Cloud computing is fast becoming the norm of the day. Yes, this advanced internet-based computing system offers multiple benefits. But that doesn’t mean there are no disadvantages of cloud computing. Thus, even though a lot of organizations have shifted to cloud- there are many who are still not confident to move to cloud. It’s mostly the small-scale businesses and startups who are slightly apprehensive of adopting cloud.
So, what are the limitations of cloud computing? Well, the post below explains the typical loopholes of the new computing system.
Disadvantages of cloud computing:
1. Downtime issues
This is one of the major problems you can face with cloud computing.
When you move to cloud, you have to depend on internet connectivity. It implies, if there is any problem with internet connection, you will suffer as well. No cloud computing network is 100% immune to sudden technical outages. Even the best names in the industry have suffered in the past. For example, Apple’s iCloud experienced a disastrous 7-hour-outage back in 2015. Besides, last year only, Amazon’s cloud experienced a serious outage that led to a whooping loss of $150 million for several publicly traded firms.
Long-standing outage, especially during peak hours, will not only sloth your business operations but will also damage your overall market reputation.
2. Security problems
Do you think your data are safe on cloud? Yes, cloud providers make big claims about optimum security for your data on cloud network– yet that cannot be the case always. Precisely, you can’t forget the basic fact that when you are on cloud, you data can be accessed anytime and from anywhere. Imagine you have given your employees access to your data on cloud for improved workplace flexibility. Now, what if one of them is hatching an ill plan or what if he is planted by your rival company? He won’t have a single problem in leaking all your crucial business data to your rivals. Besides, a hacking attack or weak password protection can lead to huge compromise on your official data. These glitches are especially common in the multi-tenant scene of public cloud.
You can’t do anything much here because it’s your cloud provider who is supposed to safeguard your data. If he does not take proper steps to secure the hardware and other systems handling your data, you will be in serious trouble. Recently, a high profile company had to shut down the business given serious data breach that led to deletion of enormous important data.
Thus, it’s important for you to be extremely cautious about user access in regards to your crucial data on cloud. The smarter thing is to limit the access to confidential data only to yourself or just the core figures of the company.
3. It could be costly
Cloud computing seems to be a cheaper option compared to maintaining full range of in-house software & hardware – but there is more to it than what meets the eye. Yes, the basic cloud application is not exactly costly. But would that be enough for your business needs. As your business will grow, you will need to scale up your cloud service to cater to the increasing growth. And, that may double up the prices of what it took for a basic model.
Once again, it’s true that public cloud is inexpensive but then it cannot assure the robust security offered by the costly private cloud. So, if your treasury is not sound enough, you should think twice about shifting to cloud.
4. Limited control
This is one of the major reasons why some businesses are apprehensive about switching to cloud. When you take to cloud computing, the operation & function of your resource on cloud will be handled by the service provider. You will have no control on backend infrastructure. In fact, your service provider may make you sign on EULA (End-User license Agreement) & management paper. When you sign up with such an agreement, you can hardly have any say on your deployments on cloud network. Restricted control on data, application or services could be frustrating for a business owner especially when he needs direct self- intervention in his cloud resources. This is especially the case with public cloud systems. It’s true that private cloud enables you with some management power but then that’s a costly option.
5. Migration is a pain
Do you know anybody who has recently changed his cloud provider? Well, then just ask him about his overall migration experience. To tell you the truth, you are only going to get a look of utter disgust. Migrating in cloud is actually a pain. It’s mostly because data transfer from one cloud network to another isn’t really that smooth and flexible. Many times you will find an application developed on one cloud network is not opening in another.
But the worst part is the unethical practice of “lock-in” as practiced by some vendors. Your cloud provider would definitely want you to stick to him forever. But we tend to shift vendors and he knows that. So, to prevent you from switching, he can just deliberately “lock-in” your resources which will make it impossible for you to shift to another vendor.
However, from the above discussion it can be inferred most of these problems can be solved with the selection of a right and reliable cloud service provider. The mounting popularity of cloud computing has led to the mushroom growth of several cloud providers today. But not all will be equally reliable for you. Thus, don’t just jump on the first name you come across online. As per the experts, you must take a thorough survey on 5-6 potential names first to find out the most compatible one for you. The one you choose should be a highly reputed name in the market, backed by a long list of happy customers. Make sure there is no major complaint against the company.
Most importantly, be careful about the security measures deployed by the company. A reliable provider will be very particular about adopting advanced and multiple security means to ensure a holistic protection of clients’ data. These include multi-factor authentication, anti-virus, firewalls, advanced encryption as well as regular security audits. Finally, make sure your provider has taken viable steps to protect his data center from extreme weather conditions, theft and disasters.
