Cloud computing has become a popular topic in recent years. It’s easy to see why: the benefits of cloud computing are many, and extending those benefits to our businesses is even more so. Businesses that have an internal IT department can take advantage of private cloud solutions. Those without the necessary expertise can also use public clouds such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and others to extend their existing IT infrastructure without having to invest in new software or hardware.
It’s clear that using a cloud provider has its advantages for both businesses and end users alike. However, as someone who isn’t likely familiar with every aspect of this technology, it might be difficult to see why adopting cloud computing is beneficial for your company. In this blog post, we dive into some of the main advantages of using cloud computing for your business instead of investing in virtualization and other similar technologies on your own.
Virtualization: What is it?
Virtualization is a technology that allows a single server to act as multiple servers. This allows business owners to expand their existing IT infrastructure without having to invest in new hardware or software. For example, if a business has a single ESXi server, then that server can act as multiple servers. If that server hosts two virtual machines, then those two virtual machines can run on that single virtual machine.
This allows businesses to expand their infrastructure without having to buy more hardware. While virtualization makes sense in certain situations, such as the one above, it’s important to note that virtualization cannot replace servers. Virtualization is simply a way of improving efficiency and cost effectiveness by providing centralized management of servers. When virtualization is used, servers still exist, they’re just managed through a single server.
Cloud Computing: Why Use It?
Cloud computing is a type of outsourcing of IT services. With cloud computing, businesses can outsource their IT needs to a third-party service provider, rather than owning and operating their own servers. This allows businesses to save money by not having to buy the hardware, software and other resources they’d otherwise need. Cloud services are also becoming more advanced. Most cloud providers are now offering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.
SaaS applications allow you to use dedicated software without having to buy or manage the hardware. For example, an accounting software solution from a cloud provider is owned by the business and managed by the cloud provider. If the accounting software is implemented in a virtual infrastructure, then the provider doesn’t have to manage the physical server, which can be extremely cost-effective.
The Benefits of Cloud Computing
– Access to resources – Cloud computing, which allows businesses to access third-party resources, is one of the biggest advantages of cloud computing. Cloud computing offers cost savings and efficiency by allowing organizations to share resources, such as bandwidth and software, with other users. – Flexibility – Cloud computing allows businesses to quickly and easily expand their resources by simply adding more servers. With virtualization, a single server can act as multiple servers, so adding more resources is simple and quick.
Simplification – Simpler infrastructure management is another major benefit of cloud computing. With virtualization, the provider manages your hardware, but with cloud computing, you manage your software. This can be extremely beneficial for those who want to decrease their IT costs and complexity without having to hire a full-time IT manager. – Portability – Many businesses want to expand their reach. With cloud computing, they can simply move their data and software between different services. This allows businesses to expand their operations across various locations, such as a data center near customers in another state.
Advantages of Using a Platform-as-a-Service
– Scalability – The primary advantage of using a platform-as-a-service is scalability. With virtualization or a cloud, a provider manages your resources, but you can easily scale your resources by simply adding more resources. This makes it easy to increase the capacity of your application, such as an accounting platform, without having to invest in unnecessary hardware. – Cost-effectiveness – The cost-effectiveness of a platform-as-a-service is beyond question. Many businesses are now adopting SaaS applications, which are owned by the cloud provider. The advantage of using a platform-as-a-service is that you don’t need to manage the hardware or software, both of which cost money.
The Benefits of Using a Software-as-a-Service
– Flexibility – The flexibility of software-as-a-service is also undeniable. For example, someone can create an accounting application, which can easily be added to a cloud platform. This makes it easy to add new features, such as invoicing, and allows businesses to quickly expand their applications with minimal effort. – Portability – The portability of a software-as-a-service is also a major plus. This allows businesses to move their applications to other cloud platforms easily, which can be extremely beneficial. – Ease of use – Software-as-a-service is also extremely easy to use. This allows business owners to focus on their applications without having to learn a specific technology, such as cloud computing.
Cloud Computing: Final Words
Cloud computing promises to eliminate the need for virtualization. With virtualization, you can create virtual machines, which can run multiple operating systems on a single physical server. The problem is that virtual machines are very resource intensive and often require much more hardware than is necessary. Cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and others promise to eliminate the need for virtualization. However, that doesn’t mean that cloud computing is better than virtualization. What it means is that implementing a hybrid approach is more efficient than simply implementing it alone.
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