The impact of cloud computing didn’t come as a big bang. Rather, the changes have been consistent, pervasive, almost natural. Indeed, cloud computing connects us in ways that we always thought we should connect.
As normal users, we may not know exactly how cloud computing works. But we know how cloud computing makes things work. We now communicate with family and friends on social media platforms and share photos, events and documents. We watch videos posted from remote locations and buy stuff with just one click of a mouse button. Students can access data anywhere, anytime and participate in online classes. Sharing data is revolutionising healthcare. And developing countries are bypassing the burden of investing in costly infrastructure and tapping into banking and health applications that are readily available in the cloud.
For businesses, the advantages are innumerable. Cloud computing has unburdened businesses from the traditional IT business model: businesses can now save on infrastructural costs and the burden of scaling up their needs. And doing business has become more efficient: the analysis of big data means that businesses can learn more about what their customers need. Moreover, employees can work and collaborate remotely without losing out on the benefits of working from an office.
Gordon Dimech.“Traditionally, setting up a small business would involve a significant investment in hardware, software and back-up,” says Gordon Dimech, Forestals chief operations officer. “Moreover, the cost of maintenance and support can be prohibitive, especially for SMEs, which are the largest community in the local business scenario.”
Forestals, HP accredited Gold Cloud Builder Specialist in Malta, has recently organised a seminar on cloud computing in collaboration with HP. The one-day seminar, which carried the theme ‘How can cloud transform your business?’, was addressed by the Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business Chris Cardona. During the seminar, HP experts in cloud technology also gave live demos and held one-to-one sessions with the delegates.
“With cloud computing, SMEs can avail of a big business ICT set-up, without the associated costs. Moreover, cloud computing is scalable – as a business grows, its ICT set-up can be scaled up according to needs,” adds Dimech.
“There is also huge potential for larger businesses, whose outlay for hardware and software is significant. Also, typically, a large company would have an IT team taking care of its maintenance and support. Thanks to cloud computing, businesses can free up their IT team to do something more proactive and creative like developing new projects.
Our aim is to support and accompany our clients on their journey towards further growth
“For both SMEs and larger businesses, another advantage is that they can access their data from anywhere and from multiple devices. This means that their workforce can be more productive, efficient and work on the go.”
A major concern for businesses is privacy and security while working on the cloud.
Dejan Stanic. Photos: Mark Cassar“HP has invested a lot in security,” says Dejan Stanic, CEE Cloud Solution Architect at HP. “We operate according to set industry standards and our auditing and reporting capabilities comply with industry best practices. Moreover, we offer our customers various public and private cloud options, including that of operating on the HP Converged Cloud, which is the industry’s first hybrid delivery approach to cloud. We also offer the HP Helion Managed Private Cloud, which enables business applications such as Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and SAP to be deployed in a secure cloud environment.”
“We also understand that some businesses want to keep their data stored in the same jurisdiction in which they operate,” adds Dimech. “This is why we have invested in our own data centre. We want to keep it local. We are a local company operating in the same time zone as our clients. This makes us more available to our clients and sensitive to their needs.
“With regards to security, it’s like with money. There are people who think that keeping their cash at home is the safest option as they can keep an eye on it. Banks, on the other hand, have the right infrastructure to keep your money safe. In much the same way, we are equipped and have built a state-of-the-art and purpose-built data centre to safeguard our clients’ data.”
HP offers a full suite of services, which means that it can cater for businesses of all sizes and aspirations.
“Our aim is to support and accompany our clients on their journey towards further growth,” says Stanic. “We map our solutions according to our clients’ needs. However, our solutions are scalable, so as our clients grow, we can adopt new solutions and applications which are deployed quickly.
“We also support our clients’ growth. We offer the HP Helion Network, which is a global network of service providers and partners offering a broad portfolio of cloud services to enterprise customers. This means that service providers can publicise their services, and clients can avail of a central catalogue of service providers and potential partners. This creates more opportunities and fuels growth.”