Cloud computing is a lifeline for businesses during COVID-19

Chris Schwartz

photo of woman using computer for video conference

 

The pandemic has revealed a new reality: the cloud is vital for keeping businesses running. From new remote workforces to virtual meetings, businesses have had to make critical adjustments to survive — including adopting and using more cloud services.

COVID-19 has served as a de facto catalyst for proving the value and flexibility of cloud computing, according to Rackspace Technology CTO of Solutions and host of the Cloud Talk podcast, Jeff DeVerter. “We’ve been adopting and supplying this technology to a certain segment of businesses for years, but now the rest of the business world is realizing they can access cloud capabilities to solve their problems. Almost everyone has been impacted in some way — even organizations heavily invested in traditional technologies. They are telling us that the cloud looks much more attractive now.”

From just over 20 years ago, when we only had dialup internet access, no streaming services and no smartphones, the world has changed dramatically — and even more so since the outbreak of COVID-19. “It’s been amazing to watch the growth of the cloud, with the jumps and acceleration year after year, and see how it’s impacted our lives,” said Jeff. “We should consider ourselves extremely lucky that we have these technologies to help us handle this situation now, get through it and continue working.”

As much as things have changed already, Jeff believes this is just the beginning. “Going forward, many more organizations will view the cloud as a strategic tool. I don’t think we’ll ever retreat from that perspective now. It will be the new normal or influence what the new normal will look like.”

Hear more from Jeff as he sits down with our Cloudspotting podcast hosts Alex Galbraith and Sai Iyer. In this recent podcast episode, they explore what it would have been like had the crisis occurred before the advent of the cloud, as well as how cloud computing can benefit businesses going forward. Jeff brings his decade-long experience of working with cloud-based services and technologies and advising companies on making cloud transformation decisions to the conversation.

Join Jeff, Alex and Sai as they discuss insights on the past, present and future of the cloud, including:

  • A time pre-internet and pre-smartphone and its limitations
  • The impact of cloud technology on organizations as a result of COVID-19
  • The progression of cloud adoption, from infrastructure-as-a-service to SaaS
  • What comes next, including the transformation of data to the cloud
  • How scalability will become a strategic advantage in an uncertain future
  • How more organizations will look to the cloud and ask: how can we perform better, cheaper and faster?

 

Discover how the cloud can benefit your business — during and after COVID-19.