We are all familiar with the term “Cloud Security,” yet only a little over 50% of companies worldwide operate their IT infrastructure with Cloud Computing. The Cloud offers incredible business advantages, from data security and cost benefits to business efficiency and competitiveness. Companies that constantly invest in the Cloud, mobility, big data, and security have reported experiencing 55% faster profitability than their competitors. Moreover, cloud technology also helps these businesses run their internal processes more efficiently, serve their clients better, and meet government compliance requirements faster.
Over the years, there has been a steady and swift increase in the number of mobile applications. While primarily the mobile applications were developed as native apps, with the exponential increase in data usage due to rapid digitalization, it has become a challenge for businesses and individuals to keep their information, programs, and software applications up and running on in-house IT infrastructure. All of this points toward only one thing: There has been no better time for organizations than today to migrate their applications to the Cloud.
If you are considering cloud development, understand its business benefits and importance to gain a competitive edge.

What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing allows users to access features and functions of an application or system without having to save or upkeep the bulk of the application, such as the data and information, on their personal or office computers. It eliminates the need for large costly servers, and infrastructure appliances that need to be maintained and replaced or upgraded every 3-5 years. Popular examples of cloud computing is the social media apps we use every day, like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM all have versions of the cloud to allow you to operate your business with a reduced cost of infrastructure and operating cost. Gmail, Google Drive, and One-Drive are also cloud-based applications where users save and send data to a cloud-hosted server that stores and retrieves information as and when required.
Businesses that access a large amount of data, like Government, Litigation, and Medical, can benefit extensively from cloud computing’s secure and steady online network connection. For instance, doctors can access their patient’s medical records via cloud-based Medical ERP, MMR software from their mobile devices anytime, anywhere with an active internet connection. They can also download and reshare information to authorized users within a few minutes.

What are Mobile Cloud Applications?
Mobile cloud applications run on external cloud-based servers and use the browser or operating system on the mobile device to display information. They are similar to web-based applications with one major difference – they don’t completely depend upon web browsers for functioning. Mobile application data is stored in a remote data center operated by a third-party company. Therefore, cloud applications do not take up much storage space on the user’s device, boosting performance, speed, and accessibility.
Example: There is an option in Google Photos where you can delete a large file (photo or video) from your smartphone to save device storage space and still find it on your phone via Cloud. The photo or video is originally saved on Google Drive cloud storage.
Mobile cloud applications are highly responsive and agile and do not need permanent storage on your device. This means, in the event of an accidental fire, system corruption, power outage, or cyber-attack, your data will still be safe in the Cloud, completely protected with multiple layers of security like authentication, authorization, auditing and monitoring, and data encryption.

Below is a list of the most important benefits of cloud computing in mobile applications that will clear all your doubts about developing a cloud-based software app for your business.

1. Cloud Apps Run on All Platforms – A Total Win-Win
Unlike native app development, cloud mobile applications can operate on iOS and Android, not only reducing your cost of development but also opening up a wider scope for reach and engagement.
By developing a cloud app, you wouldn’t have to spend time researching the platform that will be right for your app strategy. It’s a win-win situation, where you can aim audiences of two different universes with a single application. If there wasn’t cloud as a solution, imagine having to redevelop a native application on a different platform from scratch? You can compare users’ growth, engagement, and preferences on both platforms and change your application enhancement strategy based on the results.
Those who are weighing the advantages and disadvantages of using the Cloud must consider more than just the initial development cost. You have to consider ROI too.

2. Cloud Saves Cost in the Long Run
Most organizations worry about the initial cost of implementing cloud-based solutions when we recommend them to switch to the Cloud or build a cloud mobile application. We understand that cost is an important factor that drives businesses to make a change. The cost of developing a mobile application depends on the features and functionalities.
However, with Cloud, you will only save costs in the long run.
Developing native mobile applications for iOS and Android simultaneously can be twice as expensive and time-consuming compared to developing one cloud application for both Android and iOS. You will be using one set of resources instead of two and a half the amount of time to create the application – meaning deployment will be faster, ROI will be quicker, and most importantly, the development cost will reduce by 30% – 40%.
Cloud is the future, and you need to think about it by allocating your budget wisely.
Most cloud services can be taken up on a need basis; if you don’t want a feature, you do not need to pay for it. Simultaneously, you can pay only for the data storage space you use to serve your client. Moreover, cloud computing can be scaled as and when a business grows. This means you do not need to invest in a new application for storing sensitive or big data or enhancing features – rather, buy secure storage space from your cloud partner and run your business app smoothly.

3. Cloud Apps Take Less Time to Develop
At present, time is everything. Time is also money. Time also impacts opportunity cost. Launching a software application at the right time can be a game-changer for a company. And, cloud-mobile application development will ensure you can save as much time as possible with faster development and deployment.
The development time depends upon the type and complexity of the application you want – whether you want a simple application, a gaming app, or a business app with sophisticated features.
The standard time to develop a feature-rich native mobile application is 6 to 12 months. It may take more time to build complex and unique applications, like Government portals. This means you will be engaging a team of software engineers for more than a year to build and launch the application. And the time and resources would double for native apps.
You can avoid wasting so much time by building a cloud-based application that caters to all your development goals with modern solutions.

4. Get Grade-A Security for Your Data
With the rising cases of cyber-attacks, application security is a huge concern. Since native applications’ data are stored in local devices onsite, they are often at the risk of data loss, data corruption, data breach and misuse, and device malfunctions.
Information stored in the Cloud is generally protected with several layers of security, such as authorization, authentication, and encryption. It also means there is less risk of data being stolen or lost. It is particularly important when your application runs on dated systems or/and collects stores and shares sensitive and confidential data, such as customer credit card details and mailing addresses.
Even if it happened only once by accident, once your company gains a reputation for data breach that compromised customer information, your brand name will never be the same. Regaining trust will take months, if not years, and you will lose many customers in between.
ResultWorx Cloud Services offer emergency backup, restore, and disaster recovery solutions
With ResultWorx’ managed IT services, you can protect your data, customers, and brand name. The data, stored at a remote location (and not in the office systems), can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Moreover, your data on the Cloud will be backed up on multiple servers. So, even if one crashes, your data will still be saved, retrieved, and stored from other servers.

But you may wonder, if files, information, and data aren’t safe onsite, how can they be protected remotely? What’s stopping an attacker from attacking a file on the Cloud?

While your question is valid, here’s how our partners secure your data at different levels:
 Cloud Providers use AI and ML to assist with security in the cloud.
 Cloud providers also provide an SLA and Security guarantee that you won’t get from an internal staff and team.
 Cloud providers’ full-time job is to monitor and maintain security.
 As a company, that is not your core business function, you may falter at certain parts at certain times. It only takes 1 mistake to be a major issue for you and your company.
 When you go through the records of data breaches, you will find that data thefts and cyber-attacks are often organized by company employees.
 If that’s the case, it will be much safer to keep information and data away from the company, somewhere inaccessible physically.
 The main reason for heightened security is data encryption. With data encryption, only authorized users can access and view your data. The encrypts changed now and then to boost security walls.
 You can also customize your security settings by modifying and limiting user access to critical programs and data to only select users in the office.
 In a disaster, you can recover your data in less than a day (depending upon the size) without disrupting your normal working hours.

5. You Don’t Have to Install Your Application in Your System
If your current IT systems are taking too much of your time, a cloud-based application will be apt for you. Cloud-based mobile applications can be run directly from the Cloud, managed by the development team (us) and the cloud host. You don’t have to install your application on your device or upgrade and update it from time to time.
Cloud apps work just like web applications like Gmail and Facebook – they provide a smooth and rich experience all the time across any internet browser or operating device.
However, in the case of a native application, the situation reverses – they require proper system configuration and installation, regular version and built upgrades, and must be continually monitored for vulnerabilities. Also, native apps are often not compatible with all devices. So, you will have to build an application that works for your device or IT infrastructure, which often turns expensive when new things launch in the market.

6. Best Database Integration and Application Upgrade
Database integration in native apps can take days to complete. It also gets tricky for engineers who aren’t the developers of the application.
Moreover, the programmers have to write code to integrate databases into native apps.
However, with Cloud, this becomes a cakewalk, as all data is automatically synced with the server without any coding or manual work.
On the other hand, once you launch a mobile application, you have to keep revamping it regularly to accommodate users’ needs and achieve success in the long run. This makes it important to develop an app that can be easily scaled or upgraded when and as required.
While maintenance and upgradation are necessary, it is pretty expensive.
Cloud-based mobile applications score a 10 for their reliability, flexibility, and scalability. With unlimited storage and server resources, cloud servers can scale applications up and down based on your business’s current needs.

If you are a business that wants to break a leg and set the stage on fire, a cloud mobile application is the most promising solution. It is also the safest and most affordable alternative to native mobile applications. With quick turn-around time and great cloud computing benefits, you will reap profits early in your business.

If you have questions about mobile application development based on Cloud, or anything else, our experts can help you with the answers. Click here to contact us.