Monthly Archives: July 2017

What You Need To Know About The Cloud in YOUR Workplace

Posted on by

Here’s a question for anybody, regardless of industry: do you know if you use the cloud in your day to day activities? Even if you are not an IT specialist, it always pays to be cognizant of the technology at your disposal and the ways that you can use it to be more productive and improve the quality of your work.

Given the recent widespread adoption of cloud technology, it stands to reason that many businesses and industries already make use of the cloud in some capacity. I’d like to take a moment and talk about some of the industries that benefit the most from cloud adoption. If you belong to any of the below and are not aware of the ways in which the cloud can assist you, I encourage you to conduct your own research and push towards your company creating its own plan.

Banking

The banking industry needs the cloud to process massive amounts of data. Given the nature of the data, cloud security is paramount here. As security measures improve for this new technology, expect banks to use it more often. The cloud’s ability to make businesses more agile is ideal. This best serves banks that may have to handle acquisitions and improve outdated software over time.

Education

Education is always in demand. The need for student portals and administrative records is best served through cloud adoption. There are many time consuming processes in the education sector that can be improved or automated through cloud services, and platforms for email or other communications can be facilitated over the cloud. Furthermore, the mobile connectivity that the cloud can provide is necessary for the modern era of students and teachers.

Healthcare

I’ve spoken in the past about the value that the cloud brings healthcare, and would like to reiterate here. The massive quantity of patient records necessitates some level of streamlining and automation, especially when this data is traded across providers. The cloud can help make this process less of a hassle and ultimately provide further security and confidentiality for patients when their information is sent out to others.

Construction

The construction industry is based around logistics, something that cloud providers help improve. Often, with job sites and other projects, it can be difficult for administrators to track the information that they need. The cloud can provide remote and mobile access for these professionals, enabling them to get the information that they need at a moment’s notice. Plus, the financial concerns inherent in construction makes construction professionals a strong candidate for certain management platforms.

Startups

While less an industry and more a type of company, startup companies have the most to gain from adopting the cloud. Unlike established businesses, they don’t have to waste time and capital adapting their existing data infrastructure to the cloud; they can start right away and have the cloud make an impact on organizing their operations. Plus, the scalability of the cloud allows startup owners to adapt to the changing nature of their business.

Conclusion

Every company has something to gain from the cloud, even if only in the form of document sharing. Any savvy business professional should learn the benefits that this new technology can confer. They can stay competitive and evolve for the future.

If you have any questions about how your business can adopt the cloud, contact me through the form on the front page.

Master the Cloud With These 5 Books

Posted on by

Are you the type of professional that is always learning and adapting? Then you have that in common with cloud computing, which is growing every year and becoming more relevant in every aspect of life. If you work with the cloud or are starting to learn, there are plenty of resources to help you out.

In this age of the Internet, there’s no reason not to choose a book that fits your time. Though many sources online are available to help you along, it can be difficult to sift through everything. Here are a few of the best books on cloud computing.

Cloud Computing: From Beginning to End by Ray Rafaels

They say that any expert should be able to write in a way that anyone can understand, and that’s what Rafaels has done in this book. From Beginning to End covers migrating to the cloud along with ways to leverage it in business. As Rafeaels is mercifully easy to understand, this book is suitable for all levels of experience with cloud technology.

Cloud Computing: Concepts, Technology & Architecture by Thomas Erl, Ricardo Puttini, and Zaigham Mahmood

While it can be a difficult book to read straight through, Concepts, Technology & Architecture is a great supplementary reference for anyone learning the cloud. If you want to understand the underlying concepts behind cloud computing, this is the book for you. Erl, Puttini, and Mahmood have taken the time to unpack real life examples for the benefit of the reader, giving practical insight into how to properly use the cloud in daily business practices.

Cloudonomics: The Business Value of Cloud Computing by Joe Weinman

While other works focus on the technical aspects of the cloud, Cloudonomics is a study in the ways that it has impacted business. This is good reading for company leaders that won’t be heavily invested in the cloud, but should have enough of an understanding of its capabilities to know the best ways to use it successfully. Using case studies and statistics about things such as ROI and costs, Weinman paints a picture of the state of adoption and posits how it might move forward.

Architecting the Cloud: Design Decisions for Cloud Computing Service Models by Michael Kavis

Practical and informative, Kavis lays out the myriad of cloud service offerings available in Architecting the Cloud. This is a great book for IT professionals with a smattering of knowledge that are now working on transitioning their infrastructure to the cloud. Even beyond the cloud, much of the advice offered in this book is applicable for IT best practices in general. It’s not overly technical, so you may need to look elsewhere for some of the minutiae, but there are plenty that will find the information here valuable.

Amazon Web Services For Dummies by Bernard Golden

AWS is one of the most popular cloud computing platforms on the market, so it’s no surprise that it’s worth investigating further. Golden does just this, providing advice for implementing AWS effectively. Go into the API that you’ll be using with AWS and learn the functions important to running your business. This book can be used in conjunction with some of the free information that Amazon publishes on AWS for further value and to learn more.