Blog – Page 248 – Cloud Comrade – Cloud Solutions on AWS, GCP, MS Azure, and Alibaba Cloud

01Jul 2014

Amazon Web Services – winning the battle for the cloud

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Many businesses are waking up to the various benefits of moving to the cloud, such as reliability, saving money, not having to worry about hardware, and being able to access data securely from any location – but what about the cloud systems themselves? Amazon Web Services has established itself as one of the clear leaders when it comes to cloud computing systems in the world of information technology, and we’re going to take a look at why.

The early years

As the first major player in the lead-up to the battle for the cloud, Amazon has maintained itself as the leader above other large corporations such as Google and Microsoft, all of which have poured billions of dollars into their own competing platforms. By getting a lot of the essentials right, it seems Amazon can do no wrong. For instance, by starting early it stayed ahead of the game with developers who were more than happy to experiment and see what worked and what didn’t. The company was then able to respond to requests for more features, allowing AWS to grow and expand its functionality.

Next, AWS focused on scale along with data centre automation, leading to a very efficient infrastructure that is essentially resistant to rising cost pressures. Its education and subsequent certification services has allowed Amazon to cultivate a rich talent pool filled with skilled workers who are able to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge in their use of AWS, expanding the system beyond their initial developer base and into all sectors of the market.

Competition

As the battle for the cloud becomes more cut-throat, companies are slashing their prices in order to establish themselves in the market, so how does Amazon stay on top? By constantly evolving and adding a plethora of new, customer-driven features every year, Amazon expands with the times and continues to meet its customers’ needs at every level. Not only does AWS listen to its customers, its scale also allows its prices to drop at a consistent rate with its competitors.

Future

Although there will be future hurdles, Amazon Web Services has remained one of the leading cloud systems with no sign of letting up. AWS offers state-of-the-art server technology and enterprise-class storage solutions, allowing for clear savings and peace of mind for your business.

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At Cloud Comrade, we specialise in providing our clients in Singapore and South East Asia with best in class cloud technology solutions that put them ahead of their competitors and which keep their critical data highly accessible and secure. Ready to take your business forward? So are we:www.cloudcomrade.com/

23Jun 2014

Cloud usage quadruples

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In a recent survey of 1,358 enterprises published by North Bridge Venture Partners, nearly half were using the cloud for revenue generation or new product creation.

Usage of cloud computing ranged from using Infrastructure as a Service to gain access to flexible computing capacity to using Platform as a Service technologies for developing new applications and prototyping. Meanwhile, use of Software as a Service has more than quadrupled from the previous year to 74%, mostly driven by enterprises transitioning existing applications into the cloud.

From an end user perspective, the front office is leading the way into the cloud with sales and marketing at 51% adoption of cloud technologies.

For beleaguered information technology executives the rapid and widespread adoption of the cloud has been a major boon, moving the focus away from service provision and maintenance and back into what improvements and savings IT can generate for an enterprise.

Michael Skok, founder of the Future of Cloud program and general partner with North Bridge Venture Partners, commented that the report meant “…we are going to begin seeing the birth of new, re-imagined, cloud-native applications” and continued to say that “These applications, which are only possible in the cloud, will result in an order of magnitude greater value creation than the first cloud front. This second cloud front will be transformative.”

It wasn’t all great news for cloud evangelists, however. 49% of respondents to the survey expressed concern about how secure their data was in the cloud and privacy concerns rose to 31%. With tension between consumers’ desire for personalised services and their desire for anonymity and privacy growing, cloud privacy is sure to a talking point for many enterprises as they embrace the cloud.

Overall, these concerns clearly highlight the need for quality consultancy when moving into the cloud space to ensure that businesses are selecting the right cloud services and partners for them and have confidence that their data, and their customers’ data, is secure.

Meanwhile, the cloud continues to grow at an incredible rate. A 2013 survey by NetCraft detected over 150,000 web servers running on the Amazon Web Services platform, hosting an estimated 11.6 million websites.

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18Jun 2014

A beginners guide to cloud computing

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It’s very likely that you have heard of “cloud computing” by now. If you are reading this blog post, you are probably a little confused by what exactly cloud computing entails. Don’t worry, you are not alone! The information technology industry moves at a rapid pace and it can be difficult to keep up with. However, cloud technology is the future. It is already an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and it will only grow bigger.

Essentially, cloud computing is the term used to describe the way in which users can rent online software as opposed to purchasing and installing it onto their computer. Users can process work and save files “in the cloud” (in other words, on the internet) and access this work at a later date. This can be done from any computer with access to the internet. The frustration of not having access to a file or piece of software saved on a laptop that you left at home or in the office is a thing of the past.

Like any great invention, the beauty of cloud computing is that it offers a simpler alternative. As is often the case, a simplified process costs less money to maintain. Sellers of software no longer have to consider the expense of running a help desk to offer assistance to the thousands, possibly even million of customers who use their software. With cloud computing they can instead maintain and repair a central copy (every one of their customer’s copy) online. This cost saving is then passed on to the end consumer. An enterprise can now run its information technology system by renting software for a nominal fee rather than the substantial upfront fee we have been used to paying.

There is a further cost saving for enterprises, one that is not such good news for information technology support staff. The demand for information technology support services, certainly as a full-time employee at an enterprise, is significantly reduced. With the software maintenance taken care of, it is only the computer hardware that an enterprise will need to worry about maintaining.

So there you have it: cloud computing explained. A straight forward concept that is already revolutionising how enterprises do business.

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17Jun 2014

5 Ways your business can benefit from moving to the cloud

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If you are finding that your current business technology is slowing you down or you are constantly experiencing network or other critical technical issues, it could be time to move your business to the cloud. Hardware and software problems could be costing you money in lost revenue and maintenance costs and putting your business at risk.

Here are five reasons why you might want to consider an information technology refresh and moving your enterprise to the cloud.

1. Concentrate on running your business and not worrying about your hardware

When you move to the cloud, you effectively move responsibility for your technology to another party. Server availability, backups and technical issues will all be managed effectively by your cloud computing provider whilst you get on with running your business. Cloud systems run at optimal performance, give you access to your information from any web connected device and ensure your business is available 24 hours a day.

2. The cloud is more reliable

To run a business well, you need to ensure you are always available to your customers. With more and more people using their Internet connections and mobile devices to find and use your services, can you really afford for them to experience the dreaded ‘404 error’ when reaching your website? Most cloud providers offer up times of over 98% and will ensure your website and other data is available to you when you need it the most.

3. Best in class cloud technology

Amazon Web Services is one of the leading cloud systems available today. Using state of the art server technology, multiple layers of security and redundancy and enterprise class storage solutions, Amazon Web Services ensures you can enjoy significant cost savings and the peace of mind that cloud server technology bring to your business.

4. The cloud saves you money

Simply put, cloud computing is the most cost effective way to manage your information technology and business systems. Not only do you free yourself from hardware costs, but you can also scale your business systems in a more cost effective manner as your business grows.

5. Enjoy ‘anywhere access’ to your data

With cloud computing, you and your employees are no longer tethered to their computers. They are free to go on site visits, see clients or work from home easily as they will have access to your business data from any device. Cloud technology puts an end to complicated connection methods, trailing wires and dropped connections and gives you smooth remote access to your data 24 hours a day.

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13Jun 2014

Why more medium and large-scale business are engaging with the cloud

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Why more medium and large-scale business are engaging with the cloud

In the five years since cloud computing started to beguile the enterprise community, an increasing number of medium and large scale organisations are actively discussing a move to a cloud-based IT infrastructure. There is no geographical delineation, the same trend being expressed across the globe, particularly in the Far East, Europe and the IT powerhouse of South East Asia and Singapore.

Hesitation breeds a new industry

Any hesitation on the part of medium and large-scale corporations to move to the cloud is centred around three principal areas of concern: cost, security and scalability. Whilst many small operations have willingly embraced this new paradigm of information technology, many larger corporates are reluctant to transfer to what many still regard as being an ‘untested’ platform.

As the cloud has grown, it has therefore spawned a new industry of cloud consulting. In Singapore and South East Asia, the acceptance of cloud computing is more advanced and the need for ongoing consulting and the provision of genuinely expert advice has therefore increased. This is not surprising. The idea of moving a premises-based IT infrastructure to a medium that appears at first sight to be completely nebulous can make some executives nervous.

Cost, security and scalability

For companies contemplating transition to the cloud, an established platform is the first requirement, cost being the second, and security and flexibility, the third. The answer for many has been to jump on the back of an already globally established player, in the form of Amazon Web Services (AWS). With security and global access already built in through the international Amazon IT estate and local server network, the main concerns for potential IT migrants are limited to cost and scalability.

AWS, acknowledging the natural hesitation of some businesses to transfer to a new medium, offer maximum flexibility with familiar IT architectures. IT managers will feel completely at home with the methodology used by AWS, yet still be excited by the elasticity on offer. Furthermore, any cost-based objections are soundly defeated by the fact that AWS clients only pay for what they use, there being no upfront or maintenance fees.

Future drift to the cloud

Given the requirements for medium and large-scale businesses operating in today’s global market, especially the need for mobile/multi-platform data access, the idea of maintaining a building full of ageing and devaluing hardware is not a realistic business case for most organisations. The cloud will only become more advanced as time goes on and the value, security, flexibility and reliability that it provides will continue to advance, likely becoming the accepted norm for both medium and large-scale businesses in the future.

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12Jun 2014

5 Signs your business is ready for the cloud.

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In recent years, technology has begun to play a bigger and bigger role in business, with companies that fail to keep on top of the latest developments quickly left behind.

One of the most important innovations currently making waves in the business world is the cloud; a network of servers that hosts software and stores huge amounts of files and data on the web. If you’re unsure about whether or not you should be getting on board, here are five signs that your business is ready for the cloud:

1. Your employees work remotely

Due to the nature of the cloud, it can be accessed from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

This makes it the perfect tool for companies whose employees work remotely, allowing everyone access to programs, files and software any time, any place.

2. You lack a disaster recovery plan

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your office was flooded or thieves stole all of your computers or hard drives?

Unfortunately many businesses have no plan when it comes to recovering data following a disaster, leaving them incredibly vulnerable.

However, by storing all of your programs and files on the cloud, you can keep them completely safe. Even if your office is damaged, you’ll still be able to access your important files and programs.

3. Your IT department spends too long installing upgrades and maintaining your systems

One of the main benefits of using the cloud is that the majority of programs than run on the platform are upgraded and maintained remotely. This takes the pressure off of your IT department and allows them to concentrate on developing your business.

4. You’re planning to grow quickly in the near future

As the cloud has an enormous capacity and is home to some very advanced programs, switching to cloud computing can help to future proof your business, making it easier to expand quickly in the future.

The professional and specialist programs available will give your business the tools that it needs to succeed, while at the same time making it easier for you to expand.

5. You need to improve your company’s security

If you’re worried about cyber attacks, malware and other security issues, switching to cloud computing can help to alleviate your fears and keep your company’s files secure.

Storing all of your files in the cloud also means that if an employee goes home with a laptop or any of your computers are stolen, they won’t be able to access any sensitive information or damage your business.

With more and more programs, software and storage companies using cloud computing, it’s only a matter of time before all businesses have some sort of presence on the cloud.

So why not make the move now, give your company the tools it needs to succeed and stay one step ahead of the competition.

Speak to the cloud computing experts at Cloud Comrade