What You Need to Know About the Cloud

Cloud hosting empowers your organization with the accessibility and security it needs to do business anytime, anywhere. More than 90% of companies perform their computing in the cloud, and it stands to reason. There is a multitude of benefits to cloud-based hosting for small and medium-sized businesses, from reduced costs and infrastructure to accessibility, scalability, and more, across core areas of business operations.  

The primary reason for moving to the cloud is the ability to securely access data anywhere, anytime, from any device. This capability directly enables productive work-from-home and remote work environments, especially in light of mandated COVID-19 business closures and self-quarantines. 

• 80% of employees want to work from home. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys across the country showed this was the case, even if the arrangement would only be a few days a week. Additionally, 33% of survey respondents reported that they would consider a pay cut to work remotely from home.
• 25-30% of employees will choose to remain working from home.  This is the initial estimate of the number of people who will continue working from home multiple days a week after quarantine measures are lifted.

“Typical employers will save at least $11,000/year for every employee who works remotely half of the time.” – KATE LISTER, PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL WORKPLACE ANALYTICS

There are three types of cloud platforms that businesses need to consider: 

• Public – For services provided via the Internet, such as search engine inquires, online shopping, and more
• Private – A secure and segmented part of the cloud only used and accessible by a single company
• Hybrid – A combination of cloud platforms for businesses, incorporating public, for access to services, and private, for internal processing

Primary concerns regarding the cloud are privacy and security, but the cloud is more secure than traditional data infrastructure. Privacy and security are the main concerns regarding any form of data processing and computing. But according to the global research and advisory firm Gartner, public clouds will have “60% fewer security incidents than traditional data centers” in the coming year. Gartner also estimates that 95% of security issues will result from incidents such as employees clicking on compromised links or downloading virus-ridden files–security concerns that can also be mitigated by your managed IT services provider. 

Cloud vendors offer three types of services:

• Software as a Service (SaaS) – Apps accessed and used over the Internet, such as Microsoft Office 365, Google’s Gmail, Apple’s iTunes, and Amazon, to name a few examples. 89% of companies use SaaS and accounts for the primary use of cloud computing.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) – This is where the developers of apps can create and test their work before launching it openly via the web or app store.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – This is where virtualization happens with the servers, networks, and all the necessary behind-the-scenes technology. This infrastructure grows as the demand grows, and apps move to the cloud. IaaS is where computing expertise in managing the cloud is critical.

Professional services, combined with discrete manufacturing and banking, account for more than 33% of global spending on cloud computing. The professional services industry was initially estimated to spend at least $20 billion on cloud services by 2020.  Globally, the market for cloud computing was expected to grow to a staggering $623.3 billion by 2023. Industry experts have yet to establish a new estimate since the pandemic hit. 

Moving to the cloud is an integral part of remaining competitive, productive, and moving your business forward. 

At MidnightBlue, we believe that small and medium-sized businesses deserve the same solutions and benefits as large enterprise organizations–regardless of budget. With BlueSky, companies can securely host operations and data on our cloud-based platform, reduce physical infrastructure and costs, and scale for changes and growth. BlueSky gives businesses the affordability, security, and flexibility to enhance work environments and deliver on customer expectations. Contact us today to learn more about integrating cloud solutions into your business.