14/11/2013
Creative Maniacs | www.CreativeManiacs.com
There is a pretty good chance you’ve heard the term “cloud computing” before, at least in passing. For some of us, it’s tempting to write it all off as jargon or even a passing craze, but the truth is something else entirely: Cloud computing may very well represent the next step in the evolution of the Internet.
What is a Cloud Service?
In the simplest terms, the term “cloud” refers to a set of interfaces, services, networks and hardware that comes together to deliver computing power, infrastructure, collaboration tools and business processes to single users or corporate subscribers.
That’s a fairly nebulous definition, so it might be worthwhile to take a look at some examples. One company that’s shaken up the cloud computing landscape pretty thoroughly is Amazon. Most people know Amazon as a sort of online department store (or the website that killed Borders), but the truth is that much of Amazon’s success comes down to its cloud services.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has seen significant growth over the last couple of years. They’re not real forthcoming with the exact figures, but best estimates in 2011 put its annual business at roughly $750 million. What AWS does is essentially rent out computing power to other companies for just pennies per hour.
Elsewhere, cloud computing is making an impact on an individual basis. The battle of cloud providers is in full swing, spearheaded by companies like DropBox, Google (Google Drive), SugarSync, Microsoft (SkyDrive) and Apple (iCloud). Personal clouds are a way for individual computer users to keep their most important personal information and documents in the cloud, ready to sync to all of their various devices.
Cloud Storage in the Business World
With cloud service providers taking off the way they have, businesses large and small are creating their own cloud networks to help them pursue improved efficiency and productivity.
For smaller businesses, a private cloud may well be enough to fill their needs. The common applications of cloud technology in a small business setting often include online backup of sensitive documents and collaboration features. It used to be that backup was performed locally, onto drives or servers that could be just as vulnerable as the computers themselves in the event of unforeseen disasters. Offsite backup gives businesses of every shape and size a degree of security and peace of mind with the knowledge that their data can be quickly and easily retrieved later on.
For larger companies, the advantages of cloud computing can be even more important. As the size of a company grows, so does its required infrastructure. As with Amazon’s AWS, companies can essentially rent their servers and other equipment rather than purchasing them outright. This can be extremely cost-effective in the long run.
Important Cloud Service Features
While cloud services can provide a wide variety of feature sets and cater to different corporate and individual needs, there are a few fundamental things to keep in mind if you find yourself in the market for a cloud service provider.
Chief among these is experience and expertise. Things have become borderline Darwinian in the world of cloud computing; it seems there’s a new provider every week that boasts of having the “best” this or the “most efficient” that. When it comes to putting your company’s important data on the line, you’re going to want to place your trust in a company that has experience and the expertise you require for getting your system setup the way you want it, the first time.
A related issue that’s worth mentioning on its own is customer service. You might find plenty of products out there that sound like they’d be a perfect fit for your company, but if they’re not backed up by competent and passionate customer service, it’s not worth the investment or the possibility of technical troubles down the road.
Equally important is a cloud service provider’s commitment to security. Quite honestly, few other considerations should rank as highly on a CSP’s list of priorities. More and more companies are migrating their sensitive data and applications to the cloud. If there are trade secrets or sensitive employee data in play, you’re going to want to know that it’s being closely guarded.
Uptime guarantees are second only to security in terms of importance when it comes to choosing a cloud service provider. With companies in a variety of industries turning to the cloud as an inextricable part of their daily workflows, it goes without saying that an unpredictable or unreliable cloud service provider should be avoided at all costs.
The term “uptime” refers to the percentage of time that the services of a given CSP were available to customers. Before you make any decisions or sign any contracts, do what you can to get a sense of their customer satisfaction. See if the CSP’s existing customers have anything to say about previous outages. A general rule of thumb is that any cloud service provider that has more than one hour of downtime per month is doing something wrong and should be avoided.
A Look at Leading Cloud Service Providers
Because uptime guarantees are so important, it’s worth taking a look at some of the leading cloud service providers in the industry today to see how they stack up to the competition. If your company is thinking about making a move to the cloud, you want to know that your data isn’t going to be unavailable in the middle of a busy work week.
Recently, a study was performed by Uptrends that took a look at 184 of the leading cloud computing companies for a period of 30 days. The findings were a little bit startling.
One of the study’s key data points was this: 42 out of the 184 CSPs they examined did not meet the SLA standard of 99.9% availability. That’s 22.83%, or nearly a quarter of the cloud providers in question. In other words, only about three-quarters of the companies examined lived up to industry-acknowledged standards. In an industry that relies so heavily on reputation – and customer satisfaction in turn – this is disappointing.
On the other hand, the average downtime of the entire sample group clocked in at 31.62 minutes, which you can either take as good news or bad news, depending on whether you are a glass is half full or half empty type of person.
The providers with the lowest availability were Actifio, with 7.98 hours of downtime; Adaptive Planning, with 4.72 hours; and oDesk, with 3.83 hours. Remember: This was only over the span of a month. On the other hand, industry leaders such as Hubspot, Mailchimp, and Netsuite boasted 100% availability.
The Bottom Line
By now you probably have a better understanding of the importance of cloud computing and its place in a successful modern business. As you can probably also see, cloud service providers are not all created equal. As with most sevices, it pays to have the whole story before you make decisions that concern the future of your company.
