If you want to deliver digital services of any kind, you’ll need to estimate all types of resources, not the least of which are CPU, memory, storage, and network connectivity. Which resources you choose for your delivery — cloud-based or local — is up to you. But you’ll definitely want to do your homework first. You’ll need to understand the pros and cons of cloud computing and how to contextualize any existing disadvantages. Show
Cloud computing has benefited many enterprises by reducing costs and enabling a focus on one’s core business competence, rather than IT and infrastructure issues. Despite the general hype on the subject across the IT world, there can be disadvantages of cloud computing, especially in smaller operations. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing and show you how to understand and contextualize any existing disadvantages. So – if you’re wondering what are the disadvantages of cloud computing – you are in the right place. In this article, we’ll explore some of the key disadvantages of cloud computing and share tips and best practices that your teams can employ to address them. You can streamline this process by using a thorough, process-built approach to understanding cloud security, such as Cloud Academy’s Security – Specialty Certification Preparation for AWS Learning Path. Disadvantages of cloud computing explained1). DowntimeDowntime is often cited as one of the biggest cloud computing disadvantages. Since cloud computing systems are internet-based, service outages are always an unfortunate possibility and can occur for any reason. Can your business afford the impacts of an outage or slowdown? An outage on Amazon Web Services in 2017 cost publicly traded companies up to $150 million dollars. Unfortunately, no organization is immune, especially when critical business processes cannot afford to be interrupted. In June and July of 2019, a whole slew of companies and services were hit by outages, including Cloudflare (a major web services provider), Google, Amazon, Shopify, Reddit, Verizon, and Spectrum. Best practices for minimizing planned downtime in a cloud environment
2). Security and privacyAlthough cloud service providers implement the best security standards and industry certifications, storing data and important files on external service providers always opens up risks. Any discussion involving data must address security and privacy, especially when it comes to managing sensitive data. We must not forget what happened at Code Space and the hacking of their AWS EC2 console, which led to data deletion and the eventual shutdown of the company. Their dependence on remote cloud-based infrastructure meant taking on the risks of outsourcing everything. Of course, any cloud computing service provider is expected to manage and safeguard the underlying hardware infrastructure of a deployment. However, your responsibilities lie in the realm of user access management, and it’s up to you to carefully weigh all the risk scenarios. Though recent breaches of credit card data and user login credentials are still fresh in the minds of the public, steps have been taken to ensure the safety of data. One such example is the General Data Protection Rule (GDPR), which was recently enacted in the European Union to provide users more control over their data. Nonetheless, you still need to be aware of your responsibilities and follow best practices. Best practices for minimizing security and privacy risks
3). Vulnerability to attackGoing on with the drawbacks of cloud computing, another one concerns vulnerability: in cloud computing, every component is online, which exposes potential vulnerabilities. Even the best teams suffer severe attacks and security breaches from time to time. Since cloud computing is built as a public service, it’s easy to run before you learn to walk. After all, no one at a cloud vendor checks your administration skills before granting you an account: all it takes to get started is generally a valid credit card. Best practices to help you reduce cloud attacks
These practices will help your organization monitor for the exposure and movement of critical data, defend crucial systems from attack and compromise, and authenticate access to infrastructure and data to protect against further risks. 4). Limited control and flexibilitySince the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed, and monitored by the cloud service provider, it transfers minimal control over to the customer. To varying degrees (depending on the particular service), cloud users may find they have less control over the function and execution of services within a cloud-hosted infrastructure. A cloud provider’s end-user license agreement (EULA) and management policies might impose limits on what customers can do with their deployments. Customers retain control of their applications, data, and services, but may not have the same level of control over their backend infrastructure. Best practices for maintaining control and flexibility
5). Vendor lock-inVendor lock-in is another perceived disadvantage of cloud computing. Easy switching between cloud services is a service that hasn’t yet completely evolved, and organizations may find it difficult to migrate their services from one vendor to another. Differences between vendor platforms may create difficulties in migrating from one cloud platform to another, which could equate to additional costs and configuration complexities. Gaps or compromises made during migration could also expose your data to additional security and privacy vulnerabilities. Best practices to decrease dependency
6). Cost concernsThe last one of the disadvantages of cloud computing concerns cost. Adopting cloud solutions on a small scale and for short-term projects can be perceived as being expensive. However, the most significant cloud computing benefit is in terms of IT cost savings. Pay-as-you-go cloud services can provide more flexibility and lower hardware costs, but the overall price tag could end up being higher than you expected. Until you are sure of what will work best for you, it’s a good idea to experiment with a variety of offerings. You might also make use of the cost calculators made available by providers like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform. Best practices to reduce costs
Disadvantages of cloud computing: Closing thoughtsMany organizations benefit from the agility, scale, and pay-per-use billing that cloud services offer. However, as with any infrastructure service, the suitability of cloud computing for your specific use case should be assessed in a risk-based evaluation. Build in time for research and planning to understand how the cloud will affect your business. What is the biggest advantage of cloud computing to organizations?By moving to the cloud, businesses can reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint by up to 90%. Rather than having in-house servers and software, businesses can use cloud-based services to access the same applications and data from any computer or device with an internet connection.
What are the advantages of cloud computing?Benefits of Cloud Computing. Faster time to market. You can spin up new instances or retire them in seconds, allowing developers to accelerate development with quick deployments. ... . Scalability and flexibility. ... . Cost savings. ... . Better collaboration. ... . Advanced security. ... . Data loss prevention.. What are the 4 types of cloud computing?There are four main types of cloud computing: private clouds, public clouds, hybrid clouds, and multiclouds. There are also three main types of cloud computing services: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
How does the scale of cloud computing help you to save costs?Cloud computing provides natural economies of scale allowing businesses to pay only for what they need. This reduces costs by optimising both software licences and hardware or storage purchases both on-premise or within the data centre.
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