Cloud involves the sharing of computer assets accessed over a network. Cloud can offer significant savings for businesses and the sharing of assets does not have to operate outside of the company firewall.
There are 3 types of Cloud:
Private – where you build it and control it
Public – where you consume this as a service
Hybrid – is a mix of the two
Cloud has changed the way IT is built, run, consumed and governed. The development of Cloud is akin to the benefit of automation and how this has improved the car manufacturing industry. Businesses no longer require expensive and inflexible customisation of their IT systems. Cloud changes the business process to fit how the software works.
Effective implementation of Cloud services will enable your business to make significant savings on IT. However it is important to develop a clear IT strategy in order to determine the types of IT information that is essential and where it should be stored. Management need to decide what information matters to them and which bits they would like to keep under the existing system. HR information for example is not critical from an IT perspective and can be stored in the Cloud. However, you will need to check with the Cloud provider to understand who has ownership of the data. A successful implementation can result in a business being able to close down its expensive data centers and migrate its information onto the Cloud.