The cloud computing revolution has changed the way many businesses interact with data. It offers an unparalleled level of flexibility and scalability, making it a must-have for modern enterprises.
By using a reliable cloud data platform, businesses can leverage the power of the cloud to stay ahead of competition. So what exactly is a cloud data platform? Keep reading to find out.
What is a cloud data platform?
A cloud data platform stores and manages large amounts of business data generated by multiple sources, enabling users to access and use data stored in the cloud. Business data sources can include databases, big data applications, and other connected devices. With this flexible solution, companies can process and gain insights from their digital information quickly and easily.
Cloud data platforms are largely replacing traditional, on-prem warehouses. While some of the basic functionality remains the same, there are a number of benefits to choosing a cloud data platform.
Top 6 benefits of using a cloud data platform
For any organization looking to maximize its potential in the digital age, a cloud data platform is an essential tool for success. With the right platform in place, businesses can keep their data secure, accessible, and reliable.
1. Scalable storage
Cloud data platforms offer businesses the opportunity to scale storage as needed. This eliminates the need for organizations to purchase and maintain large amounts of hardware just to store their data, saving money in the long run.
2. Automated backup
With a cloud data platform, organizations can rest assured that their data is safe and secure. Automated backup schedules mean that the data is regularly backed up, reducing the risk of loss due to human error or unforeseen events.
3. Accessibility
Cloud data platforms provide easy access to data anytime, anywhere. Organizations can easily share critical information with employees, customers, and partners without having to worry about long-distance travel or complicated file-sharing protocols.
4. Security
Cloud data platforms offer multiple layers of security, helping to protect valuable data from malicious actors. With features like encryption, authentication, and authorization, organizations can feel confident that their confidential information is safe and secure.
5. Cost savings
Many cloud data platforms offer cost-saving benefits for businesses, eliminating the need to purchase and maintain expensive hardware. Additionally, businesses can save money on IT resources by using cloud-based services instead of hiring in-house personnel.
6. Reliability
Cloud data platforms are designed to provide a high level of reliability and uptime. Organizations can access their critical information without worrying about outages or system failures. This can help to ensure operations continue uninterrupted, leading to greater productivity and cost savings.
Best cloud data platform use cases
Build a data warehouse
A data warehouse is a type of database that is used to store and manage enterprise-wide data for decision making. It stores data from multiple operational systems, such as ERP, CRM, and other sources. Data warehouses enable organizations to access their structured and unstructured data in one unified repository for analytics and reporting purposes.
Create a data lake
A data lake is a large body of structured and unstructured data that can be used for analytics and machine learning applications. It allows organizations to store, explore, analyze, and visualize their data in one place. Data lakes are often located in the cloud, making them easily accessible from any device and location.
Easily access IoT analytics data
IoT analytics is the process of collecting and analyzing data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It helps organizations gain insights into their operations, identify trends, and make better decisions about how to use resources more efficiently. With cloud data platforms, organizations can easily access data from their IoT devices and quickly analyze it to gain valuable insights.
Deploy machine learning models
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers to learn from data and identify patterns without being explicitly programmed. Cloud data platforms make it easy for organizations to deploy machine learning models, store large volumes of data, and get faster insights.
Quickly find insights with big data analytics
Big data analytics is the process of extracting insights from large and complex datasets. Organizations use big data analytics to uncover trends, identify customer behavior, assess risk, and make better decisions about how to use resources more efficiently. With cloud data platforms, organizations can quickly access and analyze their large volumes of data for faster insights.
Application development
Cloud data platforms provide developers with the ability to rapidly develop applications using a variety of languages, frameworks, and tools. By leveraging the scalability of cloud computing resources, developers can quickly create highly-scalable applications without needing to invest in expensive hardware.
Leverage business intelligence tools
Cloud data platforms can provide businesses with the ability to quickly and easily generate graphical, interactive reports from large datasets. By leveraging powerful business intelligence tools, organizations can quickly visualize their data to gain valuable insights into their operations, customers, and markets.
Top cloud data platform vendors
There are a number of leading cloud data platforms on the market including market leaders like Snowflake and Databricks. Each one offers businesses cloud data platform advantages such as the ability to quickly access their data, gain valuable insights, and make better decisions about how to use resources more efficiently.
However, there are some key differences to explore to make sure you select the right cloud data platform for your business. Here’s a quick overview of some of the largest cloud data platforms:
Snowflake
Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform that offers services for both data warehousing and analytics. It provides users with an advanced SQL interface and powerful tools for managing and querying data.
Databricks
Databricks is an end-to-end cloud data platform known as a data lakehouse that brings together data engineering, analytics, and machine learning. It enables users to quickly explore, visualize, and analyze large datasets in a unified platform that combines a data lake and a data warehouse.
Google BigQuery
Google BigQuery is a cloud data warehouse that offers solutions for analytics, AI, and ML. It provides users with an easy-to-use interface for managing and querying data, as well as powerful machine-learning tools.
Amazon Redshift
Amazon Redshift is a comprehensive cloud data warehouse from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides data access for analytics, machine learning, and application development.
Azure Synapse
Azure Synapse is a cloud data platform that offers services for processing, managing and serving data for analytics workloads on the Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystem. It provides users with an easy-to-use interface for data management and analysis.
Easily search and analyze your cloud data
Cloud data platforms have become an increasingly popular choice for data-driven businesses. It provides reliable storage, improved security, scalability, and faster access to data insights. Sign up for a free trial of Thoughtspot to get the most out of your cloud data platform. Our simple cloud data platform connections empower you to start searching and analyzing your cloud data, uncovering new insights that can help improve your bottom line.
