Transforming expectations in cloud computing: The prestige of new insights – TechNative

A great magic act leaves an audience clutching at straws, desperately trying to work out how the supposedly unimaginable just happened

But, there are some tricks that dont leave us guessing. If a magician were to pull a bunny out of a top hat wed hardly be surprised. The expected is much less impressive. In fact, Christopher Nolan explains this in his film, The Prestige where he breaks a trick down into three parts; the pledge, the turn and the prestige.

The key here is that the prestige is a moment whereby an audiencesexpectations are transformed the unimaginable happens. This is a concept thatstretches far beyond the realms of magic and into our everyday lives. Forexample, in the world of cloud computing the prestige helps to explain tocompanies the limitless potential of the cloud. This means moving beyond theobvious; reduced costs, less overhead and focusing on the benefits the cloudcan have for a business when leveraged correctly.

Consider a cloud solution that uses machine learning to identifyanomalies, optimise backup, storage and cost. Based on file extension, age ofdata, and time since last used, the solution makes recommendations about filesthat could be deleted, highlighting potential reductions in the cloudbill.

Furthermore, recovery efficiency is another benefit of cloud solutions.Gone are the days of manually sifting through all backups to find the file inquestion. When it comes to security, finding a clean version of the file,pre-infection, too often requires multiple cycles of restore-and-test, takinghours of work. An intelligent solution uses machine learning to pinpoint thefile in its pristine state, streamlining the process and allowing any businessto recover lost data with speed and confidence.

There are many examples where the cloud, when combined with the rightdata and enabling technology, can change the experience from commonplace toextraordinary.

Theres no question that in the world of technology, even more so thanmagic, expectations increase rapidly. When the cloud was first introduced, itsmain differentiating value was enabling companies to access seemingly limitlessresources on demand through APIs from a remote service. Services such as AmazonS3 object storage and EC2 compute engines brought new levels of availability,reliability and cost optimisation the industry had never experienced, let alonethought was possible. Quickly though, new applications, features andadvancements were introduced, turning those original innovations into meretable stakes for new vendors looking to join the market.

Enabled by the cloud, things like machine learning and AI environmentsare becoming a reality and challenging previously set boundaries. The excitingpiece about these emerging technologies is that they are not simply add-onsbut enablers that will open up new doors onto previously unchartedpossibilities.

But ultimately the focus has to be on what the cloud can do for thefuture of a business. Go to cloud everyone says. but, getting to the cloud isnot a goal, its a means to an end for something that delivers businessbenefit. For most businesses, the normal expectation is that they will move tothe cloud and tap into the acknowledged benefits of lower costs, less overhead,autoscaling and other well-advertised cloud capabilities.

To capture the true value of the cloud, companies need to move beyondmigrating their current workloads to the cloud. They must also leverage theunique features of the cloud, from adding in AI and machine learning, toprotecting data, and then using it in new ways to inform the business by addingbenefits that werent possible prior to the cloud.

Nearly unlimited amounts of data can be stored cost effectively and in asimpler fashion in the cloud compared to on-premises solutions. This isessentially the pledge aspect of cloud data storage. The turn is when data canbe ingested straight into the cloud, eliminating the silos that exist in datacentres, whilst also removing the requirements for purchasing and maintaininghardware. Today, the prestige becomes things like automation, AI and machinelearning, which help companies use this data in innovative ways.

When it comes to the cloud, technology such as AI and analytics can beused to pull untapped value from pre-existing data. But that isnt the onlybenefit. With its ability to reduce manual labour by automating previouslytime-consuming tasks, the cloud enables efficiencies that were never accessiblebefore.

Much like any aspiring magician, competition is business is rife. To stand out from the crowd and remain competitive, organisations need to utilise the data stored in the cloud. With its power and capabilities, enterprises can make informed decisions, identify new value and insights, and drive their business forward.

W. Curtis Preston is Chief Technologist at Druva. Druva delivers data protection and management for the cloud era. Druva Cloud Platform is built on AWS and offered as-a-Service; customers drive down costs by over 50 percent by freeing themselves from the burden of unnecessary hardware, capacity planning, and software management.

Featured image: sdecoret

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Transforming expectations in cloud computing: The prestige of new insights - TechNative