The cloud computing concept has gained popularity since its introduction in 2006. The technology trends create an automatic, virtualized, and on-demand platform for delivering IT resources and services. As cloud technologies mature and become widely adopted, new best practices and implementation models emerge. This paper discusses the benefits and limitations of cloud computing that managers should be aware of before deploying their apps in Cloud storage.
What cloud computing offers is the ability to rent computing power, storage, and network capacity at lower rates than the cost of purchasing all the hardware, software, and IT staff that you need to build it yourself.
Before we delve into the details of how it all works and why is it good or bad, let’s clarify some basic points. Sure, such a powerful mechanism has a complex composition. For now, there are 3 components:
- IaaS – Infrastructure as a service
- PaaS – Platform as a service
- SaaS – Software as a service
How Does Cloud Computing Work?
Imagine you need to store somewhere the data of top 10 slots sites, which is large enough. What would you do? We have a solution for you – use cloud storage.
Cloud computing, in simple terms, is just a way of managing resources. It involves providing computers or things that have hardware with the ability to store and process data over the Internet instead of doing it on its own internal hard drive. There are many benefits to cloud computing, which include low-cost hardware since companies don’t have to pay for buying them, but just rent a space.
There are 2 technical sides in cloud computing, frontend and backend. The frontend component makes access with the help of a browser or a cloud app to data and programs stored in the cloud. The backend part contains databases, machines, and servers for storing the data.
Cloud Computing Advantages
Even though the cloud computing advantages and disadvantages tend to hold across all three areas, their relative importance will vary according to the area you are focused on. Let’s focus on the pros for now.
Cost Reduction
There is no need for an administrator to configure it since the cloud server takes care of that. This saves time and money in terms of labor and allows businesses that can’t afford a lot of IT staff or equipment to still utilize the services and products provided by cloud computing providers.
Flexibility/Scalability
One of the main concepts of cloud computing is that there are no fixed components on a server, each of them can be moved around between servers if needed. For example, if a company needs more storage on one cloud server, they can transfer it from another account or vice versa. This makes hardware and software independent.
Mobility
Cloud servers can be updated very easily and quickly to keep pace with the latest technology. Even if a company has small IT staff, they won’t be at the risk of becoming obsolete because there are always new updates to install. This allows them to feel confident that their cloud services are equal in power to other companies who have invested much more.
Security
With cloud computing technology, data is stored on remote servers, not on your local computer or offline network. This ensures that hackers can’t physically access the information and that it’s locked behind many firewalls to make sure no online threats can get in either. It lets you run 24/7 business operations.
Cloud Computing Disadvantages
Every product or machine, despite numerous advantages, has the cons as well. Below you can find more details on what exactly are weak points in cloud computing and what to pay more attention to.
Downtime
Cloud servers are not immune to failures just because they’re in the cloud. A server could crash due to a bug or hardware malfunction, and there have been examples of entire data centers going offline because of power outages. This can harm your business or production processes, break your steady workflow, or even cause numerous unsatisfied clients to argue about your service’s quality.
Security
The low-security level in cloud services is another con for this technology. Not all cloud services are as safe as they claim to be, and they’re not encrypted as much as most would like them to be. It’s also possible that the service’s own employees can access or view any of your data stored in their servers.
Vendor Lock-in
After getting used to a certain cloud-based application, it’s extremely difficult to switch to another cloud service because of the data you’ve saved on that particular platform. Also, the most popular cloud services are very expensive, which ultimately can prevent smaller companies or individual users from using them.
Conclusion
Comparing all the pros and cons, it’s undeniable that cloud computing is growing fast and has an increasing popularity in the modern world, including individual users, small businesses, large companies, etc. It’s clear this is the best solution nowadays that will last for a long time here, so it’s better to choose the best cloud service provider for your purposes if you haven’t yet and improve your workflow.
