Cloud Computing Opportunities For Business And Governments

Cloud Computing Is Delivering Disruptive Opportunities For Business And Governments

To put something ‘on the cloud’ would’ve resulted in confused looks, at least when explaining to people before the 1990s. But in this tech-laden era, cloud computing is as prevalent as other disruptive technologies in use. No one can deny the fact that it’s everywhere–from software to the humble mobile app.

With COVID-19 still a risk to everyday life, technological growth has been more unprecedented than before. This health crisis has forced a significant shift in how both the private and public sectors perform their functions. Even after this is all over, the increase in demand for contactless service will be beyond undeniable.

This article will look into how cloud computing is disrupting the current system, if not breaking it down outright, and reshaping it into something better.

Competitive Control

Among businesses, cloud computing is a game-changer. Recent studies show that there has been a rise in investment in cloud computing technology among telecommunication companies. Given the mobile and social media boom, they see it bridging the gap between telecommunication and information technology.

Experts point to two reasons for this aggressive jostling. First, these companies already have the means to employ cloud computing at their disposal; among these are data centers and qualified personnel to operate and maintain them. They don’t have to spend a fortune to enter this market, putting them in an ideal position to provide relevant services to customers. (1)

Second, their control over existing infrastructure means they hold more leverage over established cloud services that rely on said infrastructure. They can provide service-level agreements that put them in a favorable position, especially when tackling issues like data bottlenecks and upgrading or maintaining cloud computing systems. (1)

It’s hard for other industries to deny the need for cloud computing, especially in this pandemic-stricken economy. Apart from its enormous kill count, COVID-19 has also cost businesses and government agencies trillions of dollars due to cyberattacks. The pressure on them to keep their customers’ sensitive data safe is all too real, and it’ll only grow with reliance on tech.

Data migration to the cloud isn’t without its challenges, with over half of business leaders saying the most challenging is to maintain security and compliance. If companies in control of the essential cloud computing infrastructure can help achieve this, among others, this tech-laden era will become more secure. (2)

App Migration

Cloud computing allows apps to move from one computing environment to another, known as app migration. It can either be from a local server to a cloud-based one or between cloud servers. App migration enables apps to operate from an environment with a more updated infrastructure, hastening a business or institution’s digitization.

App migration has considerably increased over the years, even more during the first year of the pandemic. In 2016, only 22% of businesses had moved a few apps to public cloud servers; that figure increased to 33% at the start of 2020. Just this year, almost half of businesses said they’d accelerated app and workload migration, owing to remote work setups. (2)(3)

In this case, seamless cloud-hopping is the name of the game. Many businesses believe apps and their workloads will be able to move between cloud servers to achieve any or all of three aspects: leverage business services, guarantee availability, and minimize operating costs. Think of this as providing a better work environment for the app–tools and all. (2)

Enhanced Crisis Response

The pandemic has indeed caught many governments off-guard, a hard lesson they would take to heart once the worst is over. Fortunately, due to no small part of the private sector duly adopting cloud computing, the public sector has been swift to consider the technology for its benefit. In a way, cloud computing is a key enabler of sorts. (4)

One notable example is China, where its government has made a cloud-based national education platform. It enables millions of students who can’t go to school due to lockdowns and quarantine measures to continue their education from the safety of their homes. In just two months after the platform launched, it had around 270 million users. (4)

Another example is Australia, particularly the state of Western Australia, where it decided to move its land titles database to the cloud. When a severe storm hit the state and resulted in a power outage, the database managed to return online quickly. Businesses and other functions were able to resume normal operations. (4)

References

1. “Cloud Computing:  New Business Opportunities for Telecommunications Companies?” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/48264999_Cloud_Computing_New_Business_Opportunities_for_Telecommunications_Companies
2. “Cloud computing in the real world: The challenges and opportunities of multicloud,” https://www.zdnet.com/article/cloud-computing-in-the-real-world-the-challenges-and-opportunities-of-multicloud/
3. “Benefits of Application Migration to the Cloud,” https://www.trianz.com/info/images1/pdf/trianz-benefits-app-migration-cloud.pdf
4. “Cloud Computing as a Key Enabler for Digital Government across Asia and the Pacific,” https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/707786/sdwp-077-cloud-computing-digital-government.pdf