Whether cloud is an evolution or a revolution in computing is a matter still under discussion. What is clear, however, is that it has had a huge disruptive effect on the IT industry. Beyond IT, cloud’s many benefits and advantages have also resulted in widespread integration. Reduced costs To many users, the cost of cloud computing is its greatest benefit, as it simply is much cheaper than any other IT solution. No matter what cloud model a business or individual subscribes to, it will require very little IT infrastructure when compared to the equivalent computing power in a non-cloud scenario. This, of course, means great savings. Greater scalability Rapid elasticity is the term given to scalable provisioning in the context of cloud computing, and it is extremely agile in nature. If you need more computing power, you can get it on demand. There’s no need to call up IT departments and put in requests. For many businesses, especially tech companies, deployment times can be greatly reduced through this scalability and a competitive edge is gained. More mobility Another great benefit of cloud computing is that, as it is internet based, it can be accessed from anywhere. The COVID-19 crisis saw many companies have their employees switch to home-office work models for their own safety. This was only possible thanks to cloud computing. Automatic data backup Because all data in cloud computing is stored at the cloud service provider’s data centers, a user’s data is always backed up. Cloud computing services are integral to any organization’s disaster recovery plan and helps ensure business continuity. Similarly, for individuals using a smartphone or tablet this means their data is stored safely elsewhere and is always available, even if the device is broken or stolen. More resource saving & sustainability Cloud computing is greener that its predecessors. Server sprawl was a big problem in the data centers of old. As servers were not running at full capacity, more servers were required to meet increasing computing power demand, and this also raised energy expenditure as the facilities needed additional cooling. Cloud computing means that servers are running more efficiently and so less of them are required for an equivalent computational power. This reduction in physical servers also helps keep energy expenditure lower.