{"id":160150,"date":"2021-09-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=160150"},"modified":"2021-09-07T12:15:57","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T17:15:57","slug":"4-myths-of-cloud-computing-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2021\/09\/4-myths-of-cloud-computing-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"4 myths of cloud computing for business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cloud computing has become wildly popular among organisations and businesses, but it is still dogged by misinformation, half-truths and several myths.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As individuals, we tend to take cloud computing for granted, as we may not even realise that we use it quite frequently. Virtually all of us have a Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo email account, and we use Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox on a regular basis. These email and storage platforms leverage cloud computing to provide those services. More importantly, they are all quite popular because to varying degrees, free packages are available that offer an attractive set of features (for the price).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the pandemic continues to rage on, organisations and businesses worldwide have had to find ways to leverage ICT to keep their operations functioning. In many instances, cloud based platforms have come to the rescue; but can be argued that over the 18 months, and to a considerable degree, a stop-gap approach was employed to integrate more cloud services. However, the result may have been the perpetuation of a number of longstanding myths regarding the use of cloud computing by organisations and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth be told, there are dozens of myths about cloud computing, some of which contradict each other,. However, in this article, we highlight four of the most popular myths and try to debunk each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1.  Cloud computing always saves money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most longstanding myths surrounding cloud computing, and is seen as a powerful benefit for organisations to shift to cloud services. Typically, the case is made that when using the cloud, there tends to be little (or no) capital expenditure; hence the huge outlay of capital to secure equipment and establish one\u2019s own system is avoided. For cloud services, and for an organisation\u2019s bottom-line, there is usually a recurrent expense to pay for the features and services used. However, moving to the cloud does not automatically result in financial savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first instance, the process of migrating an organisation\u2019s assets to the cloud can be expensive, and is not always considered. It can require careful planning and coordination, and may even require applications and equipment to be upgraded, In order to fully benefit from the features and capabilities available in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another consideration is the fact that in many instances, the fees payable for cloud services is based on what is consumed, and so is not a flat rate. It therefore means that the amounts payable can fluctuate wildly, which may make budgeting a challenge. Further, and depending on the plan purchased, specific allocations and services may be made for the price, but when consumption exceeds the limits of the plan, different (and possibly more expensive) rates kick in, causing things to add up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2.  Cloud data storage for business is risky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many of us have not thought twice about the material we have saved in the cloud \u2013 especially via our smartphones. However, we are aware of some of the vulnerabilities that have been uncovered, or some of the breaches that have occurred for data stored in the cloud. However, In many of the known instances, client\/user error or negligence were identified as key contributors to the incidents that occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing, the JamCOVID situation, which we discussed in the article, 4 crucial questions on the security failure of <\/em><\/strong><\/a>Jamaica\u2019s COVID-19 website<\/a>,<\/em><\/strong> readily came to mind. In essence, the personal and health information of travellers to Jamaica was being saved on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The AWS plan that had been secured had a comprehensive suite of security features, but the site managers \u2013 that is the AWS client\/user \u2013 failed to password-protect the data that was being saved to the AWS cloud, thus leaving it vulnerable to access by anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more reputable cloud services providers have implemented rigorous systems that are continually monitored and upgraded in order to maintain their robustness, and to reduce their liability. The onus is thus on the client\/user to ensure that it is as meticulous and rigorous in its use of the services, and frequently, that is the greater point of weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3.  Shifting to cloud kills IT jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following from the previous point, there can be a sense that when cloud services are secured, the organisation can adopt a hands-off approach to managing its technology services. In other words and after the initial set up, everything works on automatic pilot, thus justifying a downsize in the IT department. However, in organisations that truly wish to leverage the benefits that can be realised when cloud technologies are adopted, frequently, new and different skills are needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the scope of the cloud operations to be adopted, an organisation may have need for a broad range of cloud-related expertise to, for example, design the cloud architecture that will be adopted, to address matters related to security, and to design and manage the migration of assets that would be needed. As a result, there could be opportunities for reskilling and upskilling of existing employees, since the maintenance, monitoring and updating of the cloud services to serve the organisation optimally, will be required on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4.  Cloud is still too young a technology <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, and to a considerable degree, and among mainstream businesses, cloud computing might only seriously appeared on their radar over the last five or so years. Hence, it might seem a bit too young of a technology for widespread adoption and use. However, cloud was one of the earliest topics we tackled here on ICT Pulse over 10 years ago (!), and at that time, it would have been considered a somewhat new technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said this, and considering Moore\u2019s Law and the speed of technological advancement, over the past 10 years, cloud computing has evolved considerably \u2013 become more robust, powerful, and customisable. More importantly, it is becoming a crucial foundational element as other technologies continue to evolve, such as those that require extensive data processing, including cryptocurrency mining, artificial intelligence and machine-to-machine communication, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In summary, there are numerous myths around the use cloud technology. However, as with any undertaking that may could have long-term and extensive implications within an organisation, it ought to be carefully researched and examined. Without a doubt, there are benefits to be realised in integrating cloud computing into an organisation\u2019s operations, but the degree of those benefits may differ depending on the nature and needs of the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it is emphasised that cloud services can be customised. Hence, understanding the organisation\u2019s needs and developing the appropriate specifications\/requirements is a crucial part of the process, which can set the organisation on the right path to realising the benefits and efficiencies cloud computing is known to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credit: Bethany Drouin (Pixabay<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cloud computing has become wildly popular among organisations and businesses, but it is still dogged by misinformation, half-truths and several myths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[71,3,222],"class_list":["post-160150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ict-tech","tag-businesses","tag-cloud-computing","tag-strategy","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cloud-Technology-Computing-Network-Server-System-Infrastructure-Bethany-Drouin-Pixabay-.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-FF4","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160150"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160217,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160150\/revisions\/160217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}