The needs of a startup and Cloud Computing :

Chief technology officers play a major role in managing the technical aspects of a company, especially for startups. The requirements of a company in the early stages differ considerably from its requirements in the later stage. For most startups, the initial period is turbulent; the market waters harsh and finding loyal partnerships cumbersome. For CTOs, this period can be exceedingly stressful, they have to manage and ensure the entire operation of the company runs smoothly at every point. As the world advances into digital zones, the burden on CTOs has increased. Initially, the company may hire a lot of IT professionals to take care of technology needs, however, as time goes on, these professionals would be cut down and some advance and take on more responsibility. The later stages of a startup are more secure and stable, by this point CTOs already have their strategy in motion, they have hired professions to handle technology work and their major role lies in super vision. However, during the middle region, CTOs can face numerous challenges. From finding the right balance in the company, managing resources, storing data, keeping the company wired, operational and connected to the market, can be a hurdle. However, diligent CTOs manage the company needs, keeping their eye on the end price.

The role of a CTO

Chief Technology officers are required to maintain the smooth functionality of technology, while reducing expenses of the company. Micro-level events are exceptionally useful for CTOs and they are always on the look at for changes that might occur at this level. For example, ways in which digital technology can be improved. Since data is the basic tool of most companies, CTOs often look for ways to improve high data throughput. The technology market and all its innovations are always under the radar of Chief technology officers. These people do not invest impulsively; rather make calculated decisions to ensure that every investment results in incremental growth and money savings for the company. CTOs look at market trends and environments, the evolutions that take place and the competition they face in the market. Moreover, these officers pay diligent attention to customer preferences and buying habits. These two aspects show the company how to market products so they become more appealing to customers. These customer needs are evaluated on a five year basis, as customer preferences change only slightly during this time frame. However, if certain technological advances make big waves in the market environment, then CTO’s are required to change their strategies accordingly.  While these are the basic requirements and credentials of CTO’s, hiring equally qualified tech experts also falls under their domain. CTO’s are also required to manage their team, and ensure every department and their technology needs are fulfilled, and run smoothly at all times.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing or internet based computing is on demand access to a number of configurable computer resources. These resources can include computer networks, data, storage, servers, applications and other services. The services can be dispatched with minimum management, and are normally safer, and more reliable for data needs. Cloud storage and computing give customers and companies the platform to safely store their data, privately and even remotely. In some cases outsourced companies may be involved in providing the services, however, other cloud based computing are very personalized.

Cloud computing and services can really reduce the cost of the technology infrastructure of a company. For startup companies, the costs are already high and initial revenue low, hence for such companies, cloud computing provides and easy, accessible and cheap option, as they do not need to buy separate servers. By taking care of the IT needs of organizations, it gives companies the leverage to focus on central issues and core business goals. Moreover, it allows CTOs to manage the technology needs faster, more professionally, and in a systematic manner. When such professionals have to take care of big data and services on a daily basis, they rarely find the time to focus on more important issues at hand, managing the technology resources. Moreover, since these servers are outsourced, maintenance costs are negligible for the company. In addition, it also reduces the personnel need of a company, and hence cuts costs considerably.

While cloud computing can offer a range of benefits to companies, there are some draw backs as well. Public cloud computing options are very risky, and in the past, there have been countless breaches that have resulted in loss of personal information from companies. This information can include sensitive credit card information, employee details or any company data. Usually hackers release such information on social media outlets, and this can cause the public image of a company to be in jeopardy. There have been numerous documented cases of theft and cyber hacking on public cloud computing, however, it is uncommon in Private cloud computing. None the less, the risks associated are very high, and due to the remote nature of the vice, the criminal can be very hard to track down.

Cloud Computing for CTOs: Design solutions in Cloud

Cloud Computing can offer a lot to companies, especially CTOs. Not only are there many cost saving benefits of employing such a service, but, most technology aspects of the company get assisted by the service. Cloud computing solutions are cheaper for companies, and by outsourcing data and IT needs, CTOs can focus on what truly matters, designing solutions to run the company seamlessly. The data becomes much easier to manage for officers, becomes more transparent and storage issues rarely arise.

Amazon’s CTO, Werner Vogel has already spoken about the benefits he has reaped from cloud computing in his company. Vogel advocated the services in a conference, stating, “the cloud has nothing to do with technology, the cloud is defined by all its benefits”.

While apps and gadgets can take care of data storage needs, for companies and startups the cost of download could be great, by investing in cloud services, this downtime can be prevented.  According to Vogel, if Cloud services lower their costs and make tackle privacy issues, companies would advance at an alarming rate.