24 Aug Exploring cloud use cases: Popular and unique ways to leverage the cloud
In many industries, the cloud technologies have become a standard for enterprise IT infrastructure. With a nearly endless list of available applications and use cases, it’s not difficult to understand the surge of workloads being migrated to cloud environments.
In fact, according to RightScale’s 2018 State of the Cloud report, overall cloud usage and spending are on the rise, with additional increases planned for the future. Currently, most organizations utilize at least three cloud environments to support user needs and are experimenting with at least one additional environment.
As the cloud maintains its importance in tech infrastructure, decision-makers should investigate available use cases to ensure they are making the most of their available resources.
“Cloud usage and spending are on the rise, with additional increases planned for the future.”
Top ways to use the cloud
There are a number of cloud utilization strategies that have become very popular, including:
Support for application workloads
Shifting applications from on-prem infrastructure to cloud environments was one of the first, concrete use cases. This approach enables users to access critical applications and capabilities from anywhere with an internet connection, expanding the potential for remote work and for overall productivity. Now, nearly any application workload can be migrated to the cloud, providing endless opportunities for enterprises to reduce complexity and lower operating costs within their on-premises systems.
Backup and recovery
Leveraging the cloud as a backup environment is another common approach. In this way, the cloud can support off-premises, secure and accessible backups, and support a quick recovery with the most up-to-date version of data. If a company’s office location is ever impacted or inaccessible, having backups to rely on, stored within the cloud, is ideal for enabling productivity, even during inclement weather or a disaster.
What use cases does your business’s cloud strategy include?
Unique cloud use cases
There are also certain, more distinctive ways to leverage cloud resources that trend a bit outside of the typical use cases. These styles are catching on in many industries and can be helpful for organizations that are looking to make more strategic use of their cloud environments while supporting other critical business initiatives.
Peak usage periods
Many companies in specific industries prepare for a peak season. For businesses in the retail sector, for instance, the final months of the year present the busiest time, with rising demands from internal staff and customers alike.
In instances of peak demand, the cloud can provide a valuable resource for scalability. Environments can be spun up or expanded in order to account for rising usage and to ensure that customer-facing systems, in particular, have the support they need to enable top performance, even during high-demand periods.
Development and testing
Leveraging the cloud for resource-intensive processes like application development and testing can also be incredibly beneficial. As Contegix pointed out, the cloud can provide cost-effective resources for these pursuits and enables developers and testers to be more independent and productive in their efforts.
To find out more about all the possibilities Pinnacle PowerCloud can provide, connect with the experts at Pinnacle today.
