The cloud technologies expand nowadays like they have never done before. Companies of all shapes and sizes include them into their information strategies. The industry experts foretell the new cloud era to come.
And while going to the cloud is quite convenient and beneficial for everyone, let’s not forget that every coin has the other side.
Let’s look deeper into the major pros and cons of cloud computing.
The benefits of cloud computing
1. Almost unlimited storage
Unlike your hard drive cloud based storage gives you almost unlimited space. Keep as much data as you need in the cloud and do not worry that your machines will run out of space.
2. Reduce your costs
You do not need to to create your own datacenter, purchase additional software and hardware and spend money for its maintenance.
3. Improve accessibility
You may now get an access to your data from any part of the world. The only thing you would need is the internet connection.
4. Fast deployment
Create new users and give them access to the company’s data in a flash of a second. No need to create shared folders across the computers.
5. Spend less time for personnel training
Fewer people, more time, more work done. Cloud computing is extremely easy for a person who is acquainted with computer technologies at least at the simple user-level.
All this sounds great. But let’s not forget about the dark side of the moon.
The disadvantages of cloud computing
1. The safety in the cloud
As you give access to your corporate data to ALL your employees, you risk to lose that data in an instant. You cannot be responsive for what is contained in people’s heads and you may never know when one of your employees may get mad or furious and simply go and delete all the data in the cloud he has access to.
Moreover, with the cloud computing you grant access to your data to the third-party-application, that can disrupt it.
So if you are going to the cloud make sure that you have a reliable backup strategy.
2. No system standardization
There are lots of cloud providers in the market and no standarts. So it becomes quite difficult for a company to assess the service. That’s why you should always test the cloud solution before you move all your data.
Cloud computing has both benefits and disadvantages, like any other technology. So the choice is yours. But never forget that any disadvantage can be removed by additional instruments.