Cloud has revolutionized the way we develop, deliver, and manage information technology (IT) services. To truly complete your digital transformation and achieve the agility and competitiveness needed for success today, you need to understand how to utilize cloud everywhere possible in your business. When all your technology needs are delivered as services, you can mix, match, scale, and modify your infrastructure in nearly unlimited ways to meet the demands of not your business, not your department, but each specific project or product.
What are the cloud services needed to deliver that kind of flexible IT architecture? It’s not IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS; it’s a whole set of “aaS” offerings that offer core and specialized services:
• File storage as a service. Having files stored in the cloud allows them to be accessed from anywhere and enables new collaborations.
• Database as a service. From traditional relational databases optimized for the cloud to newer non-SQL databases, the cloud’s infinite storage and database choices let you store data however it can be accessed and used most effectively.
• Analytics as a service. Get the most value out of the data in your cloud databases with analytics services that find hidden relationships and discover new opportunities. Make data-based business decisions that aren’t based on a gut feeling.
• Archiving as a service. When data’s no longer needed for daily use but can’t be discarded due to compliance requirements, archiving in the cloud gets data out of your way while keeping it available for when it’s needed.
• Desktop as a service. No matter how much employees use mobile devices, they’ll still need a desktop device. You can eliminate the need to support and update desktop devices through using virtual desktop infrastructure, but that requires supporting server-side infrastructure in its place. With desktop as a service, the cloud provider handles that support for you.
• Communication as a service. Business requires communicating with customers, suppliers, partners, and employees. Use voice, instant messaging, and video conference services provided through the cloud to enable access to the latest advanced features.
• Identity as a service and Security as a service. Keeping data safe is one of the most challenging aspects of IT operations. Using them “as a service” means your team can leverage the cloud provider’s expertise.
• Applications as a service. Let’s not forget, the cloud’s servicers can deliver applications as a service to you (“software as a service”) as well as provide an environment to host your own web applications.
• Disaster recovery as a service. No matter how you work with cloud, disaster recovery in the cloud reduces the risks of outages.
How are you leveraging cloud for your business? Whether you use individual services where you think they make sense or are working to transform your enterprise to rely on cloud everywhere, VAST IT Services offers the support and expertise your team needs to succeed in the cloud. Contact us to learn more about using cloud as an integral part of your business IT.
