Truth in Advertising: Three Must-Know Facts about the Cloud
At Axiology, we believe in being straightforward, transparent, and authentic in our work with you. From our promise of transparent pricing to the answers we offer on our Frequently Not Asked Questions (F.N.A.Q.) page, we wouldn’t be where we are today without this mentality.
Following our blog launch last week, we would today like to tackle one of the most commonly discussed concepts yet often misrepresented concepts in software delivery today—the cloud.
The Cloud is Much Older Than You Think
It’s likely you already use cloud applications in your personal or business life. Whether it’s Netflix, Google Drive, Office 365, or the like, the concept of cloud computing was dreamt up in the 1960s by JCR Licklider, who was responsible for enabling the development of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). Licklider’s envisioned an “intergalactic computer network” that connected everyone on the globe and allowed individuals to access data from any site, anywhere.
This vision laid the groundwork for grid computing and led to the development of utility computing, the former representing thousands of computers acting as one and the latter representing a concept similar to what the cloud is today.
While the concept of cloud computing has been around for almost 50 years, it took about 30 years for the first true commercial success—a Software as a Service CRM platform released in 1999—that set in motion the path to today’s cloud computing market—a market expected to exceed $1T in the next 5 years.
SaaS vs. Cloud Computing
Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing are occasionally used interchangeably, but this is incorrect. SaaS is a subset of the much larger cloud computing environment which includes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS), as well as many other subsets. Additionally, applications can be delivered through Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Hybrid Cloud based on regulatory and other needs.
According to SMB Group’s Clearing the Clouds Report, industry consensus on the cloud is built on the following four concepts:
Cloud environments are built with virtualization and load-balancing technology that allow applications to be deployed and managed across multiple servers and database resources. This enables businesses to easily scale resources up or down as needs change.
Cloud computing provides access to software, server, storage and other computing resources that businesses provision— and users access—over the internet or a private network via a browser.
Cloud data resources reside in the cloud, instead of on individual devices, easing management and security concerns.
Most cloud vendors take a layered security approach— which includes encryption, key management, strong access controls and security intelligence—to further increase data security.
Are All Cloud Products the Same? True Cloud vs. Fake Cloud
While the cloud (and SaaS) has been around for decades, there is still a lot of debate on what products constitute cloud or SaaS. As there is no standard that clearly defines “cloud”, many software companies claim they sell a “cloud product” when they are really just selling their old product with a web server in front of it.
As discussed in the SMB Group Clearing the Clouds eBook, “true cloud” means the product was designed from the ground up so that all functionality is accessible through the internet using a standard browser without the need for additional software licensing or client apps.
Advance with Axiology
At Axiology, we are proud to embrace the name “value added reseller” because as mentioned in our F.N.A.Q. section, we aim to be a strategic value-adding resource throughout our business partnership—and we stand behind our work.
We’ve been in this business for nearly a quarter-century and helped thousands of businesses like yours to discover what the right ERP software can do for your business. If you’re ready to learn more about advancing your business in 2019, we’d love to chat. Contact us today for more information.