Johannesburg, 06 Oct 2014
The last 10 years have seen ICTs become a key differentiator and enabler for businesses across all industries and of all sizes. Organisations have completely changed the way they do business by utilising new technologies, in particular, cloud computing.
Cloud computing merges a plethora of existing technologies, such as the Web, grid computing, storage and virtualisation, says Richard Vester, director of Cloud Services at EOH. "Cloud involves data hosting and storage, applications, software and so on, and allows these to be provisioned anywhere, and from multiple devices, as long as there is connectivity."
For businesses of all sizes, cloud is extremely attractive, as it is flexible, and offers a pay-as-you-use costing structure. "This gives companies agility, allowing them to do business better and faster, and effectively enabling them to compete with even the largest enterprises out there."
According to Vester, making the change from an 'on-premises' model, which requires vast capital outlays, to a cloud model, in which you only pay for what you need and use, gives companies the opportunity to employ enterprise grade and quality technologies, at a far lower cost, and without the associated hassles of upkeep and maintenance.
The benefits of cloud computing are myriad, and are effectively levelling the playing fields for businesses, regardless of their size, he explains. "With the usual client-server model, businesses will have administrative and technical issues to deal with that take up time. Adopting cloud removes this from the equation, saving money and time, eliminating upfront capital expenditure and ongoing maintenance costs."
Vester says cloud also comes hand-in-hand with increased flexibility and agility. "For example, cloud allows organisations to better their customer service and track sales performance. It also allows them to plan their sales and marketing strategies, and importantly, to make sure that marketing and branding are consistent."
He says companies wishing to adopt cloud can choose from a range of cloud-based services, from e-mail, payroll, CRM, online storage, to Web hosting or accounting. "In today's tough economic climate, keeping a tight rein on expenditure is key to survival, and as many cloud providers charge on a monthly basis, companies can make use of the latest and greatest technologies without huge cash outlays or long lock-in periods.
"Dealing with hassles such as maintaining their infrastructure, or keeping up with storage and server demands, takes a company's focus away from their core business. Having services, storage, applications in the cloud, on demand, allows businesses to use what they need right now, without having to worry about what they might need in the future, as cloud allows them to scale as and when needed."
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