In the mainframe era, computer were too big, and to big of an investment, to provide for every employee. Instead one computer allowed access to multiple people, through “dumb” terminals. As personal computing grew more popular, virtualized private network (VPN) connections gave users access to a shared infrastructure, streamlining business operations. As late as 2006, when Google docs first launched, data couldn’t be easily stored or shared online. Some of the first cloud services.
Today, over 90% of organization use the cloud, and global spending on public cloud-computing will reach $162 billion by 2020. But the cloud isn’t perfect. Cloud solution suffer from privacy and security concerns, inaccessibility during internet outages, and a lack of control for consumers, who are subject to the whims of cloud providers. In order to power the next phase of business growth, cloud computing will have to overcome these challenges.
Despite a few pitfalls, cloud computing offers numerous benefits for business. You can store your data and analytics on the cloud, or engage in real-time financial analysis. Instant creation of shard company resources, and easy scalability keep everyone on the same page. And utility-style metered pricing keeps costs down.
Learn more about cloud computing in this infographic: