Cloud Services for Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

Cloud Services for Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
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Cloud computing indicates the distributed clouding model that allows users to access computing facilities either on-demand or using the pay-as-you-go model. Cloud computing seeks to increase the opportunities available for users where they can access leased infrastructure as well as software applications. Cloud computing remains one of the most promising innovations in technological space today. It is very attractive to organizations because of the benefits it brings such as increased efficiency and saving on costs. The innovation constitutes a shift in the manner businesses are offered with computing resources. The arrangement is shifting the idea of computing as a product to computing as a service. The need for cloud computing tailored for businesses has led to the creation of cloud business intelligence (BI). The arrangement enables applications to be hosted on a virtual network. Businesses can take advantage of BI to access crucial data like JPIs, dashboards, and other business analytics needed for the running of the business. In the wake of globalization, businesses are competing on a global scale, hence necessitating the need to take advantage of recent technological developments. Cloud computing is evolving at a higher rate with several companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon offering the BI-related services.
Types of Cloud-based BI
BI can offer services through three major models; Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). In SaaS, third-party hosts applications and avails them to the clients via the Internet. The clients have network-based access to applications that have been created specifically for the distribution (Goyal, 2013). Through subscription, the client accesses the software through a web browser, by logging in using a username and a password. The model means that the individual clients do not need to install the particular software on their computers. Instead, through logging credentials, customers can access the service via the Internet. SaaS has emerged because of the need for businesses to save on the costs of installing and updating software applications. In traditional computing, businesses need to install software and subsequent updates. However, in SaaS, users do not need to install software or updates since they can log in through the Internet and access the particular service in the provider’s network (Iqbal et al., 2016). Examples of the use of SaaS in business include email services, shared company calendars, and customer relationship management (CRM) among others. The pricing largely depends on various parameters like the number of individual users, transactions, and any other approach the provider decides.
IaaS denotes an instant computing infrastructure that is administered via the Internet. The provider offers infrastructure where a business can install, configure, and manage software applications (Goyal, 2013). The model allows businesses to scale up and down depending on their current needs. This means that clients pay for only what they need. Further, IaaS ensures that the client does not incur additional costs on the maintenance of the utility. The business is only concerned about the unit costs and reliability of the provider. The business also does not need to spend a lot of time and resources in the management of the infrastructure. Examples of IaaS include web hosting, storage, and web applications. Running websites on an IaaS platform is more efficient and less costly than traditional web hosting. For businesses that generate a relatively large amount of data, storage is made easier on the IaaS platform. The system also ensures that a business has the necessary backup and recovery mechanisms. For businesses running web applications, IaaS enables them to store and run the applications on servers. Such businesses can easily scale up and down the applications as the need arises.
PaaS is critical for businesses that are engaged in the development of applications. The model provides developers with an environment with complete development and deployment for their cloud-based applications. In other words, PaaS offers an application development package for businesses engaged in development. The supplier handles all the functions related to execution and OS functions. The developer further provides development tools and frameworks that software developers need. In some cases, a PaaS provider may decide to customize the platform to suit the specific needs of a business (Rajan, 2013). Where this is not possible, a business must wait until the provider has another version of the platform. A case scenario in PaaS is in analytics where the provider allows the client to analyze and mine data for decision-making. The vendors may offer additional services that enhance the software development process like workflow and scheduling. For business engaged in the development, coding time is minimized since developers have access to pre-coded applications. Indeed, the development and launching of an app is a complex process that requires sophisticated infrastructure. Businesses that have embraced the PaaS model can focus on the development of apps since the vendor offers an enabling platform.
The image below shows the three types of cloud models as offered by Microsoft Inc., which is one of the major BI providers.
Cloud-based platforms versus on-premises systems
Cloud-based platforms have various benefits over on-premises systems. Firstly, cloud-based services reduce costs. There is no need for onsite hardware or additional capital expenses in acquiring infrastructure. For rapidly growing companies that do not have access to more capital, cloud-based services are affordable. For such companies, massive growth tends to outgrow the available infrastructure necessitating the need for a constant upgrade. With cloud-based services, such companies do not need to incur additional expenses in acquiring the required hardware (Rajan, 2013). A business relying on premise-based servers would incur huge capital investment in acquiring hardware and infrastructure. Secondly, cloud-based services are easily scalable. This implies that resources can be added or reduced when the need arises. The services are on-demand, hence a business has the flexibility required to scale up and down. While scaling up for premise-based servers is possible, it will require a business to spend more resources. Even where a business wants to scale down, on-premises systems would lead to ti underutilization of resources.
Thirdly, staff members in a cloud-based platform can connect from anywhere as long as they have Internet connectivity. In this case, workers do not need to report to the office to execute their duties, since they can do this from a remote area. Such flexibility is critical in boosting the morale of the workers. In a premise-based server system, workers have to report to the office. They are unable to perform their duties from a remote location. This brings about a rigid working environment that can demoralize the workers. Further, cloud-based platforms rely on current data security measures to protect data. This is because they have the required experts and hardware facilities to ensure that the data on their servers is adequately protected. Data on the cloud is more secure given that the provider has invested in state-of-the-art facilities to protect data (Goyal, 2013). For a small business, affording data security experts may be problematic. As a result, the data on the onsite server may not employ sophisticated protection mechanisms. Moreover, cloud-based platforms ensure adequate backing up of data. Data on the cloud is backed up regularly to minimize data losses in cases where disaster strikes. For a company relying on premise-based systems, data loss can occur when a disaster strikes the center. This can cause a huge setback to the company due to the loss of critical data.
While cloud-based platforms have various cons over...