Cloud computing for large companies only?

30 July 2020

Author: Tomasz Kwiczor

Source: Linkedin

As the sky above us turns blue and with the wind comes the cloud, many of us start ot feel justified concern, looking for a safe haven where we can wait out the storm. While atmospheric phenomena can actually be dangerous for us, with Cloud Computing services the situation is totally different; yet, as studies often show, users often run away from the computing cloud as from hailstorm...

What do the statistics show?

PARP Report published in 2018 shows that 87.3% of Polish companies had a low or very low digital intensity index (of which the latter group constituted the majority). At the opposite pole were 12.5% of companies which obtained high or very high indicator. Also, according to the report, good digitisation rates concern mainly large companies, and small entities cope with this much worse. While the digitisation rate depends on many different, sometimes unusual components, the use of cloud computing may be a more reliable indicator of computerisation. In this area, however, the situation is not encouraging either. According to GUS data from 2019, it is large companies that used cloud solutions (52%), and it is those entities that have the measures and human resources to invest in their own infrastructure.

Smaller companies struggle both with access to IT staff and the maintenance of infrastructure, and use the cloud in a much smaller percentage (medium-sized companies 28%, and small ones slightly over 14%). This issue was analysed in a publication prepared by Aruba Cloud in cooperation with Cloud Alliance. According to the published data, the main barrier to using cloud services in the small and medium-sized enterprises sector is the concern about data security. This factor was indicated by as much as 63% of respondents who are afraid to use the cloud. Another obstacle turned out to be dependence on an external provider, which was indicated by as much as 35% of the representatives of the surveyed companies. The next place with the result of 28% was taken by habituation to local IT solutions. The fourth place was occupied by high costs of implementation and use of the cloud, which were indicated by 27% of respondents.

Why do small and medium-sized companies run away from the cloud?

The above data show that very often it is not costs but fears and habits that hinder companies from using the latest solutions. The latter evidently require some change in the perception of outsourcing. Big players have already broken the barrier of fear for data or dependence on an external provider and more often enter into cloud solutions, which means that they have found a provider that guarantees high quality of service and data security. This is a clear sign that it is still possible to find a partner that can provide a secure Cloud Computing solution. For who is more interested in data protection than not big companies that are trading with big money.

Habits are a separate issue and it is hard to fight with that because as we all know: habit is second nature of man. Here, it is external factors that most often help, that somehow force a change of attitude. Such an example can be the pandemic situation, in which we have been stuck for several months and which has clearly shown that it is worth to base your business on modern and highly available technologies. Those who took care of it earlier are surely now the winners.

And finally it is time for costs, because we all count our money. The question remains, however, whether we are counting the money correctly and whether we include all components. At this point it is worth considering whether comparing the costs of maintenance of the used solution in the cloud we can relate them to the expenses that await us e.g. when installing equipment in our own server room… Do we only estimate the costs of the purchase of potential equipment, forgetting about the costs of its operation - not to mention the purchase and maintenance of other equipment such as air conditioning or UPS? Are we able to protect data better on our own than with the help of a professional Cloud Computing service provider? After all, all security measures both physical and software cost money.

These are the questions you should ask yourself when deciding on the best solution for your business. Especially when you face the necessity of changes in the company’s infrastructure. Maybe it is no longer worthwhile to browse through the successive configurations of available servers, but to pay attention to technologies that are at your fingertips. Perhaps after deeper analysis and consultation with a professional service provider, instead of running away from the cloud we will decide to immerse ourselves in it :-)

If you are interested in cloud solutions, please contact: expert@talex.pl.