How internet technology is being shaped by cloud computing

Large-scale virtual networks hosted on the cloud are changing the face of internet technology. It is estimated that 60% of workloads now exist on the cloud. As a platform-as-a-service, the cloud has allowed businesses to quickly innovate, scale their operations and adapt to changing market demands.

The well-known features of cloud computing are its potential for remote collaboration, on-demand access from any location, and lower costs because of pay-per-use pricing structures. The internet is a vast conglomeration of users, devices and virtual machines. With cloud computing, the internet is propelled into the next generation of inter-connectivity.

The cloud offers real-time data analytics and this has transformed business models. Business leaders no longer have to guess at market trends, but can now know exactly how to respond to consumer needs based on data-driven insights. All major industries, including healthcare, logistics, finance, education and entertainment are using internet technology based on cloud computing. This trend is set to grow with innovative product offerings and business models disrupting existing market conditions.

The interconnectivity of people, places and things

We all witnessed how a pandemic can shake up our traditional ways of working. With the cloud, businesses were able to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 related disruptions. Through the cloud, employees can access files and programs from any location. They don't need to be close to physical hardware or any particular location in order to do their jobs.

Collaboration via the cloud is enabled through fast upload and download speeds, making digital resources highly available to users. This inter-connectivity of people, places and machines goes beyond the internal workings of an organisation.

Public clouds, such as Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, have created a new digital experience for businesses. With these cloud environments, resources are shared with other organisations; multi-tenancy is a key feature of the public cloud architecture.

Multi-tenancy and cloud computing

Hosting multiple users or businesses at the same time makes multi-tenancy a cost-effective option for businesses. What's more, companies incur low or no maintenance costs because the cloud provider handles any security and software updates. Taking advantage of burstable capacity, businesses can quickly take their operations to scale, only paying for the storage and processing power that they need at any given time.

The cloud as an intelligent internet technology

Public clouds offer the benefit of dynamic allocation of computing resources. Using software solutions, such as SD-WAN, business networks evolve into intelligent systems that automatically choose the best path for data traffic to flow. Critical tasks can be prioritised to ensure they are always carried out. Improved network performance and intelligent routing serves to boost operational efficiency and enhance customer experience. Should anything go wrong, the cloud is an indispensable tool for data backup and disaster recovery.

Cloud computing is shaping internet technologies

From enterprises to startups, cloud computing is changing the way that companies operate. An example is e-commerce, where the cloud makes supply chains more transparent. Automation on the cloud ensures that consumers get up-to-the-minute information about their orders, delivery and returns. Customer journeys can be tracked through the cloud and this gives businesses valuable insight into what happens from initial engagement to final purchase.

In the healthcare industry, the cloud has made it easier to manage and share patient data and access to medical records. Healthcare facilities can now use cloud technologies to innovate and cut costs without affecting frontline services. Staff now have better access to clinical records and offer higher levels of personalised care. This also allows hospitals to reduce the cost of back office management and to reallocate resources to improve patient care.

SaaS startups use cloud technologies to grow their businesses

The cloud forms the backbone of software-as-a-service (SaaS) startups. New businesses can purchase cloud-based apps to improve the efficiency of nearly all business functions. From payment gateways to human resource management tools, startups can overcome some of the challenges of having small teams and limited resources.

A SaaS startup that is gaining a lot of traction worldwide is ClickUp. This North American startup offers project management and interactive collaborative tools for teams via a cloud-based platform. The US-based company Eqtble is another example of a SaaS startup. This company uses cloud-based AI to provide business insights about employees, with the aim of promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity among the workforce.

Business on the cloud

When cloud computing first emerged back in 1994, it was used to store and process data on third-party remote servers. Since then, the cloud has enabled a wide variety of business processes. Improved innovation through the cloud has meant that businesses gain a sustainable competitive advantage.

It is predicted that by 2025, 85% of companies will be cloud-first and 95% of all new workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms. Cloud-native architectures will be ubiquitous and investment in the cloud set to increase. From 2021 to 2022, global cloud revenue increased by 16%, an indication of its current growth trajectory. In the coming years, the cloud will be the foundation of business innovation and the key driver of technological change.

The cloud allows small businesses to go global. Developing countries gain access to new markets. Language barriers are reduced and intelligent systems just keep on getting better at what they do. Cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) is used to organise, retrieve and interpret data. Machine-to-machine communication is enhanced and big data supports better decision making for stakeholders.

Cloud computing for business

SEACOM Business offers a wide range of cloud-based solutions for South African businesses. Our solutions are fully customisable and user-friendly. Businesses save on costs because there is no need for any physical infrastructure or other hardware. Flexible pricing means that companies only pay for what they use.

With our managed services, businesses can focus on achieving their corporate goals while the cloud architects and administrators at SEACOM Business take care of their cloud requirements. For more information or to get a quote for our cloud solutions, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.

SEACOM owns Africa’s most extensive network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including subsea cables and secure internet connections. We offer a diverse range of flexible, scalable and high-quality solutions for businesses that meet world-class standards for connectivity.

SEACOM is privately owned and operated, making it agile and adaptable to the needs of the customer. This makes us the preferred ICT and internet connectivity partner for African businesses and peripheral service providers. We can guarantee high-speed, low-latency and secure internet connections to corporates and small enterprises.

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