Cloud computing is changing the way businesses view their entire information technology (IT) infrastructures.

Cloud computing is being adopted by big and small companies at a very rapid pace and its growth is projected to continue well into the next decade — and beyond.

Cloud computing stocks are a segment of the application software sector and they stand to have an increasingly important impact on people’s lives. They will also be one of the main beneficiaries of emerging technologies like Autonomous Vehicles (both cars and drones), Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G Networks, the internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain Security, and Robotics. That’s why investors looking to build long-term wealth should consider cloud computing stocks.

What is the cloud and how is it like the internet?

To better understand just what the cloud is, let’s compare it to the world wide web. After all, the cloud is a natural extension of the internet. The internet is a nebulous entity connected to your PC (smart phone, tablet, laptop, personal voice assistant, or whatever). You perform a query by typing a search phrase into a browser (or asking that obelisk on the coffee table a question) and presto, you get an answer. But, from where does that response originate? Let’s pull back the curtain and see how the cloud plays into this seemingly magical process.

Internet search results come from interconnected networks around the globe. So, in its simplest definition, the internet really is just a bunch of intentionally connected devices. This is where the cloud comes in. It too is simply a connection between a network and an end user. The difference is that the connection is just between the cloud provider and a client. Where the internet is a crowd, the cloud is just a pair. The mechanism used to make this connection and share information is still the internet.

The cloud is a service, not a thing

The cloud is essentially a bunch of huge private data centers that “lease” computer resources to clients. Some of those clients are businesses and some are regular folks like you and me. The resources included in the lease depend on what you’re trying to accomplish and are defined as services. They fall into one of three primary offerings:

• Infrastructure as a Service — IaaS
• Platform as a Service — PaaS
• Software as a Service — SaaS

The most complicated cloud offering is Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS. IaaS is the offsite outsourced delivery of all things computer related. In simplest terms, IaaS providers offer clients an entire IT department. The important feature is that it is delivered virtually over the internet. The IaaS provider replicates every aspect of the client’s network — its entire physical infrastructure. So, for example, if a given client’s IT infrastructure consists of hundreds of servers, they would all be located at the IaaS provider’s location. On the client end of the connection is a visual representation of how the network is configured and what it’s doing. So, what an IT professional sees on a desktop monitor is exactly what would be presented if all of that “infrastructure” was in the same office where he or she was sitting. – Read more

Ensuring that your organization’s data is stored securely is imperative. Therefore, deciding whether to store data on-prem or in the cloud is a critical choice. 

Cloud storage services have gained popularity over the years due to their increased scalability. While the cloud has gained traction in the storage space, there are advantages and disadvantages to cloud storage, and having an awareness of the positive and negative aspects of this option will allow you to make the best, most informed decision for your business. Let’s get into the pros and cons of cloud storage and find out if it’s right for you and your organization.

Advantages of Cloud Storage

Cost-Effective

Organizations that make use of cloud-based services are more likely to save on operating costs than those that continue to use external hard drives or in-house hosting solutions. Internal power and resources are not needed separately to store the data with the cloud. Additionally, costs are cut in part because cloud storage providers will manage upgrades and troubleshoot any issues that arise, meaning that there is no need to employ IT administrators to handle data storage logistics on-prem.

Accessibility

Through the cloud, users have the ability to access all files, photos, folders, and videos from any location in the world, provided that they have the proper credentials and an internet connection. When logging into your cloud account, all of your data will be there when you need it, providing additional convenience not available through local storage. The cloud also offers simplicity, as users can easily drag and drop their files into the cloud with little difficulty.

Disaster Recovery

A comprehensive backup plan is crucial for any business that needs to protect its data, (which should include all businesses). Experiencing data loss can seriously damage an organization’s credibility and financial standing. Cloud storage is a great option to prevent and combat such losses, as it creates a backup of the files stored. These files are stored at a remote location, protecting them further, and they can be accessed and retrieved at any time. Therefore, in the event that something happens to the files on a computer, you are enabled to access the cloud and retrieve any data that may have been lost or damaged.

Disadvantages of Cloud Storage

Speed of Backups

With the cloud, internet bandwidth and storage max ingest speeds can be more limited than a local network or disk. Additionally, there is more communication latency involved. Usually, this is not an issue when backing up file servers and workstations because larger backups can typically run in the background for an extended period of time without any negative effects. Slow backups can be combated through the use of incremental backups, which reduce backup sizes, and thereby backup times. However, you should be aware that specialized applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and Exchange can be affected by longer backup times. – Read more

Looking to avoid monthly cloud sticker shock?

A cloud cost management strategy that makes use of containers, capacity pre-purchases and more will help you contain runaway cloud spending.

Software as a Service is driving disruption – it allows for innovation to develop at the speed which both the market and customers expect.

The cloud may spark automated push-button fantasies, but the reality of shifting to cloud services is quite a bit more complicated.

“The cloud” is enabling substantial change in how we store, access, and process data in nearly every aspect of our lives.

To illustrate that change, let’s first focus on life B.C. or before cloud. Before the cloud, information was stored on computers or local devices. If you needed that information, you had to be connected to that storage device or computer. Likewise, you needed a computer — often an expensive one — with enough power to process the information.

This B.C. world was static, risky, and inefficient.

It was static because it did not enable any true mobility. Data was stored in the same way traditional books are stored in libraries. If you wanted to read another book, you had to be in a specific location.

This world was also risky, as the loss of the computer or storage device meant the information was also gone. Like the library, if the building burnt down, the books would be destroyed.

The inefficiency stems from the need to have many separate devices able to store and process the information. These devices were costly, power hungry, and made obsolete on a regular basis.

Life within the cloud provides solutions to those problems. Gathering up all this diffused information and moving it to the cloud means that the data is available anywhere. The risk of data loss is mitigated because information is distributed among many data centers rather than at one location.

While tech companies love to sell the latest and greatest devices to keep up with the demands of applications, this will change. Instead of having many high-powered, expensive devices to store and process information, there will instead be longer-lasting, lower-powered devices that need only display the information. Upgrades in the cloud will bring new capabilities without changing out the user’s device. – Read more

The emergence and success of the cloud over the last decade is unquestioned.

It is nearly impossible to read any current IT publication that does not cover the growth, innovation and emerging use cases that are enabled by cloud.

And for most, the word “cloud” is synonymous with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google, writes Danny Allan, vice-president: product strategy at Veeam.

This makes sense, as they are by far the most recognised and successful providers in the hyperscale public cloud. And yet, these three leaders in the industry are not destined for complete market domination. There not only remains a place for the Managed Cloud Service Provider (MSCP), but there are multiple reasons why they are essential and often the better choice for a significant majority of the IT market.

Public cloud infrastructure requires specific expertise

Many organisations will often start with the false premise that they can simply pick up the on-premises infrastructure and move it over to the hyper-scale public cloud. While this has often been the promise and the general infrastructure is similar, the reality is that many basic elements such as control planes, networking and security are different enough that challenges very quickly emerge.

Choosing a MCSP helps in one of two ways: the hosted service environment can closely mirror the on-premises environment, or a managed service can effectively broker the public cloud and introduce the cloud expertise necessary to integrate two different environments.

In an ecosystem where time-to-offering is an essential competitive advantage, this value cannot be under-estimated. In fact, it is very likely that the MCSP community will evolve into a front line brokering of the hyper-scale public clouds, while facilitating and managing the transition and hybrid environment

Cloud economics need to be effectively managed

“The cloud is not a charity,” is one of my favorite statements. The ability for cloud to drive profit is based on the ability to layer in margin. While the public cloud can be very effective for elastic workloads with a high degree of variability, placing workloads in a remote location or for taking advantage of a pre-configured service, they can be significantly less cost effective for static workloads with predictable infrastructure needs.

As the various public clouds all vie for market dominance and customers choose which workloads are best suited to the public cloud benefits, MCSPs offer the ability to abstract the workload from the public cloud, while closely monitoring the cost characteristics and shifting the data and service based on the customer ROI.

This is a distinct and definite value add that most customers are unable to measure and recognise.

Many services offer a superior end user experience in a decentralised model – Read more

The latest risks involved in cloud computing point to problems related to configuration and authentication rather than the traditional focus on malware and vulnerabilities, according to a new Cloud Security Alliance report.

Using the cloud to host your business’s data, applications, and other assets offers several benefits in terms of management, access, and scalability. But the cloud also presents certain security risks. Traditionally, those risks have centered on areas such as denial of service, data loss, malware, and system vulnerabilities. A report released Tuesday by the Cloud Security Alliance argues that the latest threats in cloud security have now shifted to decisions made around cloud strategy and implementation.