Cloud computing is still not considered a main staple of the IT package, but with many companies needing an affordable, flexible option for their data, business leaders are looking into what cloud computing can offer them. While the cloud has been touted for customer relationship management or human resource management, it is also a good option for business analytics.
Cloud computing is still not considered a main staple of the IT package, but with many companies needing an affordable, flexible option for their data, business leaders are looking into what cloud computing can offer them. While the cloud has been touted for customer relationship management or human resource management, it is also a good option for business analytics. Businesses in particular are turning to cloud computing for help with managing big data, so if you are wondering if the cloud is right for you, here are five factors to consider.
1. Faster Deployment
One of the greatest benefits to cloud computing is that you can get started adding users and creating your dashboards within minutes of starting the service. This is particularly useful for small or medium sized companies that want to get started with analytics right away but don’t have the hardware available or the time and resources to sit and install software. In addition, cloud computing makes it so no IT work is required, thus an entrepreneur doesn’t have to waste time figuring out IT or spend money on an employee or consultant they really can’t afford. Just think, with cloud computing there are no software upgrades to make, no broken hardware or security measures to take because it is all taken care of for you. For larger companies that have an IT department, the cloud service frees up the IT professionals from upkeep work and allows them to devote all of their time to strategic projects.
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2. Secure Mobile Access
Companies struggling with BYOD security will find cloud computing a much simpler option than creating an access point for each employee through the company’s firewall. Since the cloud service provides all of its own security with authentication control, employees can login from anywhere on any device of their choosing and have secure access to the system. For example, a salesperson out on a sales call could quickly pull up information to answer a question without having to gain access to the business’s private network.
3. Easier Collaboration
Collaborating on a project with a client gets complicated when you have to get them permission to come inside your firewall. Instead, just like your employees, give them an account on the cloud server. Some companies worry that this will give clients access to information they don’t want them to have, but many cloud services specifically address this challenge by allowing users to segment data and dashboards, so clients can only see the project they are working on when they log in.
4. Scalability
Traditional software providers often require long-term payment plans for licenses. This makes it difficult to complete short term projects or complete a single big project and then immediately scale back. Cloud services are generally much more flexible with their payment plans, so you can add additional licenses as you need them, making it possible to scale with growth as well as for specific projects.
5. You’re Already in the Cloud
If a portion or all of your data is already stored in a cloud database, it makes sense to perform the analytics there as well. Cloud databases can analyze both cloud and traditional data, so it would be easy to complete the analysis without a lot of conversions, and all of your data could be found in one place.
Whether you go with big data as a service or a basic IaaS cloud server, finding the right service for analytics will vary for each company, but with the right service, companies stand to see considerable cost and convenience benefits by switching to the cloud.