Top Cloud Computing Trends

The idea of cloud computing has been around for over 50 years; however, it is only in the last decade that it has evolved from being something service providers suggested to businesses as a new idea to becoming the technology that supports the majority of modern enterprises.

For many businesses, it is no longer just about whether cloud computing is right for them, but how much of the IT infrastructure should be moved to the cloud. The growth of cloud computing among businesses has been rapid in recent years and is only set to carrying on becoming more and more popular as new technologies and systems are developed and rolled out.

Cloud computing is no longer considered a useful tool for businesses, but an integral part of the infrastructure and a way to accomplish business goals and enable growth.

Cloud Computing Basics

Cloud computing is a term referring to the use of the cloud for IT services such as software, systems and resources. A cloud is an IT environment stored remotely, offering remote and scalable IT resources to both individuals and businesses. Cloud computing stores everything on the internet, providing remote access to files, systems and software from anywhere with an internet connection.

Businesses have been embracing cloud technology in recent years, utilising it as an effective way of managing IT systems that are scalable, reliable and accessible.

The Growing Trend

IT executives and business owners no longer need to be convinced that cloud computing is the next dominant technology on the horizon, in recent years it has become an established and well-known method for infrastructure, software and storage. While many people might think cloud computing has hit its peak popularity over the last few years, it is showing no signs of slowing and 2018 is shaping up to be one of its biggest and best years to date.

The cloud computing market was predicted to grow by 21% in 2018 compared to 2018, and now we are more than halfway through the year it is clear to see this prediction is becoming a reality.

Recent advancements in virtualisation technologies, new data protection policies and increasing options for cloud connectivity are all resulting in cloud computing becoming more and more popular by the day. The fastest growing segment of the cloud computing market is cloud system infrastructure services (Infrastructure as a service / IaaS), which is predicted to increase by nearly 36% by the end of 2018.

As more and more businesses are starting to see the benefits and making the move over to the cloud, this number is only set to continue to rise. It is predicted that by 2020, 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud, with 2018 being the year that most cloud service providers will go on a buying spree to strengthen their platforms security.

The greatest concern amongst IT professionals that results in them adopting a cloud computing strategy is security, which is no surprise with the newly introduced General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that can see businesses charged with hefty fines in the event of a security breach.

Cloud Computing Industries

While cloud computing is growing in popularity across a range of industries for their IT functions; some industries are adopting the technology as an innovative method of helping them succeed in an ever-changing marketplace. The media industry has had a real boom thanks to cloud technology, allowing audiences to access a range of content in a variety of ways including multi-screen entertainment and on-demand viewing.

Compared with the manufacturing industry which uses the cloud for sales support, logistics and product development. Some industries are less keen on the cloud, seeing it as not secure enough for their business models. Industries that rely on a significant amount of sensitive personal data are a bit slower on the cloud bandwagon, such as the banking and insurance industries, who mainly use cloud computing for administrative functions as opposed to storage.

A recent study from the Cloud Industry Forum shows that the overall adoption rate for business cloud services in the UK was 88% in 2017, and 67% of users expected to increase their adoption of cloud services over the next 12 months. There are many positive reasons for adopting a cloud-based solution for your business, including a competitive edge, reduced costs, improved efficiency and scalability.

Jumping on the cloud computing bandwagon can help your business to update its capabilities to fit with requirements and manage resources around changing workloads. With the expectation that cloud computing will only continue to grow in popularity throughout the rest of 2018 and beyond, there is no better time to introduce a cloud system to your business.

If you’re ready to bolster your security and help your drive growth, then talk to our experts at Cyan Solutions who can show you the benefits of cloud computing for your business.

Myth-busting Cloud Technology

Five Top Cloud Technology Myths

Cloud computing has been growing in popularity in recent years. However, there are still some regular misconceptions about the platform and how it works. In simple terms, cloud technology refers to storing and accessing programs and data over the internet as opposed to using a computer’s hard drive.

With an online connection, cloud computing can be done at any time and from anywhere, which is just one of the reasons that it is so popular among businesses and individuals. For something that has become so mainstream in recent years, cloud computing is still not properly understood by many. This article will reveal the truth about cloud technology and most common myths associated with it.

The Cloud Isn’t Secure

Many people seem to believe that using cloud technology is less secure and safe than traditional IT solutions. In actual face, maintaining cybersecurity is all about staying ahead of the attackers, and this is the same whether you are using cloud technology or traditional solutions. The main difference when using cloud technology is that both you and your cloud provider have a shared responsibility for maintaining the security of data stored in the cloud.

As cloud providers are professionals in the field of cloud technology and security, they usually have the investment resources, experience and knowledge to maintain high-end security technology. When it comes to both security and compliance, a cloud provider can generally invest vast amounts of resources that far exceed what an independent business could realistically manage.

The Cloud and The Internet Are The Same

There is often confusion about what the cloud really means, and usually, we interpret saving something to the cloud as saving it to the internet, which is figuratively true, but the two things are not the same. Put simply; the cloud is a network of remote servers that can only be accessed using the internet. The internet is one huge global network of connections, and within it, there are hundreds of thousands of clouds.

Many people make the mistake of thinking there is one single cloud when in actual fact there are thousands of different clouds located on the internet. These various different clouds could be either public or private. A public cloud is a service that can be accessed by anyone from anywhere with their own individual account, such as Dropbox or iCloud. A private cloud is dedicated to one specific company and can only be accessed by those with access to that particular server.

Cloud Migration Is Difficult

Years ago, when the cloud was a relatively new technology, there were plenty of horror stories around from early adopters who moved their business onto cloud technologies. Just a few years ago, cloud technologies were still a relatively new thing, and the power of them was unproven, leaving enterprises to figure them out on their own with little guidance or help. This led to implementation nightmares and gave cloud technology a bad name.

The technologies have come on in leaps and bounds since then, and now implementing cloud technologies could not be easier. The technology has improved significantly in recent years, and there are experienced and knowledgeable professionals out there to assist businesses in implementation and training. If your current servers are outdated, then some cleaning and architecture revisions may be necessary to migrate to the cloud, but with the help of a professional, the migration process can be seamless.

Cloud Technology Is A Fad

Many people still have this common misconception that cloud computing is simply just another fad. Its fast rise in popularity makes some people believe that the cloud is just another marketing buzzword that will be soon forgotten, but this is not the case. Cloud technology has actually been around since the 1960s and has become increasingly popular in recent years as technologies have advanced and improved.

Hundreds of companies across all industries rely on cloud computing for their day-to-day. IT needs, making it far too big and popular to be regarded as a short-lived fad. Cloud computing is expected to continuing growing and advancing over the next few years and is showing no signs of slowing.

Cloud Technology Is Cheap

It is a common belief that cloud technology is a cheaper way to run a business than traditional methods, but this is not always the case. Moving a company’s systems and data to a cloud platform will reduce the need for expensive hardware and in-house servicing costs, but there is also a financial investment involved in migrating everything over.

While the initial cost of moving over to the cloud may be pricey, the ongoing management costs are generally low and make up for it in the long run. Cloud technology also provides a more significant amount of flexibility and scalability once the transition is complete, resulting in a better performing business.

At Cyan Solutions we are experts in working with our customers to smoothly transition them onto the right cloud platform, tailored to their needs. Contact us now to discuss how cloud technology could transform your business.

Things to consider before choosing a cloud platform

Cloud based working has become the norm for many business over the past few years for a number of reasons. The implications for simplicity, enhanced productivity and accessibility are a given. But with such a range of providers and services, deciding on where to invest is no mean feat.

Opting to move your business operations to the cloud can do wonders for an organisation. It can help significantly reduce costs, remove the need for in-house IT experts and substantial hardware, and improve security. It can also dramatically enhance workflow due to better accessibility and collaboration between teams..

There is also the added benefit that it actually compliments remote working. In an era when geographical flexibility is become more and more feasible (and attractive), technology that facilitates it is a must. Cloud-based technology empowers remote workers. Cloud platforms allow for remote accessibility of key information and helps enable collaboration.

Why use a Cloud platform?

What makes cloud platforms so attractive for medium sized businesses is that they work to enable growth within an organisation by eliminating the need to focus on time consuming and potentially stressful concerns such as security, maintenance and backup. Cloud computing means that professionals can rest easy and concentrate on what matters, knowing that  IT support is ready and on hand when it is needed.

If you’re in the market for a cloud platform, there are a few things you should consider before investing:

Which cloud services are you likely to require in the long term?

Understanding which types of cloud services that they provide will obviously be important. But you shouldn’t just look at these services from the point of view of what you need right now. Consider what services you are likely to need further down the line when growth permits. You may be able to find a provider who offers these services as add-ons. For example, basic data storage is great but is there a chance you may require cloud computing services such as virtual networking infrastructure in the future?

How easy is setup for your needs and what level of customer service can be expected?

An easy setup process should be desirable for any cloud service. The ability to easily configure your account for your organisation is essential. Customer support should be first rate as you will be trusting a substantial amount of your data with the platform. Be sure to understand and acknowledge the level of technical support alongside the average response time for customer service.

Do they have a poor history of downtime?

Cloud outages are not only disruptive but they can also be very expensive. Cloud providers that repeatedly experience periods of inaccessibility should be avoided, so be sure you know the downtime history of each cloud provider you consider.

How is security monitored and measured?

Clearly security should be top priority for you, as it should also be for the cloud provider. Be sure you know where the data centre is and how safe and protected it is. Take time to read and understand the supplier’s security standards for customer access and privacy.

How do the company address potential data losses?

This is a worst case scenario, but you need to know how the issue of data losses will be rectified. What systems/agreements do they have in place that mitigate the risks of data loss and how would they compensate for data losses? Ensure you ask questions about what provisions are in place to mitigate against potential data loss as this has major implications for the ability of your business to continue trading should such a loss be incurred.

Cloud computing terms – what do they even mean?

Cloud computing has become the mantra in businesses worldwide. It has revolutionised data storage and access. It has also improved the ability of organisations to work remotely, network and collaborate. However, many organisations don’t know some of the terms. If you want to brush up on cloud computing jargon read on!

Cloud computing is here to stay so it’s time to get to grips with a few buzzwords. Whilst lots of us can use it, we might not know the professional terms or what they mean. So to talk the talk about the cloud here’s a guide!

Storage-as-a-service

This is probably the most used aspect of the cloud – storing data and files remotely. It’s the foundation of what cloud computing can do for us to make remote working commonplace. Storage as a service gives a flexible way to increase storage and scale your business upwards when you need to. It’s also offers foolproof backup and recovery should disaster happen so you can have a full mirror image of your files restored. Great for businesses of all sizes as it takes care of your core working and lets staff collaborate remotely and easily.

Database-as-a-service

With Database-as-a-service you can tap and use a remotely hosted database even if you neither own nor host it. DbaaS saves on hardware, installation time and software configuration as well as maintenance costs. The database will function as though it is locally stored, allowing you to do everything from setting up tables, adding, extracting and deleting data. It has higher performance than a locally stored database and is easy to scale, removing worries about backups and recovery.

Application-as-a-service/Software-as-a-service

Commonly known as SaaS, Application-as-a-service is an application which is delivered via the internet direct to end users, primarily through a browser. These are often the most common cloud-computing services used by enterprise today, and include services such as Google Docs and Salesforce CRM.

Platform-as-a-service

Platform-as-a-service or PaaS is a category of cloud computing services that provides a full-service platform for users to develop, run and manage applications. The advantage of PaaS is that users can develop and test apps remotely without having to build and maintain the infrastructure associated with app and software development. It’s a virtual go-to shop for users who build and deploy apps and is great for remote collaboration.

Security-as-a-service

Security-as-a-service (SECaaS) refers to systems that enable delivery of core security services via the internet. This can be anything from business continuity disaster recovery right through to email security, encryption, identity and access management and data loss prevention. As a service, it has the potential to prevent a lot of headaches and downtime for business and will cut costs of a multitude of other security solutions.

Testing-as-a-service

Testing-as-a-service (TaaS) gives users the power to test local or cloud-delivered systems using remotely hosted software and services. It allows for applications to be tested without having to purchase test servers or testing software. A great way to cut costs and solve your testing problems efficiently. There are also a range of testing services under this umbrella including mobile testing as a service, and security testing as a service to name a couple.

Infrastructure-as-a-service

Infrastructure-as-a-service model means that a third party hosts all your infrastructure for your organisation. This means that hardware, software, servers, storage and other infrastructure constituents are hosted on behalf of the organisation. Using the IaaS model enables  businesses to be more scalable as demands grow or reduce. There is a big advantage in terms of saving on time for maintenance, backup, security monitoring, and reduced capital costs.