We all know that cloud computing has revolutionized the way business is done at Google, Amazon, Apple, and other IT giants. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that cloud computing is rapidly gaining ground among the tech-savvy set in the Middle East. Should your startup make use of such technology? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’, as cloud computing needn’t remain the preserve of big companies.

“In the simplest terms,” explains an article in PC Mag Middle East, “cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the internet.”

It is not surprising that cloud computing is rapidly gaining ground among the tech-savvy set in the Middle East. Dubai is one of the leading cities when it comes to cloud deployment. According to Cisco’s Global Cloud Index, the Middle East and Africa is anticipated to have the world’s highest cloud traffic growth rate, at 41 percent  by 2019.

Not only big companies are resorting to cloud tech, but startups also have a broad spectrum of benefits that they can access through this technology.

1. Facilitates innovation

Cloud computing is optimal for development and testing. Choose from an array of platforms such as Azure, AWS, and various hybrids, and proceed to develop and test your website with resources tailored to your needs.

Effective utilization of cloud-based capabilities enabled Etsy, an online store, to create product recommendations cost-effectively from the analysis of one billion monthly views of data. Etsy could access the tools and computing power that was only affordable for larger retailers using the cloud giving it the freedom to innovate.

2. Reduces expenditures

You need to collate employee details, process payments, store company data and customer information, and track sales, right? Well, securing the services of a cloud provider allows you to do all this without worrying about setting up an office computer network and hiring employees to maintain it. Not only that, but when you expand your business and customers start flowing in, you can increase your cloud’s capacity easily at little cost. With your own network and server, this would take weeks and entail purchasing the necessary hardware.

AT&T, the American telecommunications company which expanded to the Middle East, uses the cloud to make its business interactive, agile, and cost-effective.

3. Enables mobility

A cloud lets you access files and assorted data anywhere and everywhere and from any device. As a result, your employees aren’t bound to their office desks. They can work from any location they choose, provided they have an internet connection, and gain entry to the cloud through an email account or a password. Even if the members of your team are strewn across the globe, you can bring them all under one virtual roof using the cloud.

This has enabled Middle Eastern and European governments to reduce IT costs, while streamlining procedures at government offices. Middle Eastern healthcare providers have also understood the cloud’s mobility. Many are planning to use it to develop and deliver various applications, with patient administration systems, electronic medical records, laboratory information systems, clinical decision-support systems, and e-booking systems.

4. Provides a backup storage system

In the event of an accidental deletion of files or some such potential fiasco, you can always recover your data in a jiffy, thanks to the cloud’s backup mechanism. This allows you to rebound immediately.

Most of the cloud storage applications lets you choose a variety of free and premium solutions like  the Microsoft SkyDrive and Amazon S3 to store, synchronize, and easily access your files .

A 2016 study by Zetta states that 50 percent of companies are using cloud-based data recovery solutions. Backup is the second most widely-used application of cloud computing, with disaster recovery comes seventh.

5. Increases flexibility

Save yourself the hassle of updating software. The job is automatically done for you by the service provider.

Etihad Airways, one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, tied up with IBM to make a ten-year technology services agreement approximately worth $700 million. This allowed the airline to improve flexibility, security, and efficiency. They make use of a wide range of services from the cloud, allowing them and its partners to develop its infrastructure, enhance customer experience, flexibility, security, and agility in cloud-based platforms.

Simultaneously, numerous government sectors in the Middle East region have realized the benefits of cloud computing and have adopted them to build a ‘central government cloud’ that is operated by one entity.