Many organizations are in the middle of modernizing their IT infrastructure and data centers to combine public and private cloud services most suitable to them and build a hybrid cloud system. Building a hybrid cloud with a hyper converged infrastructure and centralized software to manage it all offers numerous benefits to most organizations.
According to the Nutanix 2021 Cloud Usage Report, nearly every industry has seen a lift in cloud spending and usage.
Source: Nutanix
These upward trajectories are expected to rise as more and more SMBs follow enterprises’ lead and enter the fray.
Using virtual data storage services does have the potential for considerable cost savings by moving IT infrastructure and support to third-party management. Use of other public cloud services can also accelerate operations, improve performance and support faster scalability. Although the initial investment could be high, when implemented correctly, cloud services can offer consistent ROI.
That said, migrating to the cloud is not a cost cutting solution “ if you fail to match each application or workload to the appropriate cloud service and pricing package, they could be staring at runaway costs.
Shifting to the public cloud is becoming a priority for many businesses because it simplifies and supports big data analytics. Let’s explore how public cloud systems are making it possible for companies to utilize complex algorithms and AI to connect with their customers through digital media.
1. Global Cloud for Server Virtualization
Big data analytics requires massive volumes of information from different datasets “ especially if you need multiple instances of large databases. Most businesses today rely on extensive consumer behavioral data to accurately target their audiences. This data is then plugged into complicated algorithms to optimize marketing strategies, improve brand communication to drive sales and deliver personalized experiences to customers.
You also need internal datasets for business planning and decision making, such as sales cycle predictions based on previous years’ data. Entities such as government organizations or medical establishments need to keep exhaustive records that must be easily accessed.
Executing all this needs vast amounts of processing power, multiple apps loaded in memory simultaneously and petabytes of storage space. The solution is data virtualization, which packages hardware resources such as CPU from a server and disk space from a storage device into a virtual machine (VM) and allocates one VM with a set of applications to each user on-demand.
The result is better usage of the hardware capacity and an increase in productivity while saving operational costs. Virtual servers in the cloud also allow businesses to access data instantly “ even remotely.
2. Improved Security for Sensitive Data
The Navex Definitive Corporate Compliance Report asked business leaders to name their top concern for the upcoming year. They were given no limitations in choices and could answer however they wished “ and yet the top two priorities across the board were cybersecurity and data privacy.
Source: NAVEX Global
Since big data lives in databases and servers that live both inside and outside of an enterprise (and their extended control in some cases), security and encryption of sensitive information are paramount. Although the term public cloud can give the impression that information is shared, it offers incredibly high levels of data security.
The best way to unify control across public, private, and on-premise cloud systems is to embrace a shared responsibility model for security. This model means both you and the provider are responsible for securing different layers of your implementation.
Source: Palo Alto Networks
3. Cohesive IaaS and PaaS Services
Another unique benefit that public clouds offer enterprises is support for both IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service). IaaS providers help businesses by managing, organizing and building up different sets of data that they need in order to operate. PaaS can then provide a framework in which these datasets can be integrated to create software systems, such as an app framework or website hosting service.
The public cloud can also offer IaaS and PaaS wrapped up into one service. If your business is starting from scratch in terms of data collection or already has databases that need organization, public cloud services can help. Public PaaS often go hand-in-hand with IaaS through middleware that allows users to configure and use databases via specific front-end software.
For example, Google‘s App Engine is a PaaS, but it runs on top of the Google Compute Engine, which is a virtual datacenter that computes and stores large sums of data in order to build mobile applications.
Source: Google
4. Unique Competitive Advantage
The push towards digital adoption is by no means showing any signs of slowing down. Businesses are expected to invest $215 billion in big data and business analytics solutions this year, as per recent data from IDC.
Both B2C customers and B2B buyers are understanding the importance of having access to and analyzing big data. This information can help a company make smarter decisions, provide better customer service, and undertake important initiatives like reducing waste and improving efficiency.
With an effective cloud management strategy, you gain a march over slower or forced adopters of cloud technology. Your developers and IT teams can quickly launch new apps and services, automate hardware and software maintenance, and use AI to gather and cleanse operational data. This simplifies (and secures) every interaction with your customers and vendors, and ultimately improves the quality of customer experience.
A Data-Driven Digital Future
Advancements in cloud computing, as well as big data, are fueling digital transformation by enabling enterprises and even SMBs to build powerful systems that drive innovation.
Business leaders will need to rely on accurate and robust data to make decisions that can keep them competitive in the future. The cloud is a multi-faceted solution “ and businesses can take their game up a few notches by combining it with the power of big data.
