1. Cloud Computing Has Security and Privacy Issues - The simple truth is the cloud can have security and privacy issues, but it doesn’t have to. You are trusting your data to someone else and transmitting it over a public communication channel. Without some assurances, you should be concerned about security and privacy. However, most providers address these problems. You need to pay careful attention to your agreement with your provider. Make sure your concerns are taken care of to your satisfaction. The bottom line is security and privacy risks can vary by provider.
2. Cloud Computing is Fraught with Reliability Issues - Reliability issues are more of a concern with consumer cloud applications. Most business providers have agreements to meet certain levels of availability. You will not get five nines (99.999% uptime), but most providers guarantee 99.98% or better. The reality is very reliable providers are available, but service can vary. Again, go over your agreement with your provider carefully before signing on.
3. Switching to Cloud is as Easy as Flipping a Switch - It’s just not true. Anytime you move data from one platform to another, it requires planning. There will also be training for IT staff or end-users in an organization transitioning to a new platform. A good provider can ease the transition but will take time and effort. Unfortunately, there is no magic switch.
4. Switching Cloud Vendors is Easy - If switching to the cloud was as easy as flipping a switch, changing vendors would also be easy. It’s not. While improvements are also coming online, transitioning between cloud vendors is typically more difficult than transitioning to the cloud in the first place. The caution here is to choose your vendor carefully.
5. The Cloud is for Small Businesses Only - While small businesses can certainly benefit from the shared resources and scalability offered by a cloud platform, large enterprises have also found benefits by transitioning to the cloud. Mundane applications such as e-mail or archiving have proven very cost-effective on the cloud, even for the biggest corporations.
The Reality of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing offers many advantages and benefits for specific applications to any size enterprise. Like any other tool, the user has to determine how best to apply it in any given situation. How can it best work for you?