It’s not a bird! It’s not a plane! It’s cloud computing, and (spoiler alert!) it’s not in the sky.
Despite its collateral relationship to the Internet itself, the cloud remains something of a mystical and mysterious creature for many employees and business owners alike. Cloud computing is about as much a part of our daily life as the clouds in the sky.
So what is the cloud? How does cloud computing work? Why is cloud technology so important to understand as a business owner?
PC Magazine breaks it down into one of the most simple and understandable definitions around, saying “cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.”
It’s a server that hosts information you can access anytime from anywhere. It’s a technology that enables your phone, tablet or computer to interact with programs running on servers that subsequently deliver to your device.
And, in this day and age, it’s more than an elaborate flow chart linking devices together to a mutual server. It’s more than an idea. It’s a way of life.
Simply put, cloud computing is necessary to the maintenance, success and growth of your business.
Why is cloud computing so important?
Cloud computing is a bit like insurance. Because things happen. From fires and weather incidents to malware and viruses, PCs themselves are fragile creatures. The Boston Computing Network estimates that almost one in three PC users have lost their computer files due to events that were beyond their control.
As technology continues to evolve, online servers can meet the demands of business applications like never before. And transferring the responsibility of managing that process to a qualified service provider is a smart investment that can save you time and money.
Because the impact of data loss on a business is staggering.
The National Archives and Records Administration reports that as many as 93 percent of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within a year of the event.
And studies show the cost of data breaches are on the rise annually. In 2015, the average total cost of a data breach over the past two years is estimated at $3.70 million, up 23 percent from 2013.
Cloud computing is an incredibly valuable back-up plan, or somewhat of an insurance policy, offering business continuity services that helps make sure your business is prepared to stay up and running despite most worst-case scenarios.
If your web site is hacked, your information stays safe and secure in the cloud. If there is a fire or your network is hacked, you can stay live amid the crisis. If a tornado hits and wipes out the power grid, nothing is lost thanks to the protection cloud computing offers.
In all of its (albeit sometimes elusive) glory, cloud computing is the ultimate fail-safe for the technological infrastructure of your business.
Want to learn more about cloud computing?
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