Cloud Hosting

By Ben Bierman Mar 15, 2020

Share this article:

JOHANNESBURG - Cloud technology offers businesses in the small and medium-sized enterprises(SMME) sector access to emerging technology, allowing them to benefit from the same agility as large businesses without having to pay an arm and a leg.

By utilising cloud platforms, businesses can focus on running and growing their core operations without worrying about the ownership or maintenance of physical data servers.

Here are some of the key benefits of using cloud technology in your business:

Cost-effectiveness

Cloud offers a consumption-based model, which allows you to use the technology on demand as and when needed, and businesses only pay for what they use. Added to this, because the data and applications are hosted remotely, there is no cost or burden of buying, maintaining and upgrading servers on your premises.

Security

Cloud-based data storage helps address security concerns by backing up local data to the

cloud in real-time. Businesses therefore do not need to rely on physical infrastructure and manual backups. There is also the added benefit of a shared security responsibility matrix, where the cloud provider is responsible for managing the infrastructure security aspects and the business only focuses on the application security.

Flexibility

Cloud services are easily accessible as they only require an internet connection and can be accessed anywhere, from any device. This in-turn offer employees the flexibility and support to work remotely. Cloud-based office platforms such as Microsoft Office 365 also provide better support for group-based projects by allowing multiple users to work simultaneously, with all changes reflected in real-time, which promotes collaboration between employees.

Scalability

Given the fast-paced competitive business environment of today, it is critical for business owners to be agile to market changes and constantly evolve. As cloud-based services are scalable and on-demand, cloud technology therefore enables businesses to create a robust operational environment in which to grow.

Utility

Cloud computing can give businesses the processing power necessary to organise and

analyse large quantities of data. Over and above giving business owners the ability to make more informed decisions, this can also help them to deliver more relevant and up-to-date information to your customers or adjust to customers needs in real-time.

Ben Bierman is the managing director at Business Partners Limited.

BUSINESS REPORT

See more here:
Business101: 5 Reasons why small and medium businesses should consider cloud technology - IOL