Business technology has transformed how the business world operates with many business enterprise approaching the role played by technology.Technology has had a positive impact with many businesses now thriving on the use of technology rather than the traditional means of business operations. Business success is now being determined by how well a business adopts and integrate technology in its operations starting from the top level management to the senior most employees.Competition is now based in technology with companies adopting the use of technology in almost all areas of operation.
Data storage is a key area where technology has played a key role; businesses are now shifting from the traditional method of storing information in physical files with offices being filled with shelves and stack of papers. In the modern business word, the trend has changed, and computers are now being used for storing data, however the reliability of computers especially when handling large data does not favor many companies and, therefore, the need to look for alternative options. Cloud computing has offered the best solution for most companies in terms of data handling and storage; many businesses are now using this modern technology which is efficient and reliable for small, medium and large size companies. When selecting the most suitable technology that a business should use, there are various factors that should be considered one of them being the cost of implementing the technology, effects that the technology has on the business and whether the technology will last long enough without being outdated. Cloud computing has proved to meet these condition with businesses appreciating the role of technology and innovation in business managemen(Williams,2010). Hugos, M. H., & Hulitzky, D. (2011). Business in the cloud: what every business needs to know about cloud computing. New York: Wiley.
Shroff, G. (2010). Enterprise cloud computing technology, architecture, applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weinman, J. (2012). Cloudonomics: the business value of cloud computing. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Williams, M. I. (2010). A quick start guide to cloud computing moving your business into the cloud. London: Kogan Page.
Cloud computing offers businesses access to data as well as data exchange as long as there is internet connectivity and provides internet access to computing, and other computer based applications needed by a business at a low cost. The essential feature for cloud computing is internet access from any location, for cloud computing to be successful it has to meet the following characteristics; it must have the ability tom offer self-service on demand basis; there must be internet connectivity for one to obtain any information, all resources must be pooled in one area; it has to be elastic enough to meet future demands for storage space and billing is made based on the business usage. Businesses do not have to worry about the deployment of information between different business parties since there are different models that can be adopted, for any information considered private in a business, a private deployment model can be used whereby access to business information is limited to few individuals. There is also a community model of deployment whereby the cloud computing features as shared by several businesses that are working on a similar project or serving in one area. There is also the public cloud computing deployment model where the cloud computing services are available to the public, in most cases such method of deployment is used by organizations that sell cloud services. There is also the hybrid deployment model, which involves the use of more than one cloud, which allows portability of data and different applications(Shroff,2010).
The rise of cloud computing technology in the business world has been linked to various factors, one of them being an increase in computer use in the business world. Many businesses use the internet as a medium for communication which is the principal components in cloud computing. There is increased availability of internet bandwidth offered at a low cost which reduces the cost of data storage, sharing and communication through the use of cloud computing. It is faster to share information through the internet that other means of business communication especially if there are many recipients involved. Demand for reliable, affordable and modern storage technology is also a key contributing factor towards use of cloud computing. Many businesses need to share different resources and resources through the internet and cloud computing has offered the best solution so far.
The business world has experienced various changes, which have been brought about by use of cloud computing technology, as the cost of business operation increases; there is a need for businesses to reduce the operating cost. Use of cloud computing reduces the cost of business operation, a business chooses it is possible to access IT services on a demand basis, businesses do not have to invest so much in IT since they select the business needs that suit them most.Storage cost is also reduced and cost of relaying information to different business stakeholders. By cloud computing, flexibility in terms of data handling is guaranteed since a business can expand or minimize the use cloud services depending on the available expenditure. The cost depends on the space that a business needs and it can be expanded as the need for storage space rises. Cloud vendors offer businesses with an opportunity to upgrade their cloud services, with many businesses keeping up with the technology, when there are new features a business can upgrade depending on its needs and therefore it is not easy for the technology to be outdated. Use of cloud computing services and applications gives employees and business owners the opportunity to access data and even work from anywhere as long as they have internet connection. Cloud computing offers businesses with a virtual office where one can work even while away from the office. Information is not lost even when the physical office is destroyed and thus ensuring business continuity. The demand for services that offer security in terms of information and technology has been met by the cloud computing technology; business can provide secure information, which is always accessible to the business customers(Weinman,2012).
There are, however, some challenges associated with the use of cloud computing such as the vulnerability of attacks by hackers, which result to loss of important business information. The portability challenge is also an issue as a business shifts from one cloud service provider to another bandwidth cost is also high for small businesses.Cloud computing technology can only be used when there is internet connection hence limits users and customers who have no access to internet connection. These challenges are however being handled, and some solutions are in place, this proves that cloud computing is one of the best innovation in business technology.
References
Hugos, M. H., & Hulitzky, D. (2011). Business in the cloud: what every business needs to know about cloud computing. New York: Wiley.
Shroff, G. (2010). Enterprise cloud computing technology, architecture, applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weinman, J. (2012). Cloudonomics: the business value of cloud computing. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Williams, M. I. (2010). A quick start guide to cloud computing moving your business into the cloud. London: Kogan Page.
