Think of the Cloud as a Utility–Why The Cloud is an Essential Service for Information-Based Companies

For a variety of reasons, some companies are reluctant to do business in the cloud. They may have reservations about the cost or the security of the technology, or they may just not have enough information. One way to allay some of these concerns is to consider the cloud as a utility.

All companies use utilities to help their business function. Heat is needed to keep the company’s buildings at a reasonable temperature so its employees can do their work effectively, particularly on cold winter days or rainy and wet winter days. Electricity is needed to help a company power its computers and all of its devices. It is also needed so that its employees aren’t left doing their work in the dark. Electricity, therefore, has become an essential utility.

So, what about cloud services? Are they a utility or merely a service? Perhaps they can be viewed as a technological utility for businesses. If we look at them as a utility, are they a necessary or essential utility? The answer depends on a company’s needs. If your company is an information-based enterprise that relies on data, it can be argued that the cloud can now be considered an essential service.

Why would this be?

Well, first of all, for information-based companies that rely on access to data, the cloud is a their life line. It allows them the freedom to store an unlimited amount of data safely and securely. They can efficiently store important data and have access to it whenever and wherever they need to. It allows their employees to travel on the road and access important files when they are traveling for business. It allows them to open up branches in different cities, secure in the knowledge that if they access cloud-based services, access to critical data is instantaneous. This is an incredible innovation that cloud technology has made possible, and is particularly advantageous to information-based companies.

In fact, storing data in the cloud, all in one place, helps companies become more efficient. It streamlines their business and allows them to operate more effectively. Information-based companies need not spend money building inexpensive infrastructure to store their data because it always exists in the cloud. All they need to do when they choose a cloud vendor is transfer their data to the cloud, where it will be securely stored.

Companies that are all about data and information should seriously consider the benefits of cloud computing. Once they start using it, it could become an essential service.

Ben Puzzuoli is director of sales, Data Deposit Box. Guest blogs such as this one are published monthly and are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsorship.