The Benefits of Cloud Data Services for Enterprises
Cloud services let businesses delegate infrastructure management to third party providers so that they can focus on their business applications and use the data to inspire innovation. For instance, a company could switch expensive server centers and IT departments to speedy Internet connections that allow employees to access files and applications online. The provider manages all the hardware, middleware, and software for applications, while users use the service as needed to complete their tasks. This is especially effective for applications that are commonplace, such as email or social media management.
For systems that are large-scale cloud providers also provide infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). IaaS provides the most control over IT resources, PaaS caters to developers and SaaS provides users with the most control. These three models let users pay for their services as they go, thus reducing the cost of maintenance.
Cloud computing is a real benefit to businesses even if some remain skeptical. For example using a cloud-based service such as Dropbox means that you don’t need to be concerned about uploading a file and saving it to your computer because the cloud storage is actually physical hardware in a number of thousands of locations around the world.
Cloud services are also very adaptable and can be utilized in a variety of environments, without locking users to one provider for all their needs. This flexibility has led to the development of multi-cloud, a practice that allows businesses to mix and match cloud capabilities from a variety of providers.