Why Australian companies are becoming innovators in cloud solutions

The Australian region has become an influential innovator in the cloud computing sector in recent years. This is not by mistake, but rather by design of how the market in the region operates. In an effort to curb the surge of the Asian economies that surround them, Australian companies have had to look for ways to reduce their expenditure while maintaining the same level of service delivery. This led them to the discovery of the immense potential of the private cloud service that cloud service providers were offering. They have, therefore, engineered a number of solutions in line with private clouds that have helped them increase their global market share.

First, the private cloud service has been used as the IT infrastructure of choice by a large number of Australian companies. They have innovated this into an IT architecture that businesses subscribe to instead of creating. They are able to deploy this solution in their day to day operations with a relative ease that has seen more and more of them adopt it. The beauty of this is that rather than being just end point users, they are part of the collaborative process to design solutions that they will end up using. The company that has adopted the use of a private cloud gets to be part of the team that designs the solutions. This allows them to add their input on what they would expect to be provided with in the final solution that they use.

Cloud computing has seen Australian companies significantly reduce their operating costs while keeping their IT infrastructure as modern as possible. This eases the cost of operations because they do not need to pay for the cost of acquisition or maintenance. Since the solution is administrated from the service provider end, they are able to reduce the staff that they need for the IT department. Furthermore, they also get access to the best expertise in IT and related matters that money can buy.

The Australian market has seen a proportionate increase in the number of companies that offer these services. These companies have set up their operations in the country as they seek to take advantage of the favorable investment regulations. The terrain of the country is also flat and generally low lying. This makes it remarkably easy to setup cloud facilities, and since the power costs are low, the overheads are low. Companies that have used the cloud have seen these benefits translated in terms of their bottom line performance.

Aspects of your cloud that should be managed by the provider

The increase in the number of companies that are using cloud services has led to the need for the creation of an adequate cloud management system. Cloud services are the newest form of computing infrastructure. They have transformed computing into a service that is delivered to consumers on demand through the internet. This has had immense appeal to the business community who needed a way to decrease and streamline their expenditure on information technology infrastructure. The majority of the businesses that use cloud services, however, do not realize why they need cloud management. This is more so true for businesses that traditionally operate within the IT sector. They tend to make the assumption that they are perfectly capable of managing the cloud internally. This has several disadvantages from increasing the cost of personnel to reducing the efficiency of the cloud. There are certain aspects that are best managed by the service provider.

The first of these aspects is the security that is used to protect the cloud. Cloud security services are best provided by the cloud service provider for a number of reasons. One, the cloud service provider is usually the one who also creates the application programming interface that the cloud operates on. This means that the person using the cloud is best served in a scenario where they allow the creator of the API to design the security to guard it. This is because the service provider will be more intimate with the weaknesses of the cloud that need shoring up. Cloud security services are a much more cost effective option for the business because they get the best expertise for a relatively low cost. They are also guaranteed of the level of service that they will get in terms of security as this is stipulated in the service level agreement that they sign with the cloud service provider.

A second aspect that needs management is the creation, installation, and deployment of applications on the cloud. The applications that are designed to be used on a cloud are built on the API. This means that it is better to pick an application developer with an innate understanding of the workings of the API you are designing for. By allowing the cloud management service to handle this aspect, the company ensures that they will get the best level of performance that is possible on the cloud solution that they intend to use.

Cloud Hosting and Cloud Management System

Every organization doing business with intricate computer applications would have noticed there are problems associated with high volume computer applications usage.  They range from computer hanging, data loss to hard disc problems.  Having such problems at a critical state of a project could be highly frustrating. A customer, browsing through a company’s website with the intention to purchase a product and finding it difficult to navigate quickly from one product to the other, could lead to loss as customers will simply go through competitor’s website that is easy to browse. This could be due to overload of computer or inability of the computer’s configuration to accept certain commands. Cloud hosting is a veritable solution to such problems.

Cloud hosting ensures that your high volume computer applications run on a network of servers. Your data storage is made redundant, which means your data is safe and will be available on another disc if one fails. Unlimited space is available for storage and dedicated servers are assigned to complex web applications.  Applications are run effortlessly; navigation and volume can be done without hitches. Cloud management system is the ability to be able to provide a network of computers, data access, software and expertise that will make cloud hosting available and satisfactory to prospective clients.  There are several cloud software that cloud management system sift through and ensure the best is used for hosting. End-users of cloud hosting do not necessarily need to know the location or configuration of the equipment providing these services.

Cloud management system is also the assemblage of cloud hosting tools that are up-to-date and will deliver to client’s satisfaction. Data recovery, security and performance monitoring are some of the responsibilities of cloud management.  Complaints should be limited to the barest minimum as every effort should be made to ensure that problems associated with non-cloud hosting are totally solved.

The advantages of cloud hosting cannot be overemphasized.  Several organizations have accepted cloud hosting and are doing extremely well in terms of customer satisfaction.  However, pricing is a key factor for organizations to consider in deciding whether or not they will go for cloud hosting. It should, however, be noted that customer satisfaction achieved at a higher cost will eventually lead to more profit and consequently compensate for the high cost of getting customer satisfaction.  It is expected that, as more organizations embrace cloud hosting, price will come down.  Cloud management system becomes more tasking and demanding due to more organizations embracing cloud system.

Why the cloud is set to replace legacy systems

Cloud services are a form of computing where computing resources are delivered over a dispersed network to the consumers. They are an innovation over the traditional form of computing which has a product base as its foundation. They have been designed to be used by both the private consumer market and the business and enterprise market. Legacy systems are the traditional physical forms of computing that are used in most cases. Cloud computing is set to replace these forms of computing for a number of reasons. This has been confirmed by recent trends in the computing market. Here are the reasons why the cloud will take over. 

First, cloud computing is much easier to use than traditional legacy systems. Cloud management system ensures that the services that are delivered to the consumer market are delivered in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the consumer. The cloud has been designed to translate complex computing systems into easy to use services. These have attracted the attention of a large portion of the computing market. The result of this has been an increase in the number of people who are using the cloud, as opposed to normal systems. 

Second, cloud computing has a guarantee of the level service that will be delivered on the consumer end. Cloud management services are based on a service level agreement that ensures that the consumer gets the best level of service that is possible under the design of the system. The cloud services that the consumer expects are detailed in the cloud service level agreement in specific terms. These agreements are created by the service provider and agreed upon by the consumer who seeks to use such services. 

Third, the cloud has a higher rate of scalability. Scalability in the context of computing refers to the ability of the cloud service provider to increase or decrease the level of resources that the consumer has access to. This is extremely beneficial in the context of any product that is delivered as a service such as cloud computing. The consumer only needs to make a request to the service provider in time and accept to be billed for the extra service that has been provided. 

Lastly, cloud computing is far cheaper and more reliable than legacy systems. Improvements in the underlying technology and network connections have seen to this. This is going to attract a large number of users making the cloud the most used computing technology across the market.

Which is better: branded or independent cloud service providers?

Any company seeking to avail itself the advantages inherent in cloud computing has at one point asked this question. The nascent nature of cloud computing has made it difficult for most to decide which kind of cloud computing company would best serve their needs. The situation has further been complicated by the low levels of knowledge on cloud services. All of this has then been mired in controversy due to the proliferation of pointless myths as to the cost and effectiveness of services. 

There are several key aspects to consider before deciding between a brand name and an independent cloud services provider. The first is the expertise behind the cloud computing solution provided. Cloud computing, especially within the commercial sense, is a recent development. Furthermore, most companies are developing their cloud computing platforms in isolated and proprietary environments. This has led to cloud solutions that are only standard in the nature of the services they provide. The question of expertise involved in the development becomes central. Branded companies are mainly focused on proprietary development 

while independents may indulge in open source development. The second issue is cloud computing trio-factor of reliability, stability, and scalability. Here, branded companies have a slight edge over independent service providers. This is because they have a company image to project and protect. Furthermore, they are likely to have amassed greater resources for the provision of cloud computing services. Take, for example, a cloud computing company like cloud services Microsoft. Years of success within the computing sector have left it with a brand name worth protecting, and vast resources to do so. This means that when investing in the infrastructure, they have access to systems which have more capacity and reliability. This results in a cloud infrastructure that is more stable and extremely reliable. Furthermore, since they are investing with a forward view, they are likely to provide room for growth. This enables easy upward scaling of services. Hence, branded businesses are better placed in handling an emerging technology than independent providers due to the experience and understanding of the field. 

The third issue to check is their record of accomplishment within the cloud computing sector. Good companies as cloud services Microsoft have an excellent reputation of service delivery. This is also enhanced by the goodwill that has been generated over years of excellent computing service delivery. In conclusion, the choice should hinge on the services needed by the company. The lack of clear favorites is not a disservice to the business sector.

Which is better: public or private cloud services?

There is now access to the public and private cloud services for the average consumer. The problem is that most users don’t know how to compare these two in deciding. The lack of information in a simplified and easily accessible manner leads to increased levels of confusion amongst the public. This makes them likelier to end up with a wrong decision and later regretting it. Here, we analyze these two solutions to help you choose.

One, what are the costs of these solutions? Private cloud solution is charged at premium rates. These rates are proportional to actual use and are levied on a monthly or yearly basis. The model used is pay per use which enables the user to determine how much they intend to use within a set time. There is a common misconception that public cloud services are free. While there are no external subscription fees charged to the users, there are indirect costs of using these solutions. Limitations in functionality, scalability, and reliability can be viewed as indirect costs. On the subject of costs, public cloud solutions are better for individual use while private clouds are better for businesses.

Two, what are the limitations of the solutions? Public cloud services are extremely limited in terms of the functionality, access, scalability, reliability provided to the user. Functionality is usually reduced to basic and generic functions to make them cheaper to deploy. Access is limited by the whims of the service provider since there is no contractual obligation to provide service. Scalability and reliability are limited by the lowered rate of investment in the cloud infrastructure. Private cloud services have their limitations provided by the contract. This means that the user can reduce them as per their perceived need.

Three, which solution is easier to use? The ease of use of cloud solutions has been a crucial decision point in recent times. Public cloud services are the easiest to use. Their public deployment means that developers need to make systems which can be used by anyone. However, the real reason they are easy to use is that they are simple in terms of the service they offer. The generic and low levels of cloud services are easier to use. Private cloud solutions can be complex; however, this has been addressed through the use of managed hosting.

When making a decision between either solution, the underlying factor for you must be based on what you need the cloud solution for.

Why hire SAAS for your business?

Application services, more commonly referred to as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), are a form of computing where software and data hosted on a cloud are provided to end users by a Cloud Solutions Provider. They rely on the use of a ‘thin client’ which is a computer or web based application that in turn relies on a server to carry out its computational functions. The server is far more powerful than the thin client, and this allows it to process tasks that are either too complex or demanding for the thin client.

An example of this is computer terminals for e-resource access in public libraries. The data by a public library is huge and access of such can be a problem, much akin to data stored on the cloud. All the data that is stored on the cloud is structurally labelled for easy access and retrieval.

A cloud solutions provider or application service provider (ASP) provides applications, software, hardware and data storage for you. These services are mainly provided on a pay per use subscription basis, which lowers the cost for you. The administration of the IT resources and provision of data is provided by the application service provider.

The business model for application services utilises remote hosting of software services to be provided through a shared network, most commonly the internet, by use of client applications. The network of access can also be a private data centre with a locked network. You pay for the application services that you intend to use on a need basis in either the form of a regular subscription or pay as you go payment plan with the application service provider.

The advantages of such a system are:

1. SaaS allows for configuration of the program parameters by you to tailor make a customized functio0nality of the software service acquired. This operates much like conventional software customization which allows for the selection of the particular facets of an application useful to you.

2. SaaS applications are easily updated and maintained as they are hosted centrally by the ASP. Furthermore, because they are pooled resources, it ensures cross compatibility of data forms across users allowing for easier data sharing.

3. It allows for easier collaboration both within a company and across the users. Additional features such as online social networking functionality enhance this feature.

4. It eliminates costs incurred in software acquisition and maintenance. Furthermore, when properly implemented, it can not only reduce but also eliminate the need for support and administrative personnel.

5. ASP’s serve many clients upping the need for proper security and data protection.