How the cloud is becoming a standard IT solution

Quick, name the technology that is currently be used in your company. What did you come up with? Mobile devices? Virtualization? Unified communications? Cloud computing? It is possible that you named all, some or none of these strategies, and the amazing thing is that a decade ago, most of these did not exist, or at least they didn't have the impact they do now.

This can easily be seen when examining cloud computing. A recent Huffington Post guest column from DitgitalOcean founder and CEO Ben Uretsky examined how the cloud has evolved from buzzword to an integral part of any emerging business market.

The reason for this is that mobile devices and the remote workforce are gaining traction, which helps push cloud computing further into the spotlight. On top of that, the cost effectiveness of cloud infrastructure—virtualized hardware, more flexibility, dedicated servers at lower costs—make it desirable for many organizations.

However, there are challenges like security and keeping up with the maintenance and repairs of business hardware that connects to the cloud. While these are real concerns, they are manageable with the right processes.

"Overall, an effective cloud computing strategy makes storing data, automating backups, and increasing access much easier, saving a lot of time and resources that can benefit all businesses," Uretsky wrote.

He goes on to give advice, which is to partner with an experienced cloud computing solution provider that can help businesses deploy the cloud and manage these systems through the entire life cycle of the solution.