Businesses are now overwhelmed when it comes to storing and accessing their data. With cloud technologies on the rise, it is now becoming the preferred option for data and application hosting.
In 2017, 49% of IT investment was spent on a full private cloud solution, 32% was IaaS and 29% was SaaS.
Cloud storage is not a one size fits all scenario and for organisations to get the most out of their cloud IT strategy, they need to consider where they are storing business-critical information.
So why are more organisations opting for a full private hosting offering?
Data being stored in the cloud = cloud storage
Cloud storage has made storing our data hassle-free. Instead of storing business-critical data on a hard drive that you can physically touch, cloud storage puts your data in the hands of an experienced cloud provider within a secure cloud platform that is hosted over the internet.
By exclusively storing data in the cloud, this delivers strong protection for customer data wherever it resides. This means the information remains on the individual’s physical device with data being backed up to the cloud that can only be accessed by authorised users.
This is compelling for business owners as they are able to meet compliance requirements more conveniently and have peace of mind knowing that any threat to security will be dealt by experts, whilst still being in control of the actual application. Cloud storage also improves collaborative working as files can be accessed from project workers easily.
If hardware needs to be updated, you would typically have to replicate the files and data from the old device to the new one. This can be a lengthy process: it poses huge security risks and also leaves room for data duplication. Storing data in the cloud completely eliminates this task. You can simply restore data from previous cloud backups onto the new device, and you’re good to go.
Data and applications stored in the cloud = cloud computing
F5’s ‘The State of Application Delivery in 2017’ survey showed that one in five respondents has planned to move more than half of their applications to the cloud by the end of 2017.
By storing both the application and its data in the cloud, you are providing a more secure environment with mobility and flexibility at the heart of the organisation. Users will then have the ability to access the application on any device with the data available via internet connectivity.
This is different to cloud storage as your workstation is also stored in the cloud and not just the data created. This means your application will be accessible via internet connectivity and will most likely be managed and handled by a service provider.
This is beneficial for businesses as they are able to put the stress of a good IT strategy onto a third party who will implement, manage and monitor the entire organisation’s technology and not just the data. Not only does this reduce costs, it also enables businesses to scale up or down depending on requirements whilst working remotely.
Put simply, cloud storage is a data storage and sharing medium whilst cloud computing gives you the ability to work remotely, outsource IT and improve productivity.
If you are interested in taking your applications and data into a secure, fully managed cloud environment with the option of public, private or hybrid cloud, do not hesitate to contact us.
