What is Cloud Computing: discover how it works and its advantages

what is cloud computing

It is not news that cloud computing, from the English term Cloud Computing, is becoming more and more a key technology for the scalability of companies and the development of new businesses. But after all, what is Cloud Computing and how does it add to everyday life?

We are at a time when the participation of cloud computing is perceived as a mandatory requirement for any decision maker who is within the technology area and who seeks to invest in innovation, with the mission of contributing to the company's growth.

Here you will learn all the details about what cloud computing is: knowing its concept, main types and how to adopt it in practice.

What is cloud computing?

When you store data or run programs on your hard drive, it's called local compute storage. Everything you need is physically accessible in this model, where access to your data is limited to server capacity.  

Cloud Computing or cloud computing has arrived to change this scenario. This is the technology that allows you to store this data on servers that can be accessed from anywhere , just needing an internet connection.

It is estimated that the term was first used in the late 1990s, but researchers point out that the concept of sharing information between computers emerged much earlier, in 1960.

The technology may not be new, but its adoption only began in 2008, when companies of various sizes started using the service. Today, the development of cloud computing is accelerated thanks to the Digital Transformation process.

By offering benefits in several aspects such as, for example, mobility, increased productivity and cost reduction, the advances and expectations of this service are gaining more and more space and investment.

Due to the breadth of demand, many desktop software development companies software in the cloud . On the other hand, there are still some doubts behind this concept.

Let's look at the most common ones below:

  • Is expensive? → No! Quite the opposite. In fact, compared to the on premises (local) structure, which demands a high investment to be able to assemble and maintain a server infrastructure, the option of using the cloud is much cheaper, allowing any company to be able to migrate data and systems. One way to get this clear view of savings is to perform a TCO calculation .
  • It's safe? → Yes! Especially when we talk about public cloud, where the big players in the market invest more than 50% of their profits in updating servers and security.

What is Cloud Computing used for?

Cloud Computing is the fastest solution for those looking for mobility, availability and security for their business without the need for major process changes.

One of the main advantages of relying on Cloud Computing is mitigating the risk of all files being lost if a computer or physical server has problems, which would certainly represent inestimable damage to the business. 

That is, talking about the cloud means being able to access files, run them and edit them anywhere , all online.

With this, it is possible to have entire systems, applications and databases working without the need to make a high investment in local infrastructure.

Regarding the outlook for the future of Cloud Computing , the company Gartner published, at the end of 2020, research on the future of the cloud in 2025 , led by Dennis Smith, the organization's vice president of research.

Below is a summary of the research that highlights the shift in cloud perspectives:

“Today, most people think of the cloud as a technology platform. This outlook will change markedly by 2025. The cloud will not only be a technological approach to application delivery, but will also serve as the main driver of business innovation.

In addition, cloud services provide consumption-based pricing models and ubiquitous availability for all organizations, which democratizes technology for the masses.”

Reference : The Future of Cloud in 2025: From Technology to Innovation, Published 29 October 2020 – Dennis Smith

Advantages for different sectors

Regardless of the sector in which it operates , cloud computing contributes to the success of the most diverse business models by adding benefits such as:

  • The user can access applications regardless of the operating system he uses on his device;
  • It is not necessary to worry about carrying out tasks such as maintenance, security control and backup procedures , as this is the responsibility of the cloud service provider;
  • It is much easier and more practical to share data, as any number of users can access it in the same place: the cloud.

What are the types of cloud?

After understanding what Cloud Computing is, it is important to highlight that there are 3 main types of cloud:

  • Public Cloud : huge structures, shared with millions of companies (including NASA), with a high level of security and practically infinite storage capacity. Recommended for companies that have peak usage over the years.
  • Private Cloud : structure developed to meet the needs of a single company. It offers a high level of security and privacy, but with spaces that are usually limited. Recommended for companies that have high control and predictability of cloud usage.
  • Hybrid Cloud : combines public and private cloud features, being the preferred choice of many companies.

Knowing these differences makes it easier to choose which option to adopt during the cloud migration process.

Ok, but how to adopt cloud computing in my business?

By choosing to have your operations in the cloud using platforms such as Skyone Autosky, your company benefits from a smooth and secure migration process, starting to rely on servers from major players, without the need to have an internal team specialized in the cloud.

In practice, this means that the IT team's major concerns with infrastructure will end , allowing these professionals to focus on the business strategy as a whole and not just on solving operational infrastructure problems.

For example, the need to create, configure and constantly monitor the environment becomes the responsibility of the partner company , guaranteeing the internal team predictability of costs with payment per user.

Let's see below the 4 steps for migrating to the cloud .

1. Start with a solution to make your migration

Skyone Autosky is a solution developed by the Skyone team especially for you who are looking for a complete infrastructure to take your software to the cloud . Everything is done quickly and without any headaches: we take care of all the settings for you!

Connecting to the platform is also easy: availability via the web means that users can access the system wherever they are.

This way, your team gains time to focus on what really matters , such as the parameterization and configuration of the ERP software

2. Implement risk management

In a cloud infrastructure, where the use of software solutions is constant, a configuration change can expose a database or application server to the world, causing damage that can be definitive for the financial health of your business. 

It is therefore necessary to implement processes that guarantee risk management. 

Companies developing or deploying cloud applications need to ensure that any changes adhere to strict security and compliance controls in the development and release process.

3. Define rules applied to compliance

Data and information security best practices are the foundation of compliance standards as well as the security frameworks applied to the cloud. 

Compliance rules for cloud environments typically define password policies, encryption of sensitive data, and the configuration of security groups.

As such, it is essential for IT teams to incorporate these rules into security management, regardless of compliance requirements.

4. Mitigating the risk of data loss

There are currently a large number of security monitoring products on the market that allow administrators to find security settings and vulnerabilities.

It happens that these same products do not always offer resources to correct the problem.

In this sense, to avoid loss of data and damages with the payment of fines resulting from it, it is recommended to choose complete platforms that find and fix the respective problems in accordance with the best security practices.

Learn more about Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is transforming the business world, delivering agility and enabling an operating model that delivers scalability and high availability .

The cloud also changes the game for information security management, offering new controls and capabilities.

Now that you know what Cloud Computing is and what it is for, how about going further and delving even deeper into this technology? We invite you to access the e-book Cloud Computing: from the beginning to the present day . There you will find out everything about the future of the cloud!

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