Cloud Computing - The Future Has Arrived!

WSIPC has signed a three-year contract with Microsoft to use Azure as the cloud hosting platform for Qmlativ. So what is Azure? And how can Azure and the cloud benefit you and the Cooperative?

Cloud hosting provides computing services, over the Internet (“the cloud”) rather than storing them on a local server or a personal computer.

Microsoft Azure is a growing collection of integrated cloud computing services that developers and IT professionals use to build, deploy, and manage applications through a global network of datacenters.

Cloud computing has only been around for about ten years, but it is already becoming widely used by a variety of organizations, from global corporations to government agencies. According to McAfee’s 2017 State of Cloud Adoption and Security Report, “73% of organizations utilize cloud services in some form” and “62% of organizations reported storing personal customer information in public clouds.”

Cloud computing is a significant change from the traditional way businesses approach IT resources. So why are companies using the cloud platforms like Azure, and what are the benefits?

Cost:

Cloud providers like Microsoft Azure typically charge for cloud computing services based on usage so you only pay for the resources and workloads you use. Cloud computing also eliminates expenses such as buying hardware, running data centers, and cooling server rooms.

Performance and efficiency:

Cloud computing services like Microsoft Azure, run on global networks of datacenters that use the latest versions of hardware and encryption, so accessing your data is fast and secure.

Managing your own data storage and software applications is time-consuming, and ties up valuable IT resources. Cloud computing manages these tasks for you, which allows your IT department to focus on tasks that support and develop your business goals.

Reliability:

Cloud computing makes data backup and disaster recovery easier because data can be mirrored at multiple redundant sites on the cloud provider’s network.

Workload resilience:

When compared to a traditional IT approach, cloud computing uses physical resources more efficiently and reduces energy consumption. Cloud resources can automatically scale up whenever your computing needs increase and scale down again when demand decreases. This ensures that you always have the resources you need and never pay for resources you don’t use.

Security:

If you use a trusted product such as Microsoft Azure, and if you implement strong security practices such as those outlined by the Cloud Security Alliance, recent reports and studies show that data stored in the cloud is far safer than data stored onsite.

Alert Logic’s 2017 Cloud Security Report found that “Pure public cloud installations experienced the fewest security incidents. On average, customers running applications on public cloud platforms experienced 405 security incidents over the 18-month period while on-premises customers experienced a 51% higher rate of security incident escalations.”

Ninety percent of Fortune 500 companies trust the Microsoft Cloud, and so can you. The future is bright! Azure will help protect your assets by focusing on security, privacy, compliance, and transparency; and Azure will bring efficiency and cost savings to the Cooperative that will help your district thrive!