2020 is a record year for workload migrations from physical servers to cloud-based platforms. Many companies are already actively moving in the cloud direction. They are increasingly abandoning their infrastructure in favor of the clouds.
Why are clouds so popular?
The increased popularity of cloud services has an economic explanation: the costs of maintaining corporate infrastructure are reduced by almost 25%. As a result, according to analysts at Gartner, a research company specializing in information technology markets, cloud strategies’ development, implementation, and improvement will remain one of the top priorities in many companies for a long time to come. At the same time, the IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) segment will grow to $50 billion in 2020.
Saving
Reducing costs is the first and, perhaps, one of the main reasons companies are moving to cloud services. After all, maintaining your own IT infrastructure is difficult and expensive. It is not enough to buy server hardware and data storage systems; the main thing is to ensure their qualified maintenance and administration. In addition, there is a need to modernize IT sooner or later. According to statistics, on average, hardware needs to be updated after 3-5 years. And this is an inevitable process since any equipment has its operating period and may no longer meet the requirements of the business.
Scalability
The second reason companies move to the cloud is the ability to scale infrastructure rapidly. In other words, if necessary, you can easily and quickly change the virtual server configuration: add the required amount of processor power and RAM, or increase the amount of disk space using your online account. Significant financial investments and time costs will be required for similar operations in your server room.
Automation
In the cloud, automating various processes for managing your infrastructures, such as backup and disaster recovery, saves on administration costs. Cloud platforms have a clear management console with which you can fully control the virtual infrastructure: create your server templates, change the configuration, install operating systems, and process data. Moreover, most operations are done in just a couple of clicks.
Safety
Data security is another benefit of using cloud services. According to experts, more than 60% of companies already store personal information in the cloud. Cloud providers build their infrastructure using the most reliable hardware solutions and modern technologies. The physical infrastructure of a cloud provider is usually duplicated and located in dedicated data centers, which minimizes the risks of equipment failure and data loss.
Continuity
Serious cloud providers guarantee the availability of resources at a level of at least 99.9%. This figure is specified in the Service Level Agreement (SLA. – Ed.) and is often supported by real financial guarantees from the provider. Typically, two factors determine the continuity of work: the use of advanced technologies in the field of virtualization and the reliability of the data center.