Written by mojotech | Mar 10, 2015 4:00:00 AM
by Kira Makagon, EVP of Innovation at RingCentral (www.ringcentral.com) The cloud has had its fair share of criticism, and rightfully so. When it was first conceptualized, people thought techies had lost their minds. Just like the Internet went from being just one communications option to prompting a radical shift in the economy that has affected how we work, bank, shop and communicate, cloud computing has moved past its hype to fundamentally change the way we work and live. While 2014 surveys show massive cloud adoption—up to 94% (
tinyurl.com/laas94x) at times—skepticism still rings true. But it’s time to quit being so skeptical and embrace the cloud without hesitation, and here’s why:
Proven price point. When it’s all said and done, cloud computing saves major time and resources. 84% (
tinyurl.com/n8pskzs) of CIOs report they’ve cut application costs by moving to the cloud. Some skeptics are reluctant to give up some of the control of server management, but you’re gaining freedom from responsibility and costs instead.
Cloud actually gives you more control. Server huggers might prefer hardware and server management, but with those systems, employees are controlled by devices and storage issues. The cloud offers remote access to software and data from any device.
We’re past the major glitches. A decade ago, cloud bandwidth was extremely limited and therefore expensive, and quality over the top (OTT) solutions were not readily available like they are today. Thanks to trial, error and major innovation, cloud-based phone systems and other OTT solutions function just as well as their more traditional counterparts.
Access to SaaS. Software integrations that play a large role in our work flow today simple could not exist without the cloud. Rolling out new platforms in a traditional hardware and software setting takes time and resources, and limits access to the latest technologies designed to make the work process better.
Work from anywhere. Today’s mobile workforce demands the technology that enables them to work from wherever, whenever. Freelancers, remote workers and even traditional workers who want to take their laptops home to work after hours are better supported with quality communication tools and access to company files, thanks to the cloud. As the whole world embraces the cloud, skeptics have their reasons not to. I believe that eventually this will make them even better at utilizing the functionality of public, private and hybrid cloud. With complete ease, ditch traditional systems and ways of doing things and replace them with lower cost, more robust options in the cloud. It’s time to embrace the cloud without hesitation and accept the long-term advantages the cloud has in store for even the most skeptic adopters.