Can Cloud Computing keep your business safe from COVID-19?

Growing concerns around the impact of COVID-19 and finding solutions like cloud computing, that can flatten its impact, are the main topics of discussion nowadays. With national governments being placed in crisis mode, millions of people were forced to lockdown social distancing during the pandemic outbreak and even though it seems like it is getting better, we will need to be prepared for another outbreak or the next deadly virus. Although even though we were heavily impacted by the Coronavirus, the business world is undergoing many changes to adapt to the new critical conditions and to ensure business continuity.

COVID-19 is reshaping the rules of business

The Coronavirus impact on business has actually been described as the “world’s largest work-from-home experiment”. This translates into more companies adopting a remote work strategy for their workforce to keep them safe at home, away from the deadly virus. However, this transition requires significant changes to IT infrastructures in order to work from anywhere as well as making sure your SaaS solutions are able to handle the tremendous amount of scale that will be needed.

Cloud computing providers are seeing more requests for their services and they are struggling to meet the growing demand on the market. When simply considering the scenario where employees are switching locations, from the office to the home, the work office impact on the IT network is minimal, because most of the traffic has switched directly to the SaaS providers.

Cloud computing is shifting in the time of Coronavirus

However, more connectivity means more data traffic volumes which leads to the need to increase the current cloud capacity levels. Now is the time for cloud computing to shine amid this pandemic crisis and save the business world by keeping everyone connected while authorities impose social distancing and home isolation. 

Companies appreciate now more than ever the vital role that front-end applications like Zoom, Skype and Slack play in ensuring business continuity. However, the real heroes that make sure these services run smoothly are the back-end infrastructures provided by the top cloud computing providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. In response to the crisis, the global cloud leaders are working relentlessly on activating pandemic-specific resiliency testing procedures to maintain corporate functionality.

Titans of cloud computing are joining the fight against COVID-19

As COVID-19 takes its toll on the global population, cloud tech giants like AWS, Microsoft, and Google are joining forces to find a cure for Coronavirus. They provide free services, scientific research teams and financial funding to support the existent COVID-19 containment efforts.

Amazon launched the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative, a global program with an initial investment of $20 million provided as a combination of AWS in-kind credits and technical support. The main objective of this initiative is to harness the full potential of the cloud and accelerate diagnostic development and research for treatment. Participants in this project include 35 research institutions, businesses, and startups that are tackling this pandemic crisis.

Microsoft and Google, in collaboration with Rescale, the leader in enterprise big compute in the cloud, launched a new program called Tech Against COVID that provides free high-performance computing resources to engineers, scientists, and researchers fighting COVID-19. This initiative allows researchers to run life science simulations, from model outbreak scenarios to acceleration in test kits development and finally, to vaccine creation.

What’s next for cloud computing?

The current widespread epidemic validates more than ever the importance of technology in ensuring business continuity in times of crisis. Companies see the cloud as their most reliable partner as it provides the much-needed support to ensure corporate productivity. COVID-19 is here to stay for some time and its impact will have long-term effects on the business environment. 

What do you think about the role that cloud computing plays in the fight against Coronavirus? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!