Many companies are beginning to discover that data is now a key driving factor behind business success and can create competitive advantage. With the growth of the Internet of Things and increasing popularity of wearable tech devices, organizations will be collecting more data than ever about their products and customers.

According estimates from research firm International Data Corp, the world will have generated almost 40 zettabytes of data by 2020, or over 5,000 gigabytes per person. As the value of data becomes ever more evident, companies are looking for new ways to focus in and analyze all of the information being created.

It used to be that businesses looked at the cloud as only being useful for storing data, but companies are quickly realizing the benefits of being able to efficiently manage data while also having the ability to easily access it.

"It's essentially a simple concept-take the data we have in our data center and move it to where it's more accessible, flexible and scalable," wrote Brad ​Nisbet in an article for Forbes.

While the concept of the cloud is simple, its benefits are numerous and vast. Cloud-computing is capable of fundamentally reshaping business intelligence and changing the way companies use data to contribute to success. Implementing a cloud solution removes the obstacles in the way of innovation, creating a more successful organization.

Data as currency
Data is more easily accessed with a cloud platform, allowing employees to collaborate and glean insights from the vast amounts of information being collected. With the access and agility offered by the cloud, data have been made into a new global currency, as useful and necessary as money.

Just as it is with money, transferring large amounts of data can be a laborious process, taking days and even weeks. It's not something you want to move frequently or across long distances, as it can be lost or interfered with. It's more important now than ever to carefully manage data across different boundaries while maintaining control. Like with money, data is incredibly valuable, but extremely cumbersome.

The cloud has changed all of this. Data can now be easily and safely accessed, moved and shared with the use of cloud infrastructure, especially a dedicated enterprise cloud platform. Businesses can analyze the massive amounts of data being collected and make full use of their benefits while being confident that enterprise information is protected from outside threats. As the importance of data collection continues to grow, so too will the need for enterprise cloud platforms increase.