Cloud deployments creating flexible business plans

For a scalable business environment, the cloud is a leading option.

The cloud computing model has helped today's companies improve their processes in many distinct ways. If you haven't yet added any cloud processes to your infrastructure, now might be a good time to start. Your rivals may soon begin working with flexible and effective IT models based on hosted technology, and if you don't respond in kind, you may pale in comparison. While there are a few notable cloud benefits, one of those most often raised by the IT media is its ability to introduce scalable and adaptable qualities.

Growing the business No matter what industry your organization competes in, you are likely looking to grow. Facilitating this objective is one of the cloud's main value propositions. According to IT executive Keith Tilley, writing for The Guardian, this principle applies no matter the current size of the firm. Small operators can access appropriate quantities of computing power, avoiding large purchases until they need to be made, and bigger businesses can change their plans on the fly.

Tilley explained that rather than being an end in itself, cloud computing infrastructure helps businesses move toward their own objectives more effectively. When changing a strategy or improving computing capacity meant buying new physical servers, an organization would have to make a huge capital expenditure to take that next step. Failure was likewise more problematic under that model, as the resources allocated to a canceled project were simply lost. Now, shrinking the infrastructure again is a simple matter of contract rearrangement.

Tilley also pointed out the "future-proofing" effects of the cloud. Technology accessed through the cloud can immediately reflect the latest updates for every user. The days of ponderous new model upgrades, accomplished with disks and demanding more capital for new licenses, are safely behind companies that adopt cloud computing.

Building an infrastructure One function that can be transferred to a cloud platform is application development. Web app teams can benefit from using a shared platform, whether it is deployed on a public, private or hosted cloud model. Many of the positive elements of cloud computing are very relevant here, as flexibility will help developers operate on a larger scale as the organization grows, and connectivity will let them work together with fewer hand-offs between departments.

The cloud is applicable in several different areas of business, and it is only expected to grow as a strategic consideration going forward. As more firms change their tactics to accommodate hosted computing, those that don't will likely find themselves excluded from the IT mainstream.