Cloud computing for business and the best cloud providers in 2022 are explained in detail. Learn the benefits, common uses, and why businesses are moving their services to the cloud.
Cloud computing services are used by many businesses of all sizes to optimize their computing and data storage capabilities, allowing them to focus on core operations.
Even though cloud services have been around for quite some time, there’s still a lot of confusion regarding what cloud computing means, why companies are interested in adopting cloud computing solutions and services, which services are offered by cloud computing solution providers, etc.
In this article, we’ll discuss some basic information about the most popular cloud computing solutions and services offered by companies like Microsoft and Amazon, how they can be beneficial to your business, etc.
The 4 Main Areas of Cloud Computing
For starters, there are three main areas of cloud computing that everyone needs to be aware of.
They are as follows:
- Managed Cloud (Platforms-as-a-Service),
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
- Network as a Service (NaaS)
Businesses need to understand how each of these three areas works so they can make better decisions about what service is right for them. First, let’s take a look at Platforms-as-a-Service. If you’re operating in an industry that requires you to build custom applications or programs, then PaaS may be just what you need.
Cloud Services
Cloud computing allows users to store, process, and retrieve data from different computers with an internet connection.
There are four categories of cloud services-
- Cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
- Cloud platform as a service (PaaS)
- Software as a service (SaaS)
- Network as a service (NaaS).
Cloud IaaS
Cloud IaaS is designed for enterprises that need server space, storage space, or virtual machines on which they can host their data. There are also three main providers of IaaS – Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
Cloud PaaS
Cloud PaaS is made for developers who want to create applications without having to worry about servers or programming languages. The most popular PaaS provider is Heroku.
Cloud SaaS
Cloud SaaS provides companies with access to applications hosted by third parties in return for regular payments. This model works well for companies that want all employees to have access to business applications but don’t want them using personal devices such as smartphones and tablets. The most common SaaS application is email but there are many others including Salesforce, DocuSign, Slack, and Dropbox Business.
Cloud NaaS
Cloud NaaS offers businesses unlimited bandwidth at an affordable price so they can focus on growing their business rather than managing networks.
Two Major Benefits of Cloud ComputingÂ
Cloud computing has become increasingly popular, especially with SMBs. There are two different ways you can move your business’s data into a cloud service.
1-Â Cloud Storage
The first option is to store your data in cloud storage. Cloud storage services, like DropBox or Google Drive, work by giving you access to an online hard drive; they also allow you to sync multiple devices so that files on one device are accessible on all others. Cloud storage services are great for simple backup purposes or for making smaller amounts of data available across devices—but they don’t provide any extra processing power. Cloud computing is a system in which users can use software over an Internet connection instead of having to buy and install programs on individual computers.
2-Â Additional Processing Power
If you want additional processing power beyond what your desktop can handle, then cloud computing is likely a better choice for your business. With cloud computing, you rent out virtual space from another company; while it might seem counterintuitive to pay someone else to do something that your computer could do for free.
There are some real benefits when it comes to paying a third party. Businesses can save money by using cloud services because they don’t have to pay for their hardware, installations, or maintenance costs.
Namely, paying someone else allows you access to a much larger pool of resources than your machine could ever offer. In other words, if you have specific needs or demands (like needing additional server space), renting out resources from another company can be much more cost-effective than purchasing them yourself.
Top 10 Common Uses of Cloud Computing
Companies of all types, sizes, and industries use the cloud for a variety of use cases including:
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
- Hybrid cloud and multi-cloud.
- Testing and development.
- Big data analytics.
- Cloud storage.
- Disaster recovery.
- Data backup.
- Virtual desktops
- Customer-facing web applications
Which Services Do Businesses Use Today?
According to a survey of businesses by Spiceworks, cloud services are used across industries in various combinations. The majority of companies surveyed were found to use three or more cloud service types in their business.
Most businesses (82 percent) were using at least one type of cloud application service like Salesforce or Office 365; 83 percent were using at least one type of infrastructure-as-a-service, like Amazon Web Services; and 84 percent were using at least one business process-as-service for things like payroll or HR management systems.
How Can I Avail Cloud Services?
If you’re looking for cloud computing services, there are a few things you should know. Many cloud services can be accessed remotely; many different companies have already made the switch from standard computing to cloud-based solutions.
If you’re still not convinced that switching is right for your business, here are some of our best reasons to leave your old methods in favor of cloud services.
Cloud Computing has greater reliability. Cloud servers aren’t at risk of being affected by software issues or viruses—the data is stored on remote servers and isn’t affected by internal hardware failures.
Top 10 cloud computing services providers for business in 2022
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud
- Alibaba Cloud
- IBM Cloud
- Oracle
- Salesforce
- SAP
- Rackspace Cloud
- VMWare
