The phenomenon of cloud computing has become very widespread
in recent years. It is increasingly used by companies in various industries and
is emerging as a new form of data storage and management. The Synergy Group's
research firm suggests in a 2016 report that the sector is worth nearly $ 150
billion! No bewilderment that Massive Groups like IMB, Google, Microsoft, and
Pheonix ... are fighting an oversubtle. Although it is booming, cloud computing
still has gray areas that need to be addressed.
Understand cloud computing exactly?
The term "cloud computing" is an infrastructure in which storage and computing power are supported by remote servers that users connect to over a secure Internet connection. Desktop, laptop, smartphone, touchpad, and other connected objects become access points for running applications or data that are hosted on servers. The cloud is also characterized by its flexibility, which enables providers to automatically adapt computing power and storage capacity to the needs of users.
The challenges of cloud computing
Cloud computing poses significant economic challenges for companies, regardless of whether it is a private, public, or hybrid cloud model.
Low infrastructure costs
The disruptive technological change in IT infrastructures makes corporate investments superfluous more quickly. With cloud solutions, companies save money by outsourcing the management of their sensitive data and infrastructure. Large companies generally choose a hybrid model where the company manages part of its infrastructure and outsources the other. This can lower maintenance and upgrade costs, lower business costs, and optimize costs.
More flexibility for the company
The flexibility of the cloud system promotes responsiveness in organizations and gives their information systems unprecedented scalability. The cloud promotes greater responsiveness, particularly by reducing the time it takes to access and share an application with millions of users at the same time. In addition to the flexibility it offers, the cloud offers different levels of access depending on the responsibilities within the company.
The security problem in cloud computing
Cloud computing is the pinnacle of IT outsourcing. We expect and fear a certain loss of control over information systems. Several companies like Yahoo and Orange have hacked the information of millions of users of their services.
In the case of a public cloud, the data and / or applications are entrusted to a third party over whom there is little control. Your data is protected by the law of the territory in which it is hosted.
If we ignore where she lives, we are also ignoring the law that protects her. France and Germany recognized the risk of this approach and tried to set up a European cloud to secure their strategic data and that of their companies. The question of restoring borders in cloud computing remains topical, as evidenced by the numerous initiatives by the European neighbor to build a completely local cloud computing system following the country's jurisdictions.
Prominent DisAdvantages You Must Know
1. Data security and data availability
The argument of dependence on a supplier can weigh heavily on a business. When it comes to data security and availability, you usually depend on the cloud provider. Data and security breaches are reported on the Internet and elsewhere.
There are also stories going around where, for example, B. Companies suddenly did not have access to the software and their data in the public cloud because they were blocked from access due to an error. debit or similar event from the supplier. Such incidents can of course occur and should certainly not be ignored. However, a differentiated analysis of the provider's services is worthwhile here.
The subject is covered in more detail in a separate article in this series. A quick note about this, however: It is also in the best interests of most cloud service providers - who now operate in an increasingly competitive market - to avoid such incidents or to minimize them. Also, effective precautions can often be taken with reasonable effort.
2. Limited customization
Another more important point is that cloud solutions are generally much more standardized than their on-premises counterparts. Cloud providers want to make their software available to as many users as possible without change or little customization. In this way, you can reduce costs and ultimately deliver cloud services that are much cheaper than on-premises software.
From the point of view of businesses that need individual solutions, this is a downside that disproportionately restricts their room for maneuver. This may be more important, for example, when cloud ERP software needs to work with local software.
3. Dependence on cloud provider and cloud service provider
A similar topic is a debate over so-called vendor lockdown, portability, and interoperability. The idea behind it is that cloud service providers try to link their customers with specific and proprietary solutions and thus make it more difficult to switch providers.
4. Poor portability
A switch option and a data relocation scenario should therefore be part of any good cloud strategy. Several reasons may make it necessary to change suppliers or transfer data to the company. It could be z. For example, it could be a reorientation of the business that would make certain cloud services redundant or the vendor abandoning a cloud service. Or even more radical, a change in ERP software.
