Today, over 9 out of 10 organizations use cloud-based applications, and more than 45% of those use the cloud for more than half of their business operations. But shared computing hasn’t always been so easy. From the “dumb” terminals of mainframe era, to virtualized private networks (VPN), storing and accessing shared data was often cumbersome and inconvenient.
In 2006, the first cloud-based solutions appeared in the form of Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google docs. Today, both these service remain popular among business enterprises. More than a third (36%) of tech and business experts use AWS, making it the single most popular public cloud service.
Public Cloud Tech
Public cloud providers are responsible for all the hardware, software, and infrastructure needed to maintain the cloud. They also provide the firewall and security measure to protect your data. This gives business, and user, a low cost solution that requires no maintenance and is highly reliable.Public clouds can be structured as software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), or platform as a service (PaaS). SaaS providers, like Google Cloud, are the most common, with two-thirds of global revenue from public clouds coming from this type of service. Using a SaaS cloud frees up space from storing and running apps on individual computers, and keeps shared filed consistent for all users.
IaaS providers host all of the hardware for servers and data storage, freeing up an organization's physical space and lowering maintenance costs. IaaS solutions only provide the infrastructure, the business itself is responsible to software and applications that will be used on the network.
While PaaS is the least popular option, it offers a compromise between IaaS and SaaS. PaaS providers give you the infrastructure for your network and data storage, along with the operating system to run application. Business can use the development tools provided by their PaaS service to create their own application.
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Problems with Cloud Computing
Nearly one-third of business and technology experts use public cloud services, but these services are far from perfect. One of the biggest concerns for cloud users is security, which can be improved by creating a private cloud to store data more securely. Or, choose a hybrid system, where data can be moved between a secure, private cloud and a more easily accessed public cloud. Nearly half of experts choose a hybrid service.On average, organizations face more than 23 cloud-based security threats per month, despite the majority having policy to prevent riskier uses of cloud technology. Overall, only 8% of cloud services meet the security and privacy expectations of business enterprises, and only 5.4% of service are approved for use. At the same time, nearly one-third of cloud services have been banned by businesses for failing to maintain basic security measures.
Security isn’t the only problem with cloud technology, concerns about the limited control users can exert, dependence on cloud providers, and worries about loss of access during internet service outages makes many businesses hesitate to adopt the service. But new technology is beginning to solve these problems.
A Better Cloud
Network as a service (NaaS) providers offer flexible, cloud-based tech replacing your old hardware with less expensive, more secure equipment. Software defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) connects office networks to data storage facilities, even over large distance. Replacing your private cloud infrastructure with SD-WAN can improve performance and efficiency, and lower costs.Cloud-based services can lower your operating costs, replace outdated tech, and improve your business’s continuity. Learning cloud-savvy business can increase your revenue and give you an advantage over competitors.
Learn more about the journey to the cloud in this infographic:
