Advantages of the cloud over a corporate server

According https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/lost-in-the-cloud-hostman%E2%80%99s-new-map-feature-brings-total-visibility/ar-AA1HLKi2?disableErrorRedirect=true&infiniteContentCount=0 the IT industry is constantly evolving, gradually becoming very popular in various business areas, providing it with new opportunities. But still, not all managers understand the feasibility of such a decision. What are the advantages of the cloud for business compared to physical devices installed in the office? Is it worth migrating to a virtual environment? What obstacles are possible at this stage? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand the differences, strengths and weaknesses of this approach, what it can give to business. Let's dwell on this in more detail.

The main differences between a cloud and a local server

Let's first define the concept of cloud infrastructure. This is not a technology, as many people think. This is a model for using and providing services, resources to users, and managing them. All the channels, applications, memory, and processors that they need for stable and efficient operation are provided on request. New users connect to the platform very quickly. At the same time, they do not need to know where the processing center with their data is located, or even understand how the cloud is structured and works.

To understand whether your business needs to move to a cloud infrastructure, you should start from your business needs and the solutions you are looking for. When choosing what is better, the cloud or your own server, you need to understand the main differences. Here are a few important points to highlight:

1. Deployment. If we talk about local infrastructure, it is deployed either within the company or within the general IT infrastructure of the enterprise. Here, all work related to its deployment and ensuring stable operation lies with the employees of the organization. That is, it is necessary to create a department of IT specialists. The provider is engaged in the creation and maintenance of cloud servers. Companies only get access to the amount of resources that they need to work at a given time. They can be increased or decreased, adjusting to the work process and minimizing costs.

1. The price of the issue. To create your own local server, a business will need to buy equipment, software, hire staff, pay for energy consumption, and allocate space for placement. Also, the cost of modernization should be included in the expense item. Using the cloud, you will pay only for the resources actually used. No maintenance costs!
2. Level of control and security. Here, local servers have advantages. The company has full control over all data and operations performed with it. Cloud security is ensured by encryption. The tools that will protect your data are with the provider. And if an unforeseen situation occurs, there is a chance that you simply will not have access to your data. In practice, information leaks in cloud structures are quite common. But this is not due to the low level of security of the virtual environment, but to the human factor. Therefore, cloud servers are not the best solution for companies that have strict requirements for the confidentiality of information. Or, as an option, critical information is stored on a local server, and everything else is stored on the cloud.

Also important criteria include compliance with the requirements of the Law. But here strict requirements are imposed both on the storage of data on a local and on a cloud server. Thus, providers are required to have a certificate from the authorized bodies of the FSB, FSTEC, confirming the compliance of the virtual infrastructure with the requirements of regulators.

1. Why does a business need cloud servers?

   Business delegates many tasks to IT infrastructure. In particular, this includes protection against viruses and hacker attacks, providing access to e-mail, corporate chats, accounting documentation and other services. To enable company employees to access the services that are part of their job responsibilities and ensure their efficient work, servers, internal communication channels, and data storage systems are used. Such a set of basic components can be purchased or rented from specialized IT companies.

   Cloud technologies have brought these services to a fundamentally new level. They have also clearly shown the shortcomings of corporate servers. Cloud technologies have provided simpler, more convenient and faster work with analytical programs, corporate mail, CRM. They have made it easy to scale the volume of resources and the number of users. The transition to a virtual environment allows businesses to significantly reduce the number of local servers. As a result, expenses for paying for personnel services, electricity, ventilation and cooling of the server room are reduced. In practice, even with a partial transition to the cloud, businesses save up to 20-25%.

Understanding what is better, a cloud or a server for business, will help familiarize yourself with the advantages of virtual technologies:

1. More efficient use of cloud technologies. Consumes exactly as many resources as are necessary for work. Nothing extra!
2. High security. Cloud services implement several levels of information security. Thus, along with a firewall and perimeter encryption, local tools are also used. Certain rules are integrated into virtual containers to improve the security of storing important information.
3. Increased reliability. The cloud allows you to create a high level of redundancy. As many resources as required will be provided for on-demand recovery and backup. No more planning backup configurations in your office.
4. Excellent flexibility. Have your operating conditions changed? All configurations and information systems can be modified almost instantly. And don't forget about the easy ability to scale resources. Increase them with one click during peak times and reduce them to their previous level when the load decreases.

Challenges on the way to the cloud

But, despite all these more than significant advantages, not all companies decide to transfer corporate data to the cloud. And often, the reason here is a lack of understanding of the process itself and how significant the advantages of such a transition are. IT personnel, in order to save their own jobs, do not convey the necessary information to management. But even when using cloud servers, the system administrator will be quite busy. Only he will not be engaged in traditional administration, but in launching new company services in a virtual environment.

Another reason why many business representatives refuse to switch to the cloud environment is high material costs. But in reality, everything is not as expensive as it seems. Cloud servers are provided to users on a monthly payment basis. And it is charged only for the actual computing power used. In addition, there are no costs for their maintenance or modernization. This solution not only saves money, but also simplifies financial planning and minimizes the occurrence of various problems.

The only objective reason that will not allow your business to move to the cloud is the presence of a ban or restrictions on the part of the Legislation. But this is relevant only for critical infrastructure. Otherwise, there are no restrictions. And all the problems that may arise during the transition are minimized by a professional approach. Contact the specialists of the Xelent company for help, and you will get the best solution for large and small businesses with little cost. All details of cooperation are discussed individually by phone or through online communication services.