The Many Benefits of the Cloud

Editor’s Note: Sometimes you have to be told something 101 times before it sticks. While cloud computing isn’t new, there are still plenty of companies weighing the decision. Our friends at Bright Pattern have laid out the benefits of moving to the cloud.

Cloud computing continues to be the way forward for businesses, with many companies providing their services and software on the cloud now. Software like Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, and Adobe Creative Cloud are available exclusively on the cloud rather than as physical copies. 

With the development of cloud computing, companies are investing in more software and less hardware. This transition to the cloud has many advantages. So how does cloud-based software stack up against traditional on-premise systems? 

Cloud vs. Traditional Infrastructure

The implementation of cloud computing and cloud storage has taken off in recent years due to the advantages it has over traditional, on-premise infrastructure. Companies are gradually replacing traditional, on-premise services with cloud-provided software. Here are the biggest reasons why companies are shifting to the cloud and why traditional, on-premise systems are slowly fading away:

1. Cost Efficiency of Cloud-Based Solutions 

One major advantage that a cloud solution has over a traditional, on-premise technology is the cost of maintaining and upgrading traditional infrastructure. Traditional, on-premise infrastructure is very expensive, requiring massive upfront costs for hardware, license, and server housing. These upfront costs are a huge financial burden to any-sized company, and can often bar smaller businesses from implementing powerful software in their own system. Even after the upfront costs are paid, more money is required to maintain the hardware and software. Trained IT professionals are often required to maintain and upgrade the on-premise system. 

Hosting software in the cloud is much cheaper. Cloud-based solutions don’t require massive upfront costs for hardware and software, and are often on a pay-per-use basis. They also don’t require dedicated IT teams to maintain data centers full of hardware and software, delegating this responsibility to the third-party that is providing the software. This can save a business a lot of money, and can give any-size company access to powerful software.

1. Future-Proofing on The Cloud 

Another advantage that cloud-based solutions have over on-premise solutions is the ease of performing upgrades. A software that is based on the cloud is capable of being updated more easily, and any updates to the software can be widely adopted by your company. This flexibility allows you to “future-proof” your systems, meaning your software and systems can adapt to the future easily. As software becomes more advanced and are updated with more features, this flexibility can keep your company up-to-date and relevant. 

1. Scalability: Pay-per-Use

Being based on the cloud, company systems can be scaled depending on the company’s size. This means the number of users for the software in the company can be quickly expanded or downsized depending on the needs of the company. Traditional, on-premise solutions are usually slow to scale to the size of the company, since there are many components that need to be updated to implement scaling. With the cloud, you can quickly add or subtract users, saving your company time and money.

Bright Pattern and Bandwidth

Bright Pattern and Bandwidth are partnering to help companies modernize their customer communications by moving to the cloud; Bright Pattern drives this change with built-for-the-cloud contact center software, while Bandwidth provides companies with enterprise-grade cloud-based communications tools, including voice, messaging, and 911 access. 

Despite an industry-wide understanding of the benefits of cloud, adoption remains slow. In a recent survey, Bright Pattern asked IT execs what holds them back from modernizing and moving to the cloud. Based on the results, Bright Pattern published their tips for a safe transition to the cloud.

About Bright PatternBright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful contact center software for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business users—without costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across channels like voice, text, chat, email, video, messengers, and bots. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading on-premises solutions and today are delivering architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern’s cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages.