Cloud computing is a term that is thrown around fairly freely;
however, the subject remains shrouded in an air of confusion. Many
people have a limited understanding of the subject, which in turn has
led to many common misconceptions. The following article will debunk
seven of the most common cloud computing misconceptions in a bid to
reduce confusion.
The cloud solves everything
Cloud-computing (or whatever else you want to call it) doesn't solve everything.
As
I mentioned above, cloud computing has received a lot of attention in
recent years. While browsing through the masses of information on the
Internet, one thing became clear - people are expecting too much. This
is partly down to the hype, publicity and hyperbole surrounding the
subject. Although some cloud solutions have the potential to benefit
budgetary, management and IT resources, it is unlikely to be the holy
messiah that solves all business issues. When considering a particular
service for your business, it is important to understand what it does
and how it will benefit your business; but expect nothing more.
The cloud is a single entity
The
cloud is spoken about as though it is a single entity, this has led to
many people believing that cloud computing is a one size fits all
solution to business and IT issues. In reality, this isn't the case.
The great thing is that it is tailored to each individual client and is a very adaptable solution.
The Cloud is a Fad
The
term may be a relatively new introduction, but the technology behind it
has been around for many years. Although adoption has not been as
speedy as some expected, growth has been steady and industry forecasts
predict that steady growth will continue. Cloud computing (the term and
the technology) isn't going anywhere.
Cloud computing is unreliable
The
cloud will not have 100% uptime, but neither will any other system.
However, the uptime to costs ratio shows that cloud is likely to give a
far higher level of reliability when compared with similarly priced
in-house systems.
Another myth is the 100% uptime that some
vendors promise. As I mentioned above, that is just not realistic. This
is just a tactic to make clients feel more at ease than they should and
is damaging to the industry's reputation
Cloud computing is only for SME's
It
is undeniable that SME's are usually quicker to adopt new technology
than large-scale enterprises, but the notion that a company can be too
big to make use of the cloud is laughable. Larger businesses usually
have far larger IT budgets compared to SME's, so it is arguable that
enterprises can make more use of it
By hosting data in the cloud, I relinquish sole ownership
This
point is partly dependent on the provider in question, however, any
reputable provider will have a clause written into the contract which
explicitly states that the client retains sole ownership of any data
stored. Although, it is still worth reading the fine print of the
contract before signing it, the last thing you'd want to do is sign
ownership of your data over to somebody else.
Cloud computing is a term that is thrown around fairly freely
April 18, 2013
0
Share to other apps