Business

Is the future in the cloud?

WHETHER it’s storing family photos and videos, music or important business data, we’re being continually fed a message that 'the cloud' is the future.

It’s where our data should rest, where our software will run and where savings can be made if we embrace it. All these things are now taken for granted but do they apply across the board, and what exactly do we mean when we talk about the cloud?

The simplest explanation is that when we reference the cloud we are describing your services and data being hosted by somebody else. This means they are providing the server for you, the power required to run this server, the connectivity to the internet required to access your data on it and the myriad of other elements that go into providing a robust and always-on cloud experience.

Most businesses will be taking a cautious approach to handing over the storage, processing and safekeeping of their precious data. For smaller businesses, the cloud offers the opportunity to run the latest enterprise solutions without spending huge sums of money on implementing it. It gives them the profile and opportunity that their larger rivals benefit from without the associated capital spend.

For larger businesses, with an established investment in their core IT infrastructure, the cloud can be seen as undermining their hard work to date and delivering less control and confidence than they enjoyed previously. But larger companies can start to dip their toes in the water with a subset of services until they have the confidence to use it as their primary route to provision rather than secondary.

Experience is telling us that the majority of people are currently trusting the cloud for their email and offsite backups - it won't be long before more services seem a natural fit for the cloud.

Already we're seeing most providers of financial/ERP software offering a cloud alternative. These may not yet be fit for purpose or indeed offer an experience as good as their traditional boxed product, but it won't be long before these cloud products catch-up with their older siblings.

Over time what cloud may really bring for SMEs, particularly family run businesses, is the freedom and flexibility of off-site access to their data, but this progression won’t come without its own logistical headaches.

Prudence will dictate that the immediate future of cloud computing will continue to be a hybrid approach for most sectors – bottom line returns and tangible benefits will dictate what services they move into the cloud and their schedule for doing so.

But don’t feel bullied or pressured into any hasty or early decisions. The cloud will still be there tomorrow - more mature, stable and capable than it is today. This is not the traditional gold rush or land grab of times before, but a measured evolution and progression of the IT opportunities available to businesses today - and like most technology, the pricing will fall over time.

When it comes to IT, it will always be a combination of the best hardware and software available that will be a solution for your business, so while the cloud may not be the whole future, we can be sure that it will be a big part of it.

:: Martin Lyons is a director at Zenith Networks