Should businesses move data analytics to the cloud?

What do you think both wildebeest and modern businesses have in common?

If your answer is migration, that’s correct. 

The migration of modern businesses to the cloud is somewhat similar to the migration of herds of wildebeest, million-strong, to the Serengeti. On both occasions, the migration occurs for one specific reason: survival.

Modern businesses rely on big data to operate competitively. Migrating data analytics to cloud computing platforms has become a key enabler for that. According to one study, by 2022, we can expect cloud computing to be home to 90% of innovations when it comes to data analytics.

Businesses that don’t get in line are at risk of incurring unnecessary costs and operational inefficiencies compared to companies that have migrated to a virtual computing environment. Are you one of them?

While moving your data analytics to the cloud is a journey, the benefits outweigh the challenges—significantly. Here’s why.

The cloud is more scalable than on-site infrastructure

The resource-heavy nature of your operations and sudden spikes in short-term resource needs are potential shortfalls you may be grappling with when it comes to on-site data analytics.

To tackle this, most organisations today are building powerful and expensive IT infrastructure. This, however, is not foolproof; it comes with heavy operational inefficiencies because resources become idle in normal use cases.

Additionally, you may not be able to process any data beyond the capabilities of your infrastructure, even if this is something that’s critical to your operations.

Cloud computing, on the other hand, excels when it comes to scalability with its pay-per-use model. You can scale your operations up, when and how you need it, without having to pay for idle infrastructure.

Traditional hardware and maintenance costs are eliminated

Traditional data analytics models require organisations to store their data on data racks full of expensive, enterprise-grade storage drives. 

In fact, did you know that legacy implementations can account for up to 75% of operational and maintenance budgets?

Cloud computing eliminates the need for on-site hardware given that all the data is migrated to virtual servers on the cloud, dramatically reducing your costs. One study even found that adopting cloud platforms reduced business operational costs by 13%.

Data recovery in the event of a disaster is much easier

When it comes to physical infrastructure, there is always the risk of data loss due to disasters, theft or other acts of God. Because data is stored on onsite servers, data recovery after any kind of loss is also time-consuming and expensive.

Migrating all your data to the cloud reduces the risk of loss because data is stored outside your organisation. All your data is backed up, so even in a disaster or crisis situation, you can recover your data easily and get back online on a much faster timeline. 

Access to cloud-based data is faster and easier

Conventional data analytics operations are bottlenecked by their hardware. Because it is slow and can’t handle large data sets quickly, it slows you and your team down. 

Beyond losing out on quick-win efficiency gains, this also represents a more serious problem: your organisation won’t be able to identify trends on time and make the most of them. 

On-site IT implementation also requires users to be connected to the network to access any data. 

Cloud computing, on the other hand, makes it easier and quicker to access data from anywhere and on any device that is connected to the internet. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can access your data to make the right decisions for your business. 

Enjoy quick wins and long-lasting business boons when you adopt cloud-based data analytics

Moving advanced analytics platforms to the cloud will require you to modify how you do certain things, but today, this is the future of business. 

If deployed correctly, cloud services will empower better, data-driven decision-making in your company and help you identify trends on time. You can adapt your operations with confidence, maximise your revenue and operate more competitively.

Embrace cloud data analytics if you’re interested in operating ahead of the market, instead of behind it.