Talking to enterprises, we soon realize though Cloud Computing has been exciting a lot of developers around the world for many years, there are still doubts for business stakeholders when considering adopting a cloud-based solution. Fоr thе past 20 years оrgаnіzаtіоnѕ have bееn implementing оn-рrеmіѕе software ѕuрроrtеd bу thеіr іntеrnаl IT dераrtmеnt utіlіzіng іntеrnаl ѕеrvеrѕ, dаtаbаѕе lісеnѕеѕ аnd ѕuрроrt ѕtаff. Unlike traditional ѕоftwаrе which іnvоlvеѕ ѕіgnіfісаnt uр-frоnt асquіѕіtіоn costs, rесurrіng mаіntеnаnсе, ѕuрроrt аnd uрgrаdе соѕtѕ аnd аrе nоt ѕuіtеd fоr whеn you аrе оn-thе-gо, a cloud-based solution is simply different. As such, we'd like to reveal 5 common myths about cloud computing and the facts behind them.
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1. Cloud is less secure than on-premise infrastructure
Fact: Cloud has been seen as less secure by some. However, this statement is just a matter of perception and trust. Looking at the list of major data breaches in the last few years around the globe, we can see that most breaches involve on-premise environments rather than on cloud infrastructure [1]. Especially, lost/stolen computer is a major cause, and losing all sensitive data inside it is a billion dollar business issue. In that case, cloud infrastructure is actually a more secure option. No matter what happens to your physical devices, you still have the full access and control over your data.
2. Cloud computing is still too "new" to trust
Fact: Cloud computing is not a new technology. The history of the cloud shows that it has been a prominent trend since many years and will continue growing its popularity in the coming years. Since 2008, the organization's preference for software deployment has been moving towards cloud platform instead of on-premise solutions [2]. There is a tremendous growth in cloud computing, as seen in social application (Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter), media services (Youtube, Flickr), ERP cloud systems (SAP, Oracle), or other enterprise software (G Suite by Google, Salesforce).
3. Moving to cloud means we will lose control
Fact: Migrating data to an offsite data center does not mean losing control of it. All changes are in the physical location of the servers. You are still the one who control all of your data. How your data will be stored and secured? Who will have access to which data? How do you want to access your data, which applications you want to use? What is the data flows and work processes? You are still the one to decide all of these. Moving to cloud frees you from physical tasks of maintaining a server system in-house, constantly taking care of the hard-drive and server performance.
4. Cloud solution is expensive
Fact: No, you do not have to pay for what you do not use. With cloud solutions, you get what you pay for. The costs depend on several factors including the size of you data, number of users, number of applications used, backups plan, or customized services. A cloud solution is usually much cheaper than in-house one, since there is no hardware maintenance or installations fee required. When your project hits a growth curve, the cloud service providers will do the scale up work for you at a minimal cost covering for what extra you need.
5. Cloud is very sensitive to external threats
Fact: Data breaches, account hijacking, DDoS attack, or other external threats can be mitigated with various security control methods. Nowadays, the top Cloud Service Providers such as Google, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft all have security protocols and applying different defense methods like encryption, firewall, multi-factor access control to mitigate external attack. For example, Google Cloud Platform is an infrastructure protected by more than 750 top experts in information, application, and network security [3]. People know they are in a safe hand when choosing them. So before adopting any cloud solutions, it is recommended that you check the credibility and security expertise of the Cloud Service Provider.
Key takeaways:
Cloud solutions will become even more popular among enterprises, with over 50% of all IT projects are foreseen to be on cloud in the coming years. The security and reliability of cloud computing solutions will continue to improve gradually, ensuring that data will be even more secure with numerous invested techniques and experts.
Reference:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_data_breaches
[2] http://timesofcloud.com/cloud-tutorial/history-and-vision-of-cloud-computing/
[3] https://cloud.google.com/security/
Top 5 Myths and Facts about Cloud Computing