As cloud computing becomes more widespread, so do the myths surrounding it. That’s a shame because cloud computing is such a valuable resource that every SMB we know could benefit from it. Confusion and lack of understanding about the cloud is getting in the way of small to medium-sized businesses making the most of this amazing resource.
Services such as internet banking, Netflix, Facebook, iCloud, Drobox, Flickr, any internet radio station, iPlayer and any social media platform all use cloud computing. It’s more prevalent that you might think.
So our task today is to bust the five top cloud computing myths in order to spread the word and increase understanding of this fantastic model.
1.Cloud computing is insecure
The insecurity of the cloud is probably the single biggest myth we have come across and for the most part it is completely untrue. If you work with a quality cloud vendor, they are likely to be far more secure than your own network. This is especially true for the SMB for whom resources are finite.
Unless your company has a layered security solution that uses the latest surveillance techniques, security hardware, software, firewalls, automated detection systems and has a dedicated team whose job it is to keep you safe, you’re likely less protected than the average cloud vendor. It’s in their interest to be secure as they wouldn’t be in business long without it.
2.You lose control of what’s yours
For many businesses, data is their most valuable commodity. The idea of sharing that data with another business and trusting them to keep it secure can be hard to come to terms with. Yet that’s what millions of businesses do each day.
It is in the vendors interest to keep your data safe and secure. Their entire business model is built around being able to be trusted to keep your data safe. Again, choose a quality cloud vendor and it is no different than choosing an onsite storage vendor. While managing storage many be one of many internal business functions, it will be the primary one for the vendor.
3.Moving to the cloud is complex
If you have overseen the development of proprietary software or the rollout of a new system, it’s natural to think that moving to the cloud involves the same levels of complexity. But it isn’t always true.
The majority of standard productivity applications are already available on the cloud. Those that aren’t or that need specific operating environments can use virtualisation or run in tandem with cloud solutions in-house. For the most part, moving applications into the cloud is just a matter of signing up and selecting the number of seats you need. It is actually a very straightforward process.
4.Once you move to the cloud there’s no coming back
We have heard this argument many times and it is simply not true. Work with a company you trust, keep a backup of the data you use and you are free to take it wherever you like. Data is just bits and bytes and can be used and retrieved at will.
As long as you choose your cloud partner wisely, embracing cloud computing is a very painless affair. You will be able to take your data in and take it out as you see fit. It’s all stored in databases at the end of the day.
5.The cloud isn’t as reliable as our own network
Our final myth is harder to quantify as we don’t know how you have your network set up. However, we bet the cloud vendors we work with can offer the kind of reliability you’re looking for.
Unless you have multiple server rooms with warm standby, complete backups of everything held off site, diverse fibre links and hundreds of thousands of pounds of load balancers, hardware firewalls, UPS and supporting hardware, you won’t be able to enjoy the same kind of uptime a cloud vendor offers.
If you’re considering embracing the cloud but still have reservations, call one of our team today. We can help!
