The drawbacks of Cloud – Things they don’t tell you!

Cloud computing refers to storing and accessing your data and applications via the internet and not running it from the devices or the business server. It can provide a number of benefits for businesses like flexibility, control costs and mobility but, there are drawbacks too.

Network Connection Reliance

Internet services down? Cloud services will be down too. Slow upload and download connection speeds will also affect how efficiently the cloud service runs. Even if precautions are made to ensure maximum uptime and speeds, there is always a risk.

Costs

Preliminary assessment on cloud applications may appear to be more cost-effective than buying software outright but, detailed comparisons must be made like does the cloud version have the same features and would any missing features concern you? Calculation of the total cost of ownership is necessary, make sure there are cost savings involved both for the short and long-term.

Lack of Support

Cloud-based service providers can be situated anywhere making it difficult sometimes to receive prompt support. So, always check the SLA’s within the contract and check whether their support desk operates during your office hours.

Security Concerns

All resources and data is access through the internet benefiting flexible workers because they can access all the corporate data that reside in a central location. However, if there are concerns about data being sent across the internet or the organisation need to follow strict data rules then, cloud might not be suitable.

Predicting Costs

This can be positive or negative depending on different variables. For a SME adopting cloud services it turns CapEx into OpEx because it allows companies to pay for software or services on a pay monthly, per user basis rather than buying it outright. However, if the business grows rapidly the monthly incremental costs also increases and eventually may result in the business paying more for cloud services than building a private network. So, always review and evaluate on a regular basis.

Privacy and Data Ownership

We’ve all heard the stories about certain governments requesting access to data from service providers – if this is a concern always best to encrypt your data before moving it to the cloud.

There are also issues surrounding data ownership, the question of whether the data belongs to the individual(s) or company that created and uploaded it or does it belong to the storage provider? Because of this you will often find ‘Terms and Conditions’ and ‘Service Level Agreements’ will vary amongst cloud service providers. Before signing on the dotted line always read and compare in detail, keeping an eye on the ‘Privacy and Data’ ownership information.

Suitability

Cloud computing is not something that will suit every business and as mentioned earlier, it can be more costly than traditional computing, as the bigger the company the bigger the IT requirements are, and the less likely cloud will provide financial advantages. Larger companies may benefit more from building their own private cloud than using a service providers.

It’s not for everyone!!

Cloud will not be the future of all computing, there is still room for a server room and private networks. It is however, great for Startups and SMEs because it flexible and help spread the costs. There are disadvantages that the salesman might not tell you but, it is about weighing up the different options and measuring them against your business IT needs.

For more information on cloud or managed IT services please contact us today.

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10 Reasons Why Cloud is Good for Business

In today’s world, everyone is captivated with their laptops, tablets and mobile devices, we are so captivated on average individuals have access to 3 different devices. We have the ability to be always connected and access the information we want and need within a few clicks, which leads to the idea of Cloud Computing revolutionising the workplace.

What is Cloud Computing?

It is the delivery of computing as a service comparatively than a product. Your business information, software and information is transferred to computers and other devices as a service over a network. A Cloud services has 3 main attributes that makes it slightly different from traditional hosted services;

• It is sold on demand
• It is elastic and scalable
• It is fully managed

Why would Cloud Benefit your Business?

1. Automatic software updates– The Cloud Service Provider (CSP) carries out the maintenance for all the software, which includes security updates, helping you free time for other tasks in your business.
2. Flexibility – Any Cloud based service can immediately meet any frequency low or high so, it can adapt to your business as it grows.
3. Controlling Costs– Save money by having a scalable solution for a monthly fee and if you choose to use a CSP your business will require less networking hardware on site.
4. New Business Ventures – Due to the flexibility and the speed of deployment of cloud resources businesses are able to try new ideas without extreme investments in systems quickly and efficiently.
5. Stability– A lot of businesses suffer from downtime due to crisis management, hardware upgrades or other problems, CSP continuously monitors and maintain the systems which provides dependable uptime.
6. Work from anywhere– With an internet connection employees in your business can work anytime, anywhere which can help increase the workers’ productivity and job satisfaction.
7. Build, expand and use new operations– Cloud computing enables you to build quickly, deploy and manage applications which can be built in any framework, tools and languages. So, setting up remote offices will be easy as 1, 2, 3!
8. Security– By using Cloud everything is stored in a central location, so your business data can still be accessed no matter what happens to the device.
9. Environmentally friendly– It helps decrease the carbon footprint of your business as you’re only using the resources you require.
10. Competitiveness– The cloud grants SME’s access to business class technology at a set monthly cost. It can allow smaller companies to act faster than substantial well-established opponents with complex networks.

Cloud for business is advantageous, although the requirement of an internet connection is a disadvantage, with our addiction to mobile devices and access to information – the internet has become a common commodity. Find out what the cloud can do for your business by contacting us today 0845 603 5552.

Private, Public & Hybrid Cloud Computing explained

Cloud Computing is a type of computing that offers agility, scalability and cost-efficiency to the users. Although the word on the streets is ‘Cloud’ the theory/concept behind it is not new… as cloud computing in a nutshell is Virtualisation technology. A cloud environment would effectively provide a pool of computing resources that businesses can utilise when they require. But, there are different types of Cloud Computing – Private, Public and Hybrid.

Private Cloud – This is when a private network(s) or a dedicated hosted infrastructure is only accessible by a single company. Everything within this network is private the hardware, virtual technology and software licenses are all owned by the company the private cloud was built for. Therefore this will give the company total control of the IT environment and the cloud resources available to end users.

Public Cloud – The opposite is the ‘Public Cloud’, which offers IT resources to businesses through a shared infrastructure where all storage and applications are accessed over the internet. A cloud service provider would use virtualisation technology to section or dedicate virtual resources to each business and providing clients with as much or as little as they require. With a CSP cloud infrastructure platform businesses can also deploy their own applications, files, folders, desktops etc for their employees use.

Hybrid Cloud – This is a combination of a private and public cloud and is becoming one of the popular cloud model to go for. For example, a business may have a dedicated infrastructure for business critical applications where all data is stored locally on servers but, they utilise a shared infrastructure for emails. This model allow businesses to take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud but, without the risk of critical applications and data being exposed due to third-parties vulnerabilities.

If you’re looking to move to the Cloud or would like to know more about Netshield’s Cloud Services please contact one of our consultants today.