The Importance and Types of Enterprise Cloud and Popular Services

Most companies are looking to digitally transform their operations with cloud computing, and enterprise cloud is the solution. Enterprise cloud is a unified digital environment, which allows the management and monitoring of a company’s public cloud, private cloud, and distributed cloud operations. It allows companies to manage their IT infrastructure and applications in any cloud. Here are some of it’s benefits, types, and some popular cloud platform services, including the SAP HANA enterprise cloud.
Importance of Enterprise Cloud
Enterprise cloud platform services, such as the SAP HANA enterprise cloud platform, are widely used across several sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and financial management. Additionally, nearly all federal agencies and government offices use cloud computing to streamline their operations and provide efficient public service. So, why are these platforms so popular? Read on to know some of the reasons:
Unmatched operational speed
An enterprise cloud service like SAP HANA stores and retrieves data from the Random Access Memory (RAM) instead of a hard storage drive. As a result, the enterprise cloud platform can resolve queries and process computational operations in milliseconds. Therefore, even large-scale operations can be executed in quickly using the SAP enterprise cloud. This not only improves the operational efficiency of organizations but also helps them virtualize data in the blink of an eye.
Complete data management
Enterprise cloud services provide a host of database management solutions to companies. Such services simplify and, more importantly, unify companies’ IT environments and operations across private, public, hybrid, and other clouds. For example, the SAP HANA enterprise cloud platform offers database administration services to enterprises. So, organizations can continuously monitor and optimize all the data in their SAP enterprise cloud. This ensures that their data is secure and always accessible.
Unmatched scalability
Most businesses use cloud platform services to speed up their growth and diversification. Enterprise cloud platforms ensure smooth growth for such businesses by scaling up their data storage, data access, and data processing to magnify the scope of their data collection, processing, and operational execution. For example, one of the main benefits of using SAP enterprise cloud services is the platform’s ability to provide scalability based on associated data volume across different network environments and concurrent users.
Involves artificial intelligence
Enterprise cloud platforms use machine learning to increase productivity, boost data dynamism, automate processes, and, most importantly, improve your customers’ experience. Such platforms allow companies to integrate AI capabilities into third-party applications and operations as well.
Types of cloud platform services
There are multiple types of cloud computing services. Three of the most common ones are:
Infrastructure-as-a-Service
IaaS-based cloud platform service providers manage your IT infrastructure for you — including your data storage, virtualization, network, servers, and other functions — through a secure internet connection. Companies essentially rent the infrastructure of the service provider, and access it through an Application Programming Interface (API) or a unified data dashboard. In IaaS, companies manage things such as their apps, operating system, and middleware. On the other hand, the enterprise cloud service provider handles any hardware, hard drives, data storage, networking, and data servers for the user company.
Platform-as-a-Service
In PaaS, the cloud platform services provider offers an application-software platform and the hardware for companies to carry out their cloud-based operations. Service-availing companies can handle the apps running on top of such a platform and the data their apps rely on. In simple terms, PaaS provides users with a shared cloud platform to develop and manage their apps. The main benefit of such platforms is that companies do not have to build or maintain an infrastructure to optimize their cloud operations and work apps.
Software-as-a-Service
In SaaS, the service provider delivers a software application—which it manages for companies—for its users to run their cloud operations. Generally, SaaS applications are mobile apps or web-based apps that companies can access or use through a web browser. The cloud service provider takes care of software updates, bug fixes, and general maintenance of the software application for users. The application is normally connected to the cloud applications and operations of companies through an API or a unified dashboard. The biggest advantage of SaaS services is that it removes the need for companies to have an app installed locally on their computers, thereby simplifying team or group access to the core SaaS software application.
Popular cloud platform services
You can choose from a wide range of alternatives when it comes to enterprise cloud services. Some popular options include:
SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud Platform
The SAP HANA enterprise cloud platform is a subscription-based, fully-managed cloud service. The service provider (SAP enterprise cloud) handles the operation of the cloud software management and maintenance, allowing the customer to focus on their core business operations and continuity. Additionally, the platform takes care of the integration of functions such as system and interface monitoring, business process monitoring, and application lifecycle management by connecting SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (HEC) to the on-premise SAP Solution Manager for companies. After establishing such a connection, the setup of basic scenarios and processes on the cloud platform is simplified for companies.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure, along with Microsoft’s Software-as-a-Service efforts, is a strong and renowned player in the enterprise cloud ecosystem. Azure is an important component of Microsoft’s cloud business operations. While Azure is normally classified as an IaaS player, it has several SaaS qualities as well, such as the fact that most of the company’s revenue comes from Microsoft Office, Dynamics, and other software-based cloud services. Microsoft Azure employs AI and machine learning to optimize its services and provide solid-edge computing flexibility to companies.
IBM
IBM offers companies operational acceleration through their hybrid and multicloud platform to create growth opportunities across the IT ecosystem of companies. Among their other enterprise cloud services, IBM offers on-premise infrastructure services, trained and experienced developers for assistance, and other features to optimize the mission-critical operations of companies.