Cloud computing adoption has been rapidly increasing over the years with cloud spending to grow exponentially at more than six times the rate of generic IT spend through 2020.
Another recent research states that cloud spending would account for almost 70% of total IT spend by the coming year. While many small and large organizations have successfully moved to the cloud, there are many that want to move but failing to do so and many more yet to reap all the benefits and real value of moving to the cloud.
Companies often confuse just taking legacy applications off their infrastructure and moving it to the cloud and expecting to gain benefits which can at times create more issues, complexities, and can even prove to be more costly than ever before.
The lift and shift strategy may not work as the full value of cloud computing comes with accepting a complete holistic approach towards digital transformation. Here we will talk about some of the cloud benefits (pros) and the associated disadvantages (cons).
Pros of Cloud Computing
Cost Savings
Cloud saves costs as cloud computing is the most efficient method to reduce your IT infrastructure cost. There is a considerable amount of reduction in CAPEX as organizations no longer need to spend on IT equipment, Infrastructure and software that comes as part of the cloud offering. Companies can also pay only for the resources they use and users can add, remove, and customize/configure their resources based on requirements.
Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
Cloud backups and disaster recovery solutions play a vital role in business continuity strategy. In the event of any disaster, let it be natural or technical or any human error, businesses should be confident enough that their data is fully protected and can be retrieved and accessed anytime, anywhere via any device. Cloud allows businesses control downtime as cloud providers make sure enhanced up time and at times it is close to 99.999% making businesses run confidently 24/7/365.
Better Management
Cloud Computing simplifies IT management for an organization. Organizations that go with a cloud services provider for their IT infrastructure will only concentrate on the management of end user experience. As most of the software and IT maintenance is done off-site, flawless management is provided within an organization’s infrastructure. Enhanced IT maintenance, management capacities and agreements that are backed by SLA offer a tremendous amount of ease on the management for the users.
Anytime, Anywhere Access
Once in the cloud, you can access your data and files from anywhere, anytime and on any device. This increases mobility among employees. Cloud Solutions offer centralized information system as the shared storage allows exchange of information better than it ever was.
Quick Deployment
It gives you the advantage of quick deployment. Once you have selected your desired requirements for your IT infrastructure, your system will be deployed within a matter of minutes. Long gone are the days when you hire a resource, wait for a system to be purchased, IT to work on it and software to be installed. With cloud it is a matter a few minutes where a resources comes in, brings his own device and a desktop is spun up and everything is ready to go.
Unlimited Storage Space
If you are not getting a Cloud Service, you’ll be stuck with buying more and more physical servers and storage devices as data keeps pouring in each and every day. However, after some time, your business’s storage might expand to a level where you would need more space to fit those servers in and adds up to cost as well. Cloud Technology keeps your worries away in times like these by giving you scalable IT storage capacity as your business grows that can be added on the fly.
Security and Privacy
Cloud Technology Providers offer added layer of security and strict adherence to security protocols. Data is stored in the geo redundant data centers that are mostly equipped with major compliance requirements including but not limited to SOC Type I and II, HIPAA and many others. In the case of any data loss, data is backed up regularly and can be easily accessed via the last back-up.
Facilitates Mergers and Acquisitions
Cloud Computing Service Providers offer faster and efficient transition of two companies into one in the case of any merger or acquisition. The Cloud Provider will give you an edge when companies are combining by making sure that all operations, IT and data is stored centrally and is geo redundant and easily accessible, saving the combining companies the headache.
Cons of Cloud Computing
Although, Cloud Computing has its pros as mentioned above but then there are some disadvantages that companies may also need to consider while moving to the cloud.
Technical Issues
Data can be accessed from anywhere, anytime making users mobile. But, this system can have a malfunction causing technical issues. Even the best service providers face this trouble even maintaining their high standards and high Quality Assurance practices.
Cost Concerns
When users avail Cloud Computing services, they are charged by the minute and even by the second by some big players which makes it tough for the users to know their monthly bill. Regardless of how much cloud computing benefits in the terms of your costs, the monthly bill can be unexpectedly high unless you go with a cloud provider that has a flat monthly fee just like dinCloud. The best way to go around this is to choose pay-as-you-go cloud services, which can save you from higher hardware costs or any stand-by cloud service that is not being utilized.
Consistent Internet Connectivity
While cloud computing can be inexpensive for a start-up, maintaining a consistent Internet Connection should be your top priority. In the case, your service provider loses connectivity to the Internet, or if Your ISP goes out of order, your cloud services will be off for you until the Internet Connection turns back on.
Limited User Control
When organizations store data in the Cloud, they are left with limited control over their resources. The user has only control over the front end applications as the Cloud Provider deals with the back end of applications. This would restrict you from showing- potential threats and risks to your data which can be mitigated by partnering up with cloud service provider that puts control back into your hands such as dinCloud but not having a cloud provider that is flexible enough to put control in your hands, it is more likely that you are blinded and limited by control.
Security and Privacy
When the data is stored in Cloud over the internet, more concerns arise over its security and privacy. Selecting a Third-Party service provider for your data storage purposes will put your data at the risk of being hacked. Before selecting a Cloud Service for your business, keep in mind to check its reliability, security and privacy regulations as your information, files, and data should be kept secure.
Conclusion
Just like everything else, Cloud computing has its pros and cons as well. While this can be a great asset to your business, it can at time be disadvantageous if not used and understood accordingly. For more information about cloud services and hosted workspaces for your business please Request More Information or if you have specific requirements and want to know the associated costs, please Request a Quote.
