What exactly is the cloud? | Green Duck

What exactly is the cloud?

By Sebastian Nash

What exactly is “the cloud”?

You’re probably already using various cloud services without even realising. Take Apple’s iteration, for example. Built into all of their devices, iCloud enables users to share photos, videos and files with ease. In fact, this is an emblematic example of one of the core benefits of cloud services: interconnectivity.

Businesses are no longer replacing ageing physical servers with like-for-like, but hooking up to the cloud. This is because more and more people are seeing the benefits of seamlessly sharing information and data. What’s more, when converting to cloud services, you’ll be able to work remotely, from anywhere, facilitating a more flexible approach to business.

The remote aspect ties in with another core benefit: accessibility. Consider how vulnerable a business is using a physical server; essentially a single point of failure. Should anything go wrong – a power cut, hardware malfunction or internet outage – you could potentially lose files. Conversely, by utilising cloud services, your staff can work from anywhere with an internet connection, and as such, you’re protected against these downtime risks.

Plus, cloud-based storage guarantees high levels of reliability and responsiveness to your system, through Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Cloud data centres are closely monitored, therefore any failures that could potentially lead to downtime are resolved at lightning speed.

Last, but by no means least. Using the cloud reduces costs. Physical servers typically last between four and five years, and the cost of replacing them is high. Cloud services, on the other hand, benefit from being virtualised, such that you’re able to constantly update and fine-tune them to meet your requirements at a minimal cost – or, indeed, if at any cost.

If all of this sounds promising to you and you’re ready to convert to the cloud, please do not hesitate to get in touch at 01284 700015 or email benny.mansfield@greenduck.co.uk

Waves Duck Waves