What Cloud Services Are and How They Assist in Business

09 Aug 24 8 min read

Cloud services have deeply impacted the lives of common people. Having hard drives and other storage devices is well behind the times. The business owners more regularly turn to cloud providers to deploy or migrate their IT-systems. What are cloud services, what could they be like, and how can they help businesses to be one step ahead of their competitors?

The nature of cloud services

Public cloud services are the apps and platforms, which ‘live’ and work on the cloud operators’ servers. Their main distinctive feature is that by creating an account on such a platform, a person will gain access to one’s information from any gadget anywhere in the world.

Speaking of which services could be deemed cloud ones, these are the famed TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Airbnb, Netflix, Dropbox, Google Drive etc.

There are more than 10 models of cloud services provision. Cloud providers specify the three most popular ones:

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) ― renting the customer computing resources in the form of virtual infrastructure.
PaaS (Platform as a Service) — the client receives a fully-featured virtual platform with various tools and services.
SaaS (Software as a Service) — the client receives certain software products at one’s disposal using the internet.

Now, SaaS is deemed the most popular in the world, as it is used by almost everyone with internet access. Every day, we use products of this model type without even realizing they are hosted in the cloud. SaaS model is very simple: apps and services are developed and maintained by the developing company, which hosts them in the cloud and offers them to users via a browser or a PC software. A client only pays a subscription fee (or uses the service for free, as is often the case), while updates and technical support are handled by the developer.

How cloud services transform business

Cloud services transform business and give new capacities for companies of various sizes and sectors. They facilitate the ability to efficiently manage resources, decrease expenses and open new horizons to expand innovations.

Cloud platforms allow business to cut expenses on purchase and maintenance of physical servers, net equipment and other IT infrastructure. Instead of investing in own data centers, the companies can rent the required computing resources from cloud providers, paying only for what is really used. It aids in reducing CapEx and transforming them into OpEx, which is especially important for startups and small business.

One of the main cloud services features is their flexibility. Companies can quickly scale resources in accordance with the change in demand, for example, during the seasonal activity peaks or an abrupt business scaling. Cloud gives possibility to add to lower the computing power, disk space, or other resources on a real-time basis, without much time and cost wasted for the physical infrastructure upgrade.

Key advantages of using the cloud services

Data availability from any world corner

One of the main cloud services benefits is the possibility to access them from anywhere in the world where there is internet. It ensures the business flexibility, allowing employees to work remotely, have access to the necessary information during work trips or from other places. This availability improves productivity and communication between teams, disregardless of their location.

High reliability and data safety

Due to encryption, multi-layered security and two-factor authentication use, companies can be confident in the storage and protection of their data. Moreover, cloud services often have integrated mechanisms of data recovery after failures or cyberattacks, which reduce risks of data loss and minimize downtime.

If a cloud provider, on the basis of which the cloud service works, hosts its equipment in TIER III and TIER IV compliant data centers, the risk of accidents is brought to a minimum, while safety norms and processes correspond to international standards.

Backup automation and data recovery

One of the main aspects of data protection in business is a regular reserve copying and fast data recovery on demand. A cloud service suggests automated solutions for backups, which significantly simplifies the data storing process. It enables human factor elimination, decreased risk of data loss and continuous access to important data at any time. Automation also allows for a quick data retrieval in case of an emergency, which minimizes business process impact.

High speed of data processing

The cloud services users get an efficient system of data processing, which doesn’t suffer from overload, network unreliability, data leaks risks or main drawbacks, inherent to many local systems. Cloud platforms use leading algorithms optimizing the servers’ operation and finding the most efficient routes for direct data traffic.

Technical support

The provider is in charge of the cloud services administration. This allows business to save the budget on hiring and maintaining a staff of IT specialists and to focus on the development of its own services.

Best cloud services for business (examples)

Microsoft 365 is a cloud service that combines convenient modern work tools distributed on a subscription basis. The Microsoft 365 package includes:

Business-class email on an Exchange server.
Mobile and web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Sharepoint portal and public business card landing page with a simple page builder
More than 10 extra programs (Microsoft Bookings, Planner, Forms, etc.).
Chat, calls and video conferences in Microsoft Teams.
Access to apps of the latest Microsoft Office version.
OneDrive space (1 TB per user).

Google One (Drive) is a paid service from Google that provides users with advanced cloud storage and additional benefits. It is an extension of the basic Google Drive offer, which unites all Google cloud services under one subscription fee.

The main functions and purposes of Google One:

The service offers more cloud storage than the free 15 GB that every Google user gets. This space is used to store files in Google Drive, photos and videos in Google Photos, and email in Gmail.
Available storage plans range from 100 GB to several terabytes.
Google One lets you share your subscription with up to five family members, each of whom gets their own storage space, but they all share the same volume.
Google One users get access to expert support from Google that can help with questions related to Google products and services.

Generally speaking, the services belonging to Google’s cloud services are Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Translate, etc.

Zimbra corporate mail is a convenient solution for correspondence and collaboration of company employees from any device. Includes mail server, calendar, organizer, file storage and office tools for working with documents.

Zimbra mail server is hosted in the GigaCloud cloud and has a number of advantages, here are the main ones:

You can connect to cloud mail as soon as 60 minutes after placing an order.
The mail server is located in the cloud, which operates on the basis of five data centers corresponding to the reliability level of TIER III and TIER IV. This allows you to get rid of a single point of failure in mail.
Ability to smoothly and quickly increase the number of users and mail functionality.
The possibility of placing Zimbra mail server on a site in Ukraine or Europe.

VDI is a technology that allows you to create and manage virtual desktops on remote servers, providing users with access to personalized work environments from any device over the Internet.

VDI is based in the GigaCloud private cloud. First, specialists build a private cloud, and then deploy it under a VDI client. Nothing changes for the client. On the screen, he sees the usual desktop, the same OS and programs. The user is not tied to a specific PC. To resume work from another location, it is enough to log in.

Service capabilities:

Cost reduction. Saves money on IT infrastructure and support, as local devices require minimal resources.
Increased mobility. Employees can work from anywhere in the world, which is especially vital in remote work conditions.
Increased security. Centralized data storage in secure servers reduces the risk of information leaks.
Ease of management. Administrators can easily set up, update, and monitor user environments.

Conclusion

The use of cloud services provides businesses with significant advantages that enhance flexibility, productivity, and data protection. The availability of information from anywhere, high reliability and security, as well as automated backup and data recovery, make cloud technologies an indispensable tool for modern companies, helping them manage their resources more efficiently and focus on developing their core business areas.

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