Below, our Cloud Computing expert Graham Yates unpacks the most common myths about cloud innovation and integration opportunities in business, giving you that much-needed clarity about where your company stands in relation to the Cloud.
Cloud is recognized as facilitating “speed-to-market” – and for its ability to drive business agility. This is because cloud supports rapid experimentation and innovation by allowing companies to quickly try and even adopt new solutions without significant up-front costs. The Cloud can be a highly agile wrapper around different systems, different behaviour and bringing it all together in an engagement cycle. By changing the way people interact with technology, cloud enables new forms of consumer engagement, expand collaboration across the value chain and bring innovation to companies’ core business models.
Public Cloud: In Public Cloud the computing infrastructure is hosted by the cloud vendor at the vendor’s premises. The customer has no visibility and control over where the computing infrastructure is hosted. The computing infrastructure is shared between any organizations.
Private Cloud: The computing infrastructure is dedicated to a particular organization and not shared with other organizations. Private Clouds are more expensive and more secure when compared to Public Clouds. Private Cloud is what used to be called your company network.
Hybrid Cloud: Organizations may host critical applications on Private Clouds and applications with relatively less security concerns on the Public Cloud. The usage of both Private and Public Clouds together is called Hybrid Cloud.
With all this in mind and the reality of cloud comping impacting businesses in all aspects and at all levels, there are myths surrounding cloud computing and clouding the reality of the cloud:
“The Cloud Runs Itself”
In the cloud, everything from the infrastructure layer upwards can be automated. But you’ll still need people with expertise and understanding to manage the tools involved.
“The Cloud is Less Secure”
Security risks in the cloud are the same as those faced by traditional IT solutions. But, in the cloud, you and your cloud provider share the security responsibility.
“The Cloud is Always Cheaper”
It’s not always cheaper to run in the public cloud, but it’s often more cost efficient. If you have multiple servers running 24x7x365, for example, dedicated servers may give you the same compute power, for less.
“The Cloud Fits Every Workload”
Although every business can benefit from the public cloud, most businesses require a hybrid combination of public, private and dedicated infrastructure.
“The Cloud Hurts the Environment”
Businesses that run their own data centres often use a lot of power for cooling, lighting, and maintenance. But hosting providers like Rackspace continually invest in the latest power-efficient technologies.
“Cloud Migration is Difficult”
If you’re running outdated servers, some cleansing and architecture revisions may be required. But with the help of an experienced hosting provider, you can migrate seamlessly, with minimal downtime.
“The Cloud Costs Jobs”
The ever-increasing shift into the cloud has created jobs, since it requires a host of cloud-savvy experts, whose skills and knowledge help maintain and strengthen growth and development.
“Big Data is No Big Deal”
When managed improperly, big data can cripple your storage and systems. But with a structured, cloud-based approach, you can gain valuable insights from your data — giving you a competitive advantage.
“Cloud Technology is Too Young”
ISACA reports that the cloud is fast approaching maturity, with constant innovation occurring at an ever-increasing pace. Those who harness the cloud now will be first to reap its long-term rewards.
“BYOD is Too Expensive”
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategies don’t require a hefty price tag. The cloud enables secure anywhere, anytime access on any device, without the need to build the infrastructure to support it.
The future growth in Cloud
Edge is the new cloud, and new edge vendors will trim 5 points from public cloud growth next year, according to Forrester’s predictions. I’ll speak more about this not-to-be-missed opportunity in next month’s Journal.
