According to the 451 Alliance, SaaS (Software as a Service) is the most widely adopted type of cloud service, used by 70% of companies. This is followed by Iaas (Infrastructure as a Service) via the public cloud, which is currently utilized by 46% of companies. As the use of cloud storage and cloud applications continues to increase, there is a growing demand to connect directly to the cloud, that is, without traversing the public Internet.
While cloud services provide sought after benefits such as reduced capital expense and greater flexibility, there are also understandable concerns raised over security and speed. Because, in most cases, servers for cloud services reside in highly secure data centers that provide a certain level of protection and redundancy, the way a business connects to the cloud is often the biggest cause for concern. Accessing the cloud via the public Internet means random latency can occur. It also means your data is bouncing around on different networks before it gets to and from the cloud.
These concerns are the top reasons companies have the need for more direct, faster and safer connections to the cloud for effective and secure business operations.
The way cloud services are evolving within companies is not a new process. The cloud is going the way that power and other utilities have gone before.
For example, factories once generated their own power to manufacture products. Later power plants generated power for everyone. The power grid was developed in the early 1900s as means to efficiently deliver power to businesses and individuals. However, the power grid wasn’t sufficient for some factories and businesses that required larger amounts of power. There was a need for a more direct and dedicated power supply. That’s where electrical substations come in.
Substations with dedicated feeds along high voltage lines provide businesses like factories and data centers with the greater power supply they demand to operate.
This is similar to how the cloud is evolving. Companies are transitioning from developing their own programs to accessing them over the Internet. The public Internet isn’t as fast and consistent as companies would prefer, hence the need for a dedicated, high-speed feed to access cloud services. Megaport has a great infographic that clearly illustrates this comparison.
Because of growing need for faster, safer cloud services on demand, we’ve developed a solution for our customers called CloudTap®. CloudTap® is a dedicated connection from a customer’s office or data center deployment to major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. CloudTap® offers several advantages, including greater security, scalable bandwidth and redundancy.
Learn more about Data Foundry’s CloudTap® service.