These days, the cloud is much more of a common technology, with businesses in every industry utilizing Web-based programs for myriad reasons. The benefits of this kind of strategy have been publicized time and time again, with increases in communication, collaboration and, as a result, productivity being among the top perks. However, it seems there are still firms out there that have yet to adopt cloud technologies for whatever reason. Unless these groups keep up with their competitors in this realm, they will likely be left in the dust.
Peter Joynson, Synergi IT managing director, told Bdaily Business News that the industry has reached a tipping point where a rising amount of organizations are opting for cloud-based software and applications as opposed to on-premise solutions. Mostly, adopters invest in the cloud due to a reduction in IT costs, as well as lessened expenditures on hardware and software.
"Companies that don't invest in the cloud are being left behind while their competitors become more agile, efficient and streamlined," Joynson said. "If this happens, there's every chance we'll see some companies go out of business."
Developers taking notice and responding
As more businesses migrate spreadsheets, CRM, reporting tools and other essentials into the cloud, developers are responding to the trend by releasing more cloud-based applications.
According to an Evans Data Corp survey, these cloud apps are now being released more efficiently and more often than ever before, reported EnterpriseTech. Survey results show that developers are also updating their cloud creations more freqently, with more than 25 percent of respondents saying they release cloud app updates daily, and 37 percent are doing so at least once a week.
"The increased frequency of releases is attributed to greater flexibility that allows for minor tweaks to cloud applications as soon as they are written rather than building changes into larger files," EnterpriseTech contributor George Leopold wrote.
Similar to HTML5 form, cloud applications provide increased adaptability for both app developers and users, meaning that any necessary changes or additions can be rolled out with considerable ease in comparison to other approaches. The survey noted that these capabilities are also having an impact on development and operations teams, as they can create software of a higher quality when leveraging the cloud.
Reduced flexibility boosts chances of falling behind
While there are a range of reasons why a failure to adopt the cloud could cause a business to fall behind others in the marketplace, chief among these is the lack of inherent flexibility provided by Web-based offerings, noted ITProPortal.
One of the greatest advantages of the cloud is its ability to provide a higher level of access to users so long as they have Internet access. This means, for example, that even the most geographically dispersed employees can open a company spreadsheet and add in pertinent content. Even better, this information can be seen in real-time by other workers, fostering quicker business processes and better decision-making.
The cloud offers a whole host of benefits for companies, but only if it is adopted into the enterprise's infrastructure. Without cloud technologies in place, businesses will soon notice they are slipping behind, not only with time and technology in general, but in their overall industry as well.
MESCIUS inc.