Cloud Computing

Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). It typically involves the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet. Users can access cloud-based resources and services via a web browser or a mobile app.

Cloud computing is a major focus of investment by many organizations, large and small. Industry analysts expect the cloud computing market to grow rapidly in the coming years.

The key benefits of cloud computing include:

• Increased agility and flexibility: Cloud computing can help organizations be more agile and respond more quickly to changes in market conditions or business needs. For example, a cloud-based application can be quickly deployed to meet a surge in demand, without the need to provision and configure new servers.
• Reduced costs: Cloud computing can provide significant cost savings, compared to traditional on-premises deployment models. For example, organizations can use cloud-based applications and services on a pay-as-you-go basis, without the need to make upfront investments in hardware and software.
• Increased security and compliance: With the proper controls in place, cloud computing can offer increased security and compliance, compared to on-premises deployment models. For example, data can be stored in the cloud in compliance with regulations such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• improved scalability and disaster recovery: Cloud computing can offer improved scalability, compared to on-premises deployment models. For example, a cloud-based application can be quickly provisioned with additional resources to meet a sudden increase in demand. Cloud computing can also offer improved disaster recovery, compared to on-premises deployment models. For example, a cloud-based application can be quickly migrated to another region in the event of a natural disaster.