You may have heard about cloud computing and the impact it has been having on the tech industry and small businesses. Thanks to cloud, it’s possible for people to access data and software from any location. Cloud makes it easier for companies to be flexible handling both space and client needs. During busy times, companies can pay for more hosting space — during slow months, less, helping to cut down on overhead and IT costs.

While you might be familiar with many of the basics concerning cloud solutions, there’s likely a few things you still don’t know. What are they?

Three Facts About Cloud Computing That Might Surprise You

• By 2018, the global market for cloud is expected to reach almost $80 billion.
• After adopting cloud computing solutions, about 14% of U.S. companies are able to downsize.
• The U.S. Government has a “cloud-first” policy in place. This mandates that government agencies take advantage of cloud hosting — the government is hoping to modernize federal IT with this move.

Three New Uses of Cloud

• Telemedicine — sound like a soap opera? No — telemedicine allows patients to see doctors from the comfort of their own home. For certain types of appointments, doctors can simply connect with their patients using cloud technology. This is helping to bring specialized care to people in more remote locations that would otherwise have trouble accessing it.
• The DNA data race — DNA sequencing, once a task that took years to complete, is going faster at a rate of 5-fold per year. Cloud computing has allowed many of these computations to take place. In this way, cloud can be important for mapping genomes.
• Startups — thanks to cloud, many startup tech businesses, which often become multi-million dollar companies, are blossoming. By using cloud, they can keep costs low and use the revenue they make to improve their business.

Does your company rely on cloud solution providers? Let us know in the comments. Learn more about this topic here: local.cbeyond.com