Eight Scenarios Surrounding the Effective Use of Cloud Technology
Cloud technology is a powerful tool which has empowered different enterprises and businesses. Each and every business entity is unique with distinctive requirements. The cloud has a robust set of features which meet the demands of different people and enterprises. Here is a list of eight situations which explore the diverse and extensive capabilities of cloud technology.
E-commerce venture
An e-commerce venture will only be successful if the customers experience a flawless and smooth shopping experience. This means faster downloads, well-integrated payment gateway, a secure and safe environment. There is also a need to cater for an extensive database which connects well with the front end. All these requirements can be effectively met with cloud infrastructure.
Seasonal businesses
There are several seasonal businesses, which are operational only for a few months in a year. For example, a mango seller from India would need to have web access for the months of March to August. A Halloween mask provider from US will only do brisk business during Halloween. These seasonal businesses do not require a huge infrastructure at all times in a year. Such businesses must make use of the scalability features of cloud technology.
Established entities
There are many traditional businesses which have a robust online infrastructure in place. Do these entities need to migrate to the cloud? The decision depends on many factors. One organization may wish to shift all its email functions to the cloud. Another may prefer taking a cautious approach and move to the cloud in a phased manner, while some may decide to give the cloud a miss.
Start-ups and entrepreneurs
Start-ups and entrepreneurs have their own problem sets to deal with. First off, a start-up venture requires funding. Venture capital firms, typically, don’t want to be burdened with capital equipment. They would rather prefer to fund entrepreneurs who are agile and quick on their feet. Moreover, start-ups cannot afford to pay huge salaries to their technical staff. Cloud technology provides a good fit for these businesses.
Technology companies
The proliferation of SaaS has willy-nilly compelled technology firms to migrate to the cloud. Products are fast becoming services and the best way to provide these is the cloud. Flexibility in operating environment, a mix of various resources and software, and an easily managed back end are some reasons why technology companies must tag the cloud.
Social media ventures
Who doesn’t want to be the next Facebook? Or Twitter for that matter. The problem is that for every successful Facebook, there are a thousand failures. Setting up infrastructure for such nebulous entities is suicidal. Scaling up with demand and making payment on actual usage, is the only way ahead for these companies. Moreover, social media engagements can take up quite a bit of server space. Here, again, cloud can come to the rescue.
Music and Video download ventures
There is an eclectic mix of entities who are dabbling with music and video downloads. They may not be as mammoth as YouTube, but they gobble up large amounts of resources. Speedy downloads, streaming capability, flexible payment gateways, need for security and hack-free environment can only be supported by cloud technology.
Gaming portal
A gaming portal is not all fun and games. There may be a need a scale up to gargantuan size when you are dealing with multiplayer, geographically dispersed, graphic-intensive environment. These specific requirements are difficult to manage. How does cloud technology stand up to this demanding environment?
Conclusion
All these eight scenarios are playing out endlessly everywhere on the internet. Entrepreneurs, seasoned business owners and thousands of college students are mulling over the cloud conundrum. To clear the air, I will take each of these eight scenarios in the form of case studies in my coming posts.
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About the Guest Author:
Sankarambadi Srinivasan, ‘Srini’, is a maverick writer, technopreneur, geek and online marketing enthusiast rolled into one. He began his career as a Naval weapon specialist. Later, he sold his maiden venture and became head of an offshore Database administration company in Mumbai. He moved on as Chief Technology Officer of one of the largest online entities, where he led consolidation of 300 online servers and introduced several Web 2.0 initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication.
