Cloud Computing

On-demand applications. Technology for greater flexibility.
Cloud Computing is gaining attention and is being rapidly adopted by companies of all sizes. But, the term "cloud" is quite broad and potentially confusing, begging the question what does "the cloud" really mean for small and medium businesses?

The cloud provides hardware and software computing resources accessed via the internet or local network. There are three types of cloud based on where the software and hardware are hosted — public, private and hybrid.

• In the public cloud, an external third party hosts the software and hardware services and you pay only for the resources you use.
• Larger companies may leverage an internal private cloud that they create and hire staff to maintain. Or, they may create a hybrid cloud that leverages some public cloud services combined with their private cloud.

What are the benefits of cloud to small and medium businesses?
Small and medium businesses are finding the public cloud model a good fit for how they work. Without purchasing additional systems, businesses can use any internet connection to access applications, storage or servers on demand with a pay-per-use service model. Many companies choose public cloud because it enables them to:

• Rapidly deploy the latest software applications that may have previously been out of reach
• Shift up-front CAPEX costs to OPEX spend over time
• Supplement or extend existing IT infrastructure and capabilities
• Scale resources up or down based on immediate business needs
• Get virtually unlimited capacity without investing in additional hardware
• Pay only for applications and resources that are consumed

Whether you need a public or private cloud solution, Dell has the expertise, services and partnerships to help you plan and implement the right cloud for your business.