Among the various technologies available for businesses, Cloud is definitely right on top of the minds of executives all over the world.
According to IDC’s latest Worldwide Semi-annual Public Cloud Services Spending Guide, global spending on public Cloud services will grow up to $141 billion in 2019, and SMBs will contribute 40% or roughly $56 billion of that amount. Here in the Philippines, a trend analysis report by BMI Research shows that Cloud computing is expected to account for 13% of the Philippine IT services market by 2020, with digitization of government agencies and SMBs being the two main driving factors.
For local leading digital enabler ePLDT, these studies just show how the Cloud is essential for small businesses to achieving growth and success. “Studies consistently show that the Cloud is playing and will continue to play a huge role in driving growth for the business community as companies look for better and much more affordable solutions. This is especially true for SMBs as it addresses common pain points and more importantly, fills in resource gaps. Also, with a predominantly young and mobile-centric workforce, SMBs and startups stand to benefit from the Cloud,” said ePLDT Group Chief Operating Officer Nerisse Ramos.
A low-cost, no-worry solution
One reason for the Cloud’s popularity among small businesses is its ability to drastically reduce total cost of ownership, requiring customers to pay only for what they need and when they need it. The servers hosted by Cloud service providers enable mass-scale computing power and minimize IT requirements and physical storage, providing significant savings. Additionally, the choice frees a company the workload needed to manage and operate servers, which includes the arduous tasks of updating and upgrading necessary hardware and software.
“Free of initial upfront costs, Cloud-based solutions managed by professionals can help small business owners simplify their daily operations so they can focus on growing and expanding their business. This course of action can be vital in helping SMBs compete against large enterprises,” said Ramos.
With limited staff, an SMB simply may not have the capability to operate and maintain its IT infrastructure while at the same time continue business operations. Fortunately, developments in technology have made it possible for them to shift their critical workloads into the Cloud and create new levels of agility for their solutions through an IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-S ervice) model. This enables SMBs to distribute workloads between entire regions to support more customers and even load-balance applications to ensure optimal performance.
“The Cloud helps create that level of agility without the burden of acquiring more hardware or software, which for small businesses is a huge benefit,” explained Ramos.
Access to software 24/7
Aside from Infrastructure, SMBs can also opt to use only certain software through the Cloud in a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) model. With the SaaS model, businesses consume as a service only the crucial applications and programs required for day-to-day business operations. These applications run on the provider’s Cloud infrastructure, making them accessible from various devices like browser or mobile.
Leveraging on the nation’s largest and most robust network, ePLDT, together with PLDT Enterprise, empowers Filipino businesses with its Cloud services designed to optimize efficiency, continuity, connectivity, and enhanced customer experience.
“With ePLDT’s ICT expertise coupled with the nation’s most extensive Telecom infrastructure of PLDT as well as the largest data center network of VITRO, we provide enterprise solutions that assure small businesses high-quality service that will help them explore bigger market opportunities. With the right tools and the right technology partners to enable them, SMEs can be competitive in both local and global arenas,” Jovy Hernandez, Senior Vice President and Head of PLDT Enterprise.
Intangibly deployed and integrated with a company’s own infrastructure, ePLDT and PLDT’s Cloud solutions are managed and operated by IT professionals, and come with standardized pricing, 24/7 support, and even training.
For more information on how the cloud can elevate your business, visithttp://www.epldt.com/solutions /cloud/.