Have you ever thought about the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing? If you haven’t then you should. Nothing in this world is going to be perfect, such as the case with Cloud computing too. In this article, you will get to know all about it. Read this article till the end…
Cloud computing has changed the world. Much for the positive. So, what’s cloud computing anyways? It’s a term that’s thrown around everywhere but not all explain what it means. Is it so hard to understand? Can only smart nerd-looking people understand it?
Cloud computing is a simple term that means the use of computing services for your work. It’s the new practice of using remote servers for storing, managing, and accessing the data rather than the traditional way of using a local server or a personal computer. It’s isn’t much hard to understand and anyone can learn about it. It’s isn’t meant for nerds only.
The most popular cloud computing model are –
- SaaS i.e., Software as a Service
- PaaS i.e., Platform as a Service
- IaaS i.e., Infrastructure as a Service
Now that we know about cloud computing. The main aim of this article is to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. Let’s start…
Advantages Of Cloud Computing
Cost Savings
The first benefit you get with Cloud computing is that you’re able to cut down your costs. There are numerous businesses and organizations which benefits by moving to the cloud. It helps by helping the businesses follow their strategy of cutting the costs down and maintaining high profits. With the help of cloud computing you get low costs and can easily generate more revenue.
Earlier, if you would have wanted to do an online business – you would have to get in-house servers for running your business. Now, Cloud computing eliminates the need for any kind of physical servers. That itself cuts down many costs. Earlier only big players were able to establish an online business, but now anyone can.
Strategic Edge
Being ahead of your competitors isn’t an easy task when you are doing an online business. You would need the latest tech if you want to go head to head with other players in your industry. Thankfully, cloud computing is there for your help, with it you can go head to head against your competitiors and even win. How? Let us explain…
By using cloud computing you will be able to have access to the latest applications and infrastructure which you can use to build and deliver your services. Your company will have access to the software that is the latest and which you need. Also, there won’t be any need for investing in the installation and maintenance of the software.
Manageability
In the traditional way – dealing with server issues was a pain (it still is for people who’re in this career field). With cloud services becoming the norm, it’s almost non-existent because it’s all done by the cloud companies. By using the cloud solutions, the business benefit by a huge margin and all the management is the responsibility of the cloud company’s that you will work with.
All you got to do is to reap the benefits like – simple UI, great security, amazing services, etc. Managing and running an online business is way easy with the help of cloud services. Most of the cloud services also help you with the setup of your apps (or web service).
Speed, Reliability, Flexibility and Accessibility
Accessibility – With the help of cloud computing you can access your data anytime, anywhere. All you need is a working internet connection and your credentials. It’s the most productive and efficient way of working nowadays.
Reliability – Cloud services are pretty reliable, most of the services provide 100% uptime guarantee. And, they are right up to the mark there have only been a few instances of downtime.
Speed – The cloud is pretty fast, you can deploy your services at the blink of an eye. You can deploy your system fast and it will be functional in just a few minutes.
Flexibility – One of the things that we like the most about the cloud is it’s flexibility. It is scalable, if your company grows all you need to do is to shift to a bigger plan.
Disadvantages Of Cloud Computing
Downtime
One of the major disadvantages of cloud computing is the downtime the user might face. Although, it majorly depends upon where you get your services form. The top cloud companies like Amazon, Google, MS Azure might only face downtime of a few minutes in a year. Whereas a local provider will face much higher downtime.
And, you will obviously need internet connection for these services to work. If you can’t connect to the internet, you can’t use these services to the maximum. It depends highly on the quality of internet you’re using.
Security and Privacy
There’s a small room for risk of security and privacy when you’re using cloud services. Even then it depends on the service provider you’re using. If you’re with big trusted companies you have less risk in comparison to using unknown providers.
That being said – most of the time when users details get exposed it’s due to their own mistakes and carelessness. If you can’t protect your own credentials then it will be up to you.
Other notable disadvantages – Limited Flexibility and Control, Dependency On Platforms, Vulnerable To Attacks, etc.
Final Thoughts…
Ahoy folks, these were the top advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. Everything comes with its own pros and cons – Cloud computing is no different. It is just that the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the cons by a landslide. Cloud computing is old tech but it has seen the best growth this year. In the upcoming years, we are sure it will just dominate every field.
Also Read : Cloud Backup Services For Small Businesses
So, what are your thoughts about these advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing? Do you also think the pros outweigh the cons. If not, why? Let us know in the comments below…