COVID-19 is one of the serious disruptions to the world, causing disturbance to almost everybody’s daily routines. As the world grapples with one of the fatal pandemics in history, several companies have moved to operate from home with tackling a newer challenge each day.
On the other hand, there are such companies that have found remote work to be effective enough that they are considering making it permanent. The president of Global Workplace Analytics, Kate Lister has predicted that by the end of 2021, almost 25% – 30% of the workforce will be working from home.
During the current crisis, for which the world was never prepared, businesses had to find realistic and workable alternatives to continue operating for the sake of economic well-being. Cloud computing has served as the primary way to deliver enterprise applications. It has turned out to be the preferred solution for businesses planning to broaden their infrastructure or innovate further.
Few significant cloud service providers like Amazon, Microsoft and Google
have encountered a tremendous growth rate amidst this pandemic. Not just that, by the end of 2021, cloud computing is estimated to reach $47.5 million.
Regardless of being prepped, COVID-19 led global companies to shift to remote jobs rapidly. Often, strategies concerning remote jobs enable companies to work with a wider pool of applicants, with no barrier to geographical location.
Sure, work from home boosts productivity among employees, saving extra hours of commuting to their workplace. Since 2005, the remote workforce has risen by 173 percent. However, currently, the game has changed.
In this post, let’s find out how the contribution of cloud computing in work from home is panning out for employees and employers.
What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing refers to the on-demand availability of computing resources and data storage over the internet. Cloud technology’s ability to allow effective remote working is due to its flexibility without user management.
It includes online data storage, writing applications, media streaming, data analysis, applications testing and creating, software development and many more. Cloud computing offers a set of benefits, including access to data anytime from anywhere, real-time collaboration and easy connectivity, robust information security, and credible data retrieval through reliable backup and disaster recovery techniques.
Rather than saving files on a private hard drive or local storage unit, cloud-based storage helps you to store them on a remote database. As long as an electronic device has internet connectivity, it has access to the data and the software programs needed to run it.
Cloud computing allows more flexibility, innovation, and quicker responses to changing market demands and conditions. It enables companies to scale data storage and computing capacity on demand, lower costs by replacing or reducing on-premises personal cloud servers.
It is the most convenient way to try out, research, and implement emerging technology for many. The fastest-growing segment of network-based computing is cloud computing. It benefits consumers of all sorts, including individual users, developers, businesses, and organizations of all kinds.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
- Reliability
- Accessibility
- Unlimited storage capacity
- High speed
- Automated software integration
- Easy deployment
- Cost-saving
- Business longevity
- Scalability
Types of Cloud Computing Architecture
Public Cloud:
They use internet-based servers and storage to provide their services. These are managed and controlled by third-party firms in charge of all hardware, software, and general infrastructure. Clients gain access to services by accounts that are open to everyone and are usually available on a subscription basis. From Dropbox to Microsoft Azure, every common commercial cloud service is hosted on a public cloud.
Private Cloud:
A private cloud is typically owned by a particular business or organization and used only by that entity. It’s a private network that dedicates all of its resources to the company, but still, it can be accessed remotely rather than via on-site data centres.
Hybrid Cloud:
As the name suggests, it is a combination of both public and private cloud services so that data, software, and other resources can flow freely between them. Hybrid cloud computing provides more flexibility by allowing public clouds to cover up for shortfalls in storage needs while the private cloud is overburdened.
Types of Cloud Applications
Software as a Service (SaaS):
It entails the sale of a software application’s license to consumers. Licenses are usually offered on a pay-as-you-go or on-demand basis. Customers can code their modifications and additions with SaaS applications’ robust configuration options as well as development environments.
This type of public cloud computing uses the browser to deliver applications over the internet. This type of framework is used in Microsoft Office 365.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):
They offer storage and computing services on a pay-per-use basis. In this case, the computing hardware used to run software is provided by a third party. Instead of acquiring software or servers, clients may use an outsourced, on-demand provider to obtain these services. IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure are popular examples of IaaS cloud computing.
Platform as a Service (PaaS):
It is the most complicated of the three cloud-based computing layers. It is a software development platform that’s delivered over the internet. It includes the hardware, operating system, and middleware needed to host the cloud-based software. This model’s best example is Google’s app engine.
Positive Contributions of Cloud Computing In Work From Home
This pandemic has unquestionably proven the value of cloud computing. It has become the backbone of remote work. Cloud technologies like web-based apps, virtual desktops, endpoint encryption, conferencing software, Virtual Private Networking (VPN), and other cloud-enhanced tools enable remote work from anywhere in the world.
Here are a few key factors which are helpful in work from home scenarios.
Seamless Collaboration
When working in an organization, collaboration is imperative for successful business outcomes. With the use of cloud technology, team members can work on the same documents simultaneously.
Employees can video chat and collaborate almost as effectively as if they were in the same workplace using SaaS applications, like Google Hangouts, and get things done efficiently.
Utmost Flexibility
The cloud network allows users to view information at any time, from any place, without installing any software on their computers. It assists in accessing anything via cloud-based software.
As a result, it allows employees to be more productive and efficient by supplying them with all of the knowledge and working environment they need. The more your company is cloud-based, the easier it would be for you to work from home.
Adequate Security
Any company’s online security is a major concern, and remote employees must take responsibility for their security by leveraging approved cloud software. Cloud computing provides companies with a high level of data protection.
Furthermore, user permissions may be granted or revoked remotely using the cloud, making it easy to assign access to a person or group of users at any time and from any place.
Data Retrieval
With cloud software, your documents are constantly stored and backed up in the cloud, allowing you to access them from anywhere. This means that even if your device crashes, your data is still secure in the cloud.
The majority of well-known cloud computing offers high availability, ensuring that companies’ operations run smoothly.
Conclusion
Cloud computing has transformed the way business is carried out, enabling a growing number of people to work from home. Businesses that have effectively implemented cloud storage will thrive in difficult periods where stability is essential.
Because of its inherent features, cloud infrastructure makes for hassle-free and cost-effective remote working. However, companies will have to prioritize spending on cloud security and governance tools, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and other key factors that can safely support their remote workforce. Thus, choosing to go with a cloud computing program for employees can be extremely beneficial in the long run.
In the end, all of these and more studies state that the contribution of cloud computing in work from home is here to stay for a long time.
