Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Eleanor Hecks

The global cloud market is growing fast as businesses all over the world are swapping their legacy systems for new technology. By some estimates, the industry is on track to be worth more than $120 billion sometime in 2021.

The upgrades come alongside a major transition to remote work and a new age where it may be normal for some or all of the team to clock in from out of the office.

However, many businesses haven’t migrated just yet, and are continuing to work with legacy systems and physical, on-premises hardware. These companies could miss out on some significant advantages they could gain by migrating to the cloud now.

Here are the benefits your business can secure by migrating to the cloud — and why any company should consider a full cloud migration by the end of this year.

– Improve storage and computing flexibility

On-premises storage and computing limits your ability to store or process data based on the hardware you have.

If you need to store more data or run more compute-intensive applications, you’ll have to upgrade. However, upgrades take time and money. There will always be a delay between knowing you need more storage and having it available.

By undergoing a splunk cloud migration process, you can gain access to more storage or compute power with the press of a button. If your business is growing fast or collecting an increasing amount of data, this scalability can be invaluable.

– Offer your team access from anywhere in the world

One of the most significant benefits of the cloud is improved access. If they have internet access and user credentials, your team can access cloud-based resources from anywhere in the world.

Whether they’re in the office, at home or on a trip, they won’t be limited by the programs they have installed on their machine or the hardware they have. Cloud migration means they’ll have full access to your business’s licensed services and cloud resources.

– Reduce hardware purchases and streamline licensing

Migrating to the cloud provides the opportunity to significantly cut down on hardware expenses. If you store data off-site, you won’t have to pay upkeep to keep on-premises storage powered, accessible and maintained.

Even if you adopt a partial or hybrid cloud solution, migrating to the cloud can help you significantly reduce the amount you spend on hardware. You can also simplify the logistics of data storage and retrieval.

Migrating your systems to the cloud can also help make licensing much simpler. Rather than purchasing licenses for in-office computers and off-premise devices, you may only need to buy one for the cloud based on how much you plan to use the service or how many end users you expect to have.

– Support an IoT fleet

A growing number of businesses are adopting fleets of IoT devices dedicated to collecting massive volumes of data.

These items may be used to monitor a factory, track a service vehicle or adjust the environmental conditions of an office — but all rely on the internet to function.

Most businesses migrate to the cloud to store and process the massive amounts of data these devices collect. If you’re planning to adopt IoT tech, you could be limiting your fleet’s scale if you don’t.

– Schedule automatic updates

Cloud providers allow you to schedule automatic updates. They will also typically offer the latest version of their service — meaning that you won’t have to worry nearly as much about keeping software updated across your business’s network.

This will provide you with the most secure version of the services you use — one of the key reasons that people upgrade to the cloud — as well as access to any new service features.

You can also use container-optimized OS images to automatically update virtual machines stored in the cloud. These automatic updates ensure you’re taking advantage of the latest security patches or new OS features.

– Lower your business’s carbon footprint

By cutting out the need for on-premise operations, cloud computing can do a lot to reduce carbon emissions. One study found that services offered by Microsoft reduced emissions by up to 90% at smaller operations.

Cloud servers run on newer, more efficient equipment and take advantage of high server virtualization rates to maximize storage and compute efficiency. This reduces the energy cost of holding on to data or performing calculations.

While some cloud providers may be greener than others, migrating to the cloud will generally help you reduce your business’s carbon footprint.

Businesses wanting to invest in sustainable practices might find migrating to the cloud one of the best places to start. You will help the environment, reduce expenses and present yourself as a forward-thinking company.

These key benefits are in store for companies migrating to the cloud

Businesses that haven’t migrated to the cloud should move fast to keep up with the competition and secure some key benefits. Doing so will allow them to boost productivity and stay current, making them more appealing to existing and potential clients.

Improved scalability, better access for remote workers, automatic updates and a lower carbon footprint are just some of the advantages of migrating. Upgrading by the end of the year will also lay the foundation for the adoption of other tech down the line. 2021 is the ideal time to invest in your company’s future.

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Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a prominent digital marketing agency prior to becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philadelphia with her husband and pup, Bear.