Cloud computing is another one of the tools that Best Rank uses to provide efficient and cost effective web development and online marketing services for your clients. Cloud computing services eliminate or greatly reduce the costs of building and maintaining a complex IT network. Not only that, but cloud computing also allows for quick and reliable responses to the issues involved in running a comprehensive online web site and marketing strategy.
Cloud computing refers to the Internet based development and use of computer technology and software programs. The concept is itself a huge paradigm shift from the old ways of thinking about software development and IT infrastructures. Cloud computing involves providing individuals and organizations with software and IT services over the Internet, getting rid of the client’s need to maintain their own IT infrastructures, which take considerable amount of time, money and server space (as well as physical office space) to maintain.
Cloud computing services usually provide businesses with IT applications that they can access via a web browser, while the actual software and data are stored on the service provider’s own servers. The term “cloud” is a metaphor used to conceptualize the Internet. The term is an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure of the Internet and it is based on how the Internet is usually depicted in computer network diagrams. Typically, cloud computing services are divided into three main categories: Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
Cloud computing solutions employ the excess server capacity of specialized IT providers to help small and medium sized businesses ease their server capacity issues. Because the cloud computing provider takes care of every aspect of running the IT infrastructure that’s hosting your applications, you don’t need to worry about purchasing your own servers. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about the staff you’d normally have to employ in order to maintain a traditional IT network.
Unlike the traditional method of employing off-site servers to host your company’s applications, cloud computing allows clients to pay only for the server capacity they end up using on any given day. With off-site servers, you have to pay a fixed amount every month, regardless of whether your servers are being used at full capacity or not. Cloud computing software completely changes the economics of maintaining an IT infrastructure. The result is that you save both time and effort with cloud computing solutions. With the IT maintenance side of your business completely taken care of, you can focus on growing your company’s core competency.
So what can be outsourced to a cloud computing service provider? The answer is just about all of your company’s computing and IT needs. Some companies choose to only use the cloud to host certain productivity applications like email, site search, calendar software and sharing applications. This enables them to forego the expense and work involved in running and maintaining the applications in their own company servers. Other companies use the cloud to host their own product applications. To, in other words, sell their software services via the cloud, in a sort of virtual company set-up.
According to a report by Forrester Research published in May of 2009, only about 2% of small- and mid-sized businesses are making use of cloud computing services. Most of these businesses are using cloud computing to run Internet-based services. The report also showed that an additional 2% of businesses were planning to implement cloud computing into their IT infrastructure within 12 months, and about 37% said they were interesting in learning more about what cloud computing solutions can offer them.
These might not seem like overwhelming numbers, but keep in mind that cloud computing is one of the latest developments in web hosting technology. Cloud computing services are gathering more and more steam as people hear more about what they are and how they can save companies time and money. Large corporations looking to cut back on their IT expenses as well as small businesses seeking to get the most out of their IT budgets are incorporating cloud computing services into their business models.
As a full-service web development and internet marketing company, Best Rank provides its clients with a wide array of cloud computing solutions. We approach every web development project with the intention of making your company’s website optimized and well-designed in such a way that it is appealing to both visitors and search engines. Some of the cloud computing software applications we offer include applications such as Geo Location, Site Search services, File Management Systems, Mashup Services and Vertical Search services. Give us a call today or fill out our contact form to find out more about how you can benefit from cloud computing solutions.
