The benefits of cloud hosting
How clever clouds store your data
How clever clouds store your data
In the competitive, technological era that we find ourselves now working in there’s no denying the importance of data. And for savvy business owners, utilising solutions that use their data effectively and efficiently helps keeps them one step ahead of the competition. At Clever Software Group, our experienced database developers often opt for cloud hosting as one such solution for our clients.
According to IDC, by 2020, 67% of all enterprise infrastructure and software will be for cloud-based offerings
Despite this, we understand that not everyone knows the advantages of a cloud system hosting a database, or even what cloud hosting means! This article aims to shed some light on the topic.
Cloud hosting is when a collection of content, such as a database, resides on a private or public virtual platform known as the ‘cloud’. This means that businesses using the cloud no longer have the hassle of accommodating and maintaining a physical server on their premises. Clever stuff!
The data will either be stored in the cloud on a ‘virtual machine’ that runs on a business’ own IT infrastructure or will all be taken care of by the cloud provider ‘as a service’.
Known as DBaaS, the second option is the most common type of cloud hosting for databases, as it means that the service provider does all the hard work. It essentially makes the server invisible to the client! This is one of our database developers' favourite aspect of cloud hosting, as we love innovations that make our client’s lives easier!
As well as saving you space, there are many other reasons why our database developers and our clients are increasingly turning to the cloud. In fact, 74% of Tech Chief Financial Officers say cloud computing had the most measurable impact on their business in 2017, Forbes.
Here are some of the other top ways your business could benefit from cloud hosting:
One of the main reasons that our clients look to implement new data solutions is to increase efficiency. After all, there are only so many working hours in the day, and therefore if time is lost searching for data, it could result in important tasks being postponed. This is where cloud hosting is worth its weight in gold.
A cloud-hosted database is pretty much self-managed, and the features that aren’t, are normally taken care of by your cloud provider if you choose the DBaaS route. This solution will free up time for your IT Manager or team that can then be put to better use and will also save you having to buy and maintain costly servers and IT equipment too!
If you’re running your databases on in-house servers, it falls on you to think seriously about security. This is perfectly possible to do, but the reality is that many companies either don’t do it or do it poorly.
Leave database security to the cloud hosting company, and you’ll buy yourself some peace of mind, and have one less thing to worry about. The appropriate provider will automatically roll out cloud updates, including security improvements, for you as part of the service that they provide.
38% of business owners named increased security as the main factor that influenced them to adopt the cloud - Spice Works, 2019
Even if you are on top of your database security, there are some risk factors that you can’t eliminate when using hardware. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to control circumstances such as stolen PCs, or an employee misplacing a work laptop. Not only are you then losing an expensive piece of kit, but also the sensitive data inside.
Cloud computing gives you greater security when the worst happens. Because your data is stored in the cloud, you can access it no matter what happens to your machine. You can even remotely wipe data from lost laptops so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands!
Cloud-hosted databases are ideal for businesses with growing or fluctuating bandwidth demands. If your needs increase, it’s easy to scale up your cloud capacity. Likewise, if you need to scale down again, flexibility is part of the service. This level of agility can give businesses using cloud computing a real advantage over their competitors. Not to mention, the ability to be able to only buy exactly what you need can be extremely cost effective.
One of the key things that our database developers pride themselves on is their ability to be agile and flexible to clients changing needs, so combining their skills and ethos with cloud technology is a match made in heaven.
With cloud hosting, no matter where you are, if you’ve got an internet connection you can be working! Most cloud hosting services offer excellent mobile friendly systems or apps, so you’re not restricted by device either.
One of our clients operates worldwide, and therefore needs to have fast access to their data from anywhere. By hosting their database in the cloud, we have allowed them to be able to do just that!
In our previous article, we touched on how important maintaining a positive work-life balance is for employee morale. Innovations such as cloud hosting allow your employees to work on the go, giving them more flexibility, without their productivity levels taking a hit.
For many business owners who aren’t yet familiar with cloud hosting, storing all of their important data on a virtual platform could understandably seem fairly daunting. For this reason, our team of experts always take the time to carefully communicate with your business’ key staff involved in the management and migration of your data to the cloud.
Our database developers are here to make sure moving data to the cloud runs smoothly, and that the results achieved are awesome!
At Clever Software Group, we love data, and we love seeing the positive results that cloud hosting a database gives to our clients. So, if you’d like to find out more about this service, please give us a call, email us, or arrange to pop in for a chat. Contact us here.
We are bright thinking software developers on a mission to make software development simple, enjoyable and awesome for all. Bespoke, innovative and distinctive are what we do best.
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