Entrepreneurs and decision-makers on their way to the world of cloud technologies primarily hope for an increase in sales and easy scaling of their IT. Even if risks in the area of data protection and generally high costs can arise, experts count the cloud among the TOP 5 IT trends. In addition, they predict extraordinary growth for cloud providers. And also a study by Bitkom ( Cloud Monitor 2019 ) shows that of the more than 500 companies surveyed, more than 70% already use cloud technologies.
For the other sub-area that is still on the way, this article is intended to provide an introduction to the topic.
Guide to the world of cloud technologies
Entrepreneurs and beginners in the field of cloud technologies should first of all make the decision about the right service model. With regard to your requirements, you should choose between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.
Overview of the service models
The service model IaaS describes the least complex variant and describes a virtual data center with computing power, storage and networks. Infrastracture as a Service can score points above all with a high degree of flexibility and easy migration of existing applications that run on virtual machines.
The next level of service models is through PaaS shown. Platform as a Service is particularly popular with software developers, as it enables them to develop and execute their own programs faster on the infrastructure offered by means of interfaces. It is also easily scalable.
The most complex form of the service model is through SaaS described. Software as a service is already comparable to a business model. The functions of a software are made available to the customer for a fee.
Overview of delivery models
The next step is to select the right delivery model. So the option that describes whether it should be a private or a public cloud.
As the name suggests, describes the Public cloud the offer of a provider for a cloud with all its services that is freely accessible to the public via the Internet. Many companies are afraid of problems with data protection. On the other hand, this cloud technology offers the advantage that you can dispense with the purchase of your own hardware and software and the management of IT. These necessary tasks are taken over by the provider here.
Entrepreneurs and decision-makers for whom the risk of data protection violations is too serious can also opt for the use of a Private cloud decide. The administration and accessibility of IT services are regulated in-house. Finally, maintenance-free and installation-free IT applications as well as a scalable IT infrastructure can be accessed via the web browser.
Often, however, it is also in the interests of entrepreneurs and decision-makers to combine the advantages of both variants. For this reason, there is now a third form, the Hybrid cloud , crystallized out.
The hybrid cloud
In the Hybrid cloud the most important characteristics of the public and private cloud are brought together. The hybrid form of cloud technologies enables applications that are subject to data protection criteria to be kept internally in the company. At the same time, applications that are less strictly protected can be managed publicly on the Internet by external service providers.
However, the hybrid cloud also has some obstacles. In particular, the strict separation of data is often a difficult undertaking. A structured and consistent subdivision of critical and non-critical company data, business processes and workflows is required in order to set up the system efficiently.
Conclusion
Getting started with the cloud is often difficult. On the one hand, this is due to the high level of complexity and, on the other hand, the fact that cloud solutions are still somewhat unknown. However, it is very clear that cloud technologies have become indispensable in the area of agile and modern work. For example, the collaboration of virtual teams with customers around the world can be managed much better.
Tip: Read my new book: The way to the cloud at Springer Gabler or book me for a talk .
source
Lindner, D., Niebler, P., & Wenzel, M. (2020). The way to the cloud – a guide for entrepreneurs and decision-makers . Heidelberg: Springer Gabler.
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