Cloud computing became a necessity for many businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it looks like this technology will remain indispensable to operations into the foreseeable future. Just take in some of these stats:

• 94% of enterprises use cloud services
• 92% of businesses have begun or will start using a multicloud strategy
• $258.1 billion is projected to be the public cloud market by the end 2023

Despite its prevalence, cloud computing is still pretty new to the business world. Not only that, but it’s evolving extremely rapidly. Together, that means many users don’t fully appreciate the capabilities, limitations, or dangers that cloud computing brings to the game.

How well do you know cloud computing?

That’s a trick question. The important issue is how well your tech pros know cloud computing. Keeping people trained and up to date is important; however, it’s both unnecessary and impractical to keep everyone in your company fully trained in all aspects of cloud computing. But all of your employees should at least be kept aware of what cloud computing can do. And certainly, the folks tasked with directly maintaining your business’s cloud should know as much as possible so they can manage this massive resource thoroughly.

What’s happening now in the cloud?

Currently, businesses are using three cloud models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is used by the company’s IT teams to manage employees’ access to the cloud (e.g., for networking or data storage). All aspects of acquisition, maintenance, deployment, and application are handled in-house using the company’s own resources.Platform as a Service (PaaS) is where the company’s cloud infrastructure is provided externally, which frees up many company resources. The platform provider deals with, for example, all of the planning, procurement, and maintenance necessary to the source of the company’s cloud capabilities. In this model, the company only has to deal with the application of their cloud computing (i.e., the operation side of it).Software as a Service (SaaS) makes both the maintenance and application of the company’s cloud computing hands-free. The company is provided a full package and thus becomes the end-user of the system.These models can be deployed in any of three ways:

1. Completely on the cloud, where everything is virtual;
2. Fully on premises, which is basically a more robust version of the local network that was all the rage in the 1990s; and
3. As a hybrid, where the company’s cloud-based resources are connected with the existing on-site IT infrastructure.

Of course, Amazon (with Amazon Web Services, or AWS), Microsoft (with Azure), and other big tech companies provide all three models and support any deployment method. That means you need an IT team that fully understands the pros and cons of what the providers offer so they can best advise you on what’s right for your company.

Where’s the cloud drifting?

Clouds in the sky generally drift slowly and amiably over our heads. Cloud computing is similar in that it remains over many people’s heads, but is different in that the technology driving it drifts more like a high-performance sportscar in a tight turn—fast as hell and barely under control. The rapidly approaching future of cloud computing is why you need to keep your teams current, and savvy business leaders understand this. Right now, 54% of leaders seek cloud service providers who can increase revenue while reducing costs, and 50% are in search of strategic partners, who 1) understand what the future holds and can solve the associated problems and 2) can provide the services to deploy and maintain the company’s cloud infrastructure.

Conclusion

When it comes to cloud computing, so much knowledge is required of today’s tech pros that you may actually wonder how anyone can be adequately trained to keep up with this evolving technology. How you deal with it depends on your company’s needs and capabilities. If you have a strong IT team, just making sure they’re all trained on the latest technologies is sufficient. But if you have limited resources and no dedicated IT team, you may determine that finding a strategic partner is your best bet to stay on top of the technology and ahead of the competition.Contact us today and we’ll help you find the best way forward for your company.