Cloud Technology In 2023: How Relevant Are Cloud Solutions?

The relevance of cloud solutions in 2023 and years to come does not seem anything debatable, to say the least.

Perhaps, no illustration of cloud solution's relevance can drum home the point like the analogy of 'per as you go' value-added service (VAS) from the GSM operators.

At a time when spendable cash is hard to come by, subscribers must resort to options that leave room for plenty of flexibility in managing rising cost profiles.

This is how cloud solutions came into existence.

However, in a recent development, Microsoft (as well as other tech giants) has hinged its plans for a massive job cut on the decision of its cloud subscribers to review their spending on cloud solutions.

 This development, no doubt, is raising so much dust as to whether cloud technology is losing relevance.

But what else can replace the utility of cloud technology now?

What is Cloud Technology?

Cloud technology is a platform that enables the sharing of IT software, platform, infrastructure, information, and ideas amongst people and interests connected on the Internet.

This way, people can share and access information from anywhere, at any time.

Back in the day, it seemed like a status symbol for corporates to own large servers, routers, hubs, gateways, and numerous PCs whose system units buzzed away within working hours.

It also seemed like an uphill task hiring and retaining an array of IT personnel that would set up these systems, program them, install software and anti-virus in them, and generally maintain the entire IT infrastructure. 

Businesses needed to pay attention only to their core competencies that generated revenue and outsource some operational functions to external consultants.

It remains the same today. In the latter case, they only need to pay for what they use, nothing more, nothing less.

This certainly must be a far better option than tieing down huge capital to procure IT equipment that remained unused for the better part of the time.

So, under cloud solutions, another IT services provider (this is their core competence and revenue spinner) takes over everything to do with managing the IT facilities required by your business.

You simply enlist their services by paying for only what you need; whenever and wherever you need it.

You can, for example, recognise your specific need for an aspect of IT infrastructure and pay for IT for the time you use it (this is called infrastructure as a service, IaaS). 

Similarly, you can have Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). 

Most of the applications you use today like Dropbox, Google Docs, Facebook Ads Manager, Canva, Slack, Discord, Loom, Zoom, Skype, etc. are all SaaS products.

What Will Make Cloud Subscribers Suspend Their Use of Cloud Technology?

Matter-of-factly, it depends! There appears not to be one definitive answer to this question. 

However, a few possible reasons for suspending the use of cloud technology might include:

• A lack of reliability or performance degradation issues
• A change in business priorities that makes using cloud technology no longer necessary
• A fear that the cloud provider will no longer be available in the future.

Best Practices for Optimizing Cloud Technology

• Manage your data using a cloud-based platform. This is intuitive, considering that any unforeseen disaster in own IT facilities will wipe everything off.
• Store your data using a cloud-based platform. Using cloud-storage facilities means you don't need to move around with hard drives and memory sticks.
• Access your data with a cloud-based platform. You're no longer limited by location for you to retrieve your data any time you choose.
• Disseminate your data with a cloud-based platform. Of course, with the cloud, it's easy for you to grant others the right to access your data anywhere they are.

Leading Cloud Solutions Providers

• Google Cloud (launched - 2008; geographic regions - 21; availability zones - 61; 2022 Q3 revenue - $6.8 billion)
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) (launched - 2006; geographic regions - 25; availability zones - 78; 2022 Q3 revenue - $20.5 billion) 
• Microsoft Azure (launched - 2010; geographic regions - 54; availability zones - 140; Q3 revenue - $20.3 billion) 

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the scope of this piece is hardly enough to do justice to the topic of cloud technology with ubiquity as its main characteristic feature.

From the above, it would appear that the relevance of cloud solutions may not be easily quantified.

More and more business leaders are realising the importance of distributing capital fairly through other viable projects than lavishing it on one. 

This is part of what cloud solutions bring on board.

However, despite what seems like present odds against cloud technology, it has come to stay!