plug-it into a ready made EVERWORKS Cloud environment for you to enjoy the advantages of the cloud.

Find out more on what you can do with the EVERWORKS Cloud Infrastructure by contacting our team at cvs@everworks.com 

Has the Cloud improved your productivity and added value to your every day life? What are some of your experiences with the Cloud?

Cloud designed by Adam Whitcroft from the Noun Project

Posted in: cloud, Cloud Computing, Internet, Tips