Quick and Efficient Delivery of Programs Will Be Possible with Cloud Computing for Organizations

Given that advertising agencies are actually in a very demanding and highly dynamic industry, an extremely high level of attention to detail and great flexibility is needed, where cloud computing could services could come in. Ad agencies are always pressured to keep up with market competition and it is very important to keep exploring for the best available technology solutions which they could use, and most are even turning to cloud computing services.

Some agencies know of the benefits that infrastructure-as-a-service can provide, including lower costs, enhanced responsiveness, and scalability. But IT services are now evolving to the next generation cloud computing solutions. Due to the need to get access to and adjust data storage and processing in a very timely manner, cloud computing actually becomes a very attractive option compared to the traditional infrastructure. For an advertising campaign with little or no track record, a client could certainly benefit from having access to such scalable resources, able to ramp availability up or down according to campaign response.

Advertising campaigns are also subject to review and a particular project could be deemed to be ineffective or unworkable, even as it is being rolled out. If the campaign only lives for a month, an investment in hardware capacity and resources at the front end could truly prove to be expensive. If the campaign is handled "through the cloud," capacity and resources are accessed as needed and not as a result of any capital investment.

A number of issues would have to be addressed first before any ad agency picks any cloud computing service. There are a number of items to think about:

- How can the agency monitor and bill the use of the cloud for every corresponding client?

- How can efficient controls be placed over the use of the cloud infrastructure?

- How can policies and procedures regarding security and reliability be serviced?

- How to manage individual cloud computing solutions when there are actually plenty of cloud providers?

The challenge is that most cloud providers only have one level of access to cloud accounts making it difficult to share access with vendors, clients and internal staff. Many times, programs need different levels of access for different team members. Some only should be able to monitor the infrastructure while others should be able to launch new resources.

Many questions have also arisen about security and the vulnerability of a client's information. Choosing the right cloud computing service provider lies on the very important premise that strict user management of cloud services is carefully done. The agency must be able to set up and manage users according to provided credentials, allowing users to retain "key" access to critical information and service in the cloud. Within the best solutions, access can be infinitely managed for clients, providing complete peace of mind and security.

There are actually plenty of choices for advertising agencies when it comes to choosing the right cloud computing solutions, though they need to be very careful that tools will be able to encompass their position. For example, user credentials and access keys must be encrypted and stored externally, access must be controlled through the use of role-based security solutions, reliability and uptime must be maximized through the use of clustering solutions, specific to individual requirements.

Few cloud management solutions are able to work with all leading public cloud providers and private cloud platforms. Specific billing codes and levels of reporting enable the agency to accurately assess and build each client's project. Core-based security is specific enough to allow vendors and clients to access and manage individual applications. Since security is a vital issues, a company's security architecture which has a patent pending should include encryption, auto-recovery, and intrusion detection so that the client will be comfortable.

Any advertising agency would certainly find the need to have a control over its own security, billing and management to an individual client basis. With these controls in place, advertising and marketing agencies can move "to the cloud" and reap the benefits of increased capacity, enhanced solutions, cutting-edge tools and cost flexibility, all of which can help to elevate their position in the eyes of the client.