Essay on Cloud Computing is A Great Opportunity for Modern Businesses

               The modern technology is innovating business organizations in so many ways and one such amazing technologies are cloud computing. It is a technology that is gaining great attention and space with each passing day as its role is considered important in the modern business world based on technological advancements. It is important to understand what cloud computing is before exploring its opportunities and challenges for the modern business organization. There are various on-demand services related to computing such as storage, servers, databases, analytics, software, and networking, which can be provided by cloud computing through the internet. If an organization wants to store, retrieve, manage their data and connect resources through a proper networking system, then they will have to develop their own computing infrastructure so that they can do all the above-mentioned tasks. But the great thing about cloud computing is that organizations would not have to develop any infrastructure rather they can rent a space from a cloud computing service provider. It is a huge benefit for organizations in terms of costs as they don’t have to incur huge costs because they don’t have to manage any complex computing infrastructure (Ranger, 2018)

Opportunities and Challenges of Cloud Computing

               Cloud computing is one of the latest technologies transforming business and networking in so many different ways. Its dynamic elements are extremely useful for businesses as well as individuals. But it is a fact that when there are opportunities associated with any idea, it also has few challenges as well. But when both are analyzed, and opportunities are way greater than challenges, then such technology is always considered to use, because it can explore various things, which may not have been explored earlier. It is a great opportunity for networking as well as virtualized computing. The users have to understand one thing that clouds computing services are not only convenient to manage, but it is cheaper as well. A physical computing infrastructure does not allow great flexibility because it is physically bound, but a great thing about cloud computing is that it is more elastic than any other technology. There are different types of cloud computing services. One type is called Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), where users are allowed to control and manage their virtual machines. The other type is called Platform as a Service (PaaS), where a platform is provided to users so that they can control configurations and applications. One more type is called Software as a Service (SaaS), where customers can access settings and applications provided by the cloud service provider. One has to remember that there are various functional problems and issues associated with cloud computing services. For instance, when virtual networking is done and data is stored and transmitted through a cloud platform, security issues arise, where outsiders may attack a cloud database and steal or capture sensitive data. The experts are working hard to deal with these security issues to make cloud computing a safer and more reliable platform so that businesses can get benefits as much as possible (MOURA & HUTCHISON, 2016)

               The researchers have been trying to explore various aspects of cloud computing so that its challenges, as well as opportunities, can be explored. It is vital to analyze each and every aspect of technology so that its great benefits, as well as limitations, are identified, which allows experts to work on its limitations, and turn them into strengths with advanced features. A research study was conducted in 2013 to look at challenges and opportunities associated with cloud computing networking so that users can have more innovation. It was observed through the study that cloud computing providers are facing various challenges in managing their cloud computing infrastructure in an efficient and effective manner. It was specifically found that infrastructure as a service (IaaS) type of cloud computing is having issues when used in a networking system. It is important to mention here that one of the critical building blocks associated with cloud computing is network architecture. A user using the cloud services will have to connect through a network so that cloud resources can be accessed. Both public and private networks are used in cloud computing to get access to cloud services. The researchers analyzed different aspects of cloud computing networking, and they identified various issues with IaaS. It was found out that application performance can be disturbed when there would insufficient bandwidth for servers, and then users may face latency errors with applications. It was also found that IaaS functions can face difficulty in terms of handling the deployment of appliances in most flexible terms. There are also various complexities are involved with policy enforcement in a cloud platform. Application rewriting, as well as location dependency, are two other issues identified in IaaS. It is a fact that three layers of data work on a cloud platform, so when multi-layer networks are working at the same time, the network can face various issues and complexities. The study suggested various solutions and one solution to deal with these issues was software-defined networking (SDN), which is quite innovative in nature (Azodolmolky, et al., 2013)

               It was mentioned earlier that modern businesses can take various advantages from cloud computing. Earlier, the focus was given to challenges and opportunities for individual users and businesses, and now the focus is turned to opportunities for businesses to form networks with each other through cloud computing. The business to business (B2B) networks can be developed with various dynamic elements if cloud computing is used in a proper manner. A study was conducted to explore these networks for business to business through a cloud platform. It is a fact that business organizations work hard to earn profits and reduce their costs as much as possible, so the major purpose of analyzing B2B networks is to see how much costs can be saved and how cloud computing can provide cost economy in transactions. After analyzing different aspects of cloud computing networks for B2B, various facts were identified, which can be useful for business organizations to know as these facts are not only important for them, but these are also crucial to form their relationships with other businesses in an innovative manner. Various opportunities and benefits were identified in this regard. The first great benefit of using the B2B cloud network was a reduction in transaction costs like monitoring & coordination costs. Moreover, it was found that cloud computing network can decrease various business expenses, and it can also increase the level of collaboration between business organizations so that they all can integrate into their relevant markets. It was also found that the cloud computing market is growing faster as compared to the growth of the software market, and providing great opportunities for businesses to grab. The other great thing about the cloud computing network for B2B is real-time accessibility to data as well as low investment. The B2B organizations can develop a great working relationship which is convenient, faster and easier to handle. So, it is advised to Business organizations that they consider using cloud computing networks in B2B relationships to explore more opportunities and innovation in the future (Petrescu, 2012)

               It is a fact that a new wave of innovation and transformation as developed with the help of cloud computing in the field of information technology, and this trend is most likely to continue. The computing networks in real-world situations may need the essence of cloud computing-based networks so that network access can be limitless, convenient as well as on-demand. The great thing about the cloud computing network is that a healthy IT infrastructure is developed with it, which not only provides efficiency but flexibility as well. The delivery IT services can be flexible as well as quick in networks based on cloud computing, and its maintenance is also hassle-free, where complexity may not be too much like physical networks may have. The other great opportunity provided by cloud computing for modern businesses is that costs are significantly reduced in so many ways. Cloud computing infrastructure can help businesses to innovate more in managing their networks and find new opportunities with the passage of time. It is important to mention here that cloud computing is not only a great platform for information technology, but it is also a great platform to provide great services. The individual users can also take benefit from its reliability and user convenience aspects. All kinds of organizations including business organizations, educational institutes, NGOs, as well as research centers can consider using cloud-based networks as they are safer, convenient and greener in nature to use (Paul & Ghose, 2012)

Conclusion of Cloud Computing is A Great Opportunity for Modern Businesses

               After looking at various opportunities and challenges associated with cloud computing and its networks, it is evident that both opportunities, as well as challenges, are there for modern businesses. It was found out that the use of cloud computing is increasing with the passage of time, and modern business organizations should focus on the strengths of cloud computing, which can help them to manage their business, as well as their relationship with other businesses in a given market. The use of cloud computing looks to be the future trend for the majority of modern businesses because its advantages are way more than its existing challenges.

References of Cloud Computing is A Great Opportunity for Modern Businesses

Azodolmolky, S., Wieder, P. & Yahyapour, R., 2013. Cloud Computing Networking: Challenges and Opportunities for Innovations. IEEE Communications Magazine, 51(7), pp. 54-62.

MOURA, J. & HUTCHISON, D., 2016. Review and Analysis of Networking Challenges in Cloud Computing. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, Volume 60, pp. 113-129.

Paul, P. K. & Ghose, M. K., 2012. Cloud Computing: Possibilities, Challenges and Opportunities with Special Reference to its Emerging Need in the Academic and Working Area of Information Science. Procedia Engineering, Volume 38, pp. 2222-2227.

Petrescu, M., 2012. Cloud Computing and Business-to-Business Networks. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 10(1).

Ranger, S., 2018. What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know about the cloud, explained. [Online]
Available at: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-cloud-computing-everything-you-need-to-know-from-public-and-private-cloud-to-software-as-a/
[Accessed 13 November 2019].