Cloud Communications

Maximizing the Value of Cloud Communications

By Erin Harrison Executive Editor, Cloud Computing

As the cloud market matures, there is a plethora of cloud-based services available to both enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) – cloud communications in the form of software-as-a-service, infrastructure-as-a-service, as well as cloud storage and cloud backup, among others. The promise of cloud may very well be as wide as the cloud landscape itself, offering benefits such as improved infrastructure, communications and operational efficiencies.

So how do organizations maximize the value of cloud communications in an ever-growing marketplace of vendors that all promise the same end result?

First, businesses need to take the right approach to planning, selecting, deploying, administering, and optimizing the performance of cloud-based applications and other resources, according to a recent Tech News World report.

“Longstanding frustrations with the complexities, costs and operating constraints associated with legacy hardware and software deployment have too often led to underutilization and the inability of organizations to keep pace with escalating customer demands and competitive pressures,” the report pointed out.

In response to this trend, a growing number of IT professionals are evaluating a new generation of cloud-based IT management alternatives to help them better administer their increasingly complex hybrid operations.

For those naysayers who contend that the typical SMB is not yet ready for cloud communications services, think again, as a recent survey released by Symantec Corp. (News - Alert) found that SMBs’ desire to be better prepared for disasters is leading SMBs quickly down the path of virtualization, cloud computing and mobility, TMCnet reported.

One of the main highlights of the survey was that disaster preparedness was top of mind for SMBs and many are looking to improve their disaster recovery (DR) solutions by adopting the right type of cloud technology. Specifically, in the case of private cloud computing, 37 percent reported that disaster preparedness influenced their decision to go to the cloud and 34 percent said they welcomed public cloud and server virtualization because of this focus.

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