As your organization weighs the pros and cons of migrating data to a cloud platform, where private, public, hybrid, or some other type, there are a number of factors to be considered. While an effective cloud setup can save an organization thousands of dollars on a yearly basis, improperly migrating data to the cloud can cost time and money to fix.
To that end, identifying all the important aspects of cloud computing, in addition to its benefits and drawbacks, can help any organization define their data migration strategy to ensure a smooth process.
What is Cloud Computing?
With the demand for global cloud computing services having a 15.8% compound annual growth rate, it’s clear that cloud computing is the way of the future. With that said, few companies truly have an understanding of what cloud computing actually is, let alone how it can benefit their organization.
Cloud computing is the use of remotely accessed, via Internet, servers which store data on behalf of an organization. Additional data can be stored, adjusted, or viewed within these servers remotely from anywhere in the world. This has allowed businesses to move operations remotely and allow workers to have benefits such as work-from-home as they no longer need to be in a physical office.
Why Does Cloud Computing Matter?
As an organization without cloud computing, you may have gotten on along just fine without it so far, which can cause a person to wonder what the benefits actually are. Cloud computing in an organization matters so much because it allows a business to scale and adapt at a faster speed than ever before. By being able to foster innovation and react to change in a faster manner, a business can cut costs while enhancing operational output.
5 Pros of Cloud Computing
There are five primary benefits to cloud computing that all organizations should consider as reason(s) to integrate this technology into their business:
- Enhanced scalability
When using on-site computing, a business is limited to the number of servers they have available and the processing speeds of those servers. Should your organization explode overnight and need more, on-site computing takes a long time to scale. Cloud computing, however, can use cloud scaling which, with a simple phone call to a provider, can grant access to additional storage space, processing power, and much more.
- Reduced overall costs
The biggest way in which cloud computing saves an organization money is by taking away the need to purchase physical hardware or software. This means that there is no need to pay for an in-house data center that can take up office space and produces a large overhead cost.
- Centralized data security
When operating using a cloud platform, there are a large number of devices that can potentially expose a business to cybersecurity threats. However, cloud platforms centralize security in much the same way they centralize applications or data.
- Increased business insights
Making smarter business decisions is contingent on using effective data to drive those decisions. Cloud-based applications that specialize in data analytics can save you time and money by analyzing consumer or company data on your behalf and then offering recommendations based on that data.
- Accessibility on all devices
As mentioned, the cloud has allowed workers to be able to access company servers from anywhere in the world, which is one of its biggest benefits. This means that employees can perform company work from personal devices using technology such as a virtual desktop from the comfort of their home or anywhere else.
5 Cons of Cloud Computing
For all of the many benefits cloud computing offers, however, there are a number of downsides to being aware of. From operational risk to cybersecurity concerns, keep the following cons of cloud computing in mind:
- Potentially less control over data
If you’re using a public cloud, as opposed to a private cloud, an external third-party vendor will be managing the cloud platform. This means you have an inherent lack of total control over the company and consumer data that is stored within the cloud, even if the provider is an accredited company.
- Increased prevalence of cyberattacks
It is currently estimated that a cyberattack occurs every 44 seconds throughout the day, going to show just how common this threat is. While the cloud is flexible, the presence of off-site servers managed by another organization has created more sophisticated versions of cyberattacks that require new defenses to counteract.
- Downtime could be harder to solve
The cloud is far more complex than traditional on-site computing, which means certain problems that arise may be harder to troubleshoot. If an organization doesn’t have an in-house IT or cloud-related expert, determining the root cause of a problem, especially with a private cloud, can result in longer than ideal downtimes.
- Higher costs if not optimized correctly
The optimization of a cloud platform will have a direct effect on how much money a company is cost. When integrated properly, a company can save thousands of dollars, but when integrated incorrectly, a company may lose funds trying to resolve problems in the future.
- Vendor lock-in
One of the final major downsides associated with cloud computing is being locked into a vendor when you sign a contract. For public cloud setups or hybrid cloud setups, the cloud platform you use is owned by a provider. Until the terms of your deal are up, you may be locked into a contract with that vendor which is not ideal if they don’t offer the services you require.
Optimize your business processes today
Just because there are downsides to cloud computing doesn’t automatically mean you will experience them. However, it’s better to be prepared in the event something goes wrong so that you can solve the issue faster. An effective cloud setup that is managed by somebody with a deep understanding of the cloud and who has a history of managing data migration can help to ensure that an organization only sees the benefits.
