Cloud keeps companies connected to their data

Companies have many different data resources pulling them in separate directions. If you've experienced this and are wondering how to unite them again, the answer may come from Platform-as-a-Service deployments and related tools. Synchronizing disparate sets of information and making them all available could be the difference between being a truly modern company and one that is overwhelmed by its own technology. Getting back this level of agency in relation to data is potentially a big moment, and it can fuel projects such as analytics and empower employees at many different levels.

The new sources
A recent Enterprise Storage Forum report highlighted some of the serious data volume considerations emerging today. For example, there are many apps that create huge quantities of information and then keep them for a long time, even after they have left active use. Enterprise Storage Forum noted that these programs make a good case for the use of hybrid cloud storage, with some information on-premise and the rest residing in the scalable public cloud. Of course, making all of this information available for business intelligence purposes will be important down the line.

The cloud may end up being a catch-all answer for not only storing big data resources but also running applications. Specifically, Small Business Computing stated that if a firm is small enough, it may soon have no use for on-premise IT at all. Mozy's Gytis Barzdukas told Small Business Computing that Software-as-a-Service applications and cloud storage will soon become the go-to components of operations. This combination of affordable data storage and adaptable applications to create and manipulate content may prove irresistible for IT departments out to save money and operate effectively.

Tying it all together
Of course, the cloud movement described above has many different moving pieces. There are vast arrays of public cloud resources holding big data, there are SaaS apps churning away creating more information, and there are the other elements, legacy systems that are still serving important roles. Stepping back and looking for a way to condense all of this information and grant employees access is a natural reaction.

PaaS products such as Pacific can help here. DataDirect Cloud, one of the services associated with Pacific, is meant to wrangle information from the many new sources present in business today. From the SaaS software Barzdukas described to the vast quantities of inert app information mentioned by Enterprise Storage Forum, DataDirect Cloud can make it all work together. When your employees need real-time visibility of all these components, they can have it.

Continue reading...