Cloud Computing — Separating the Myths from the Truth

Despite all the benefits that are attached to cloud computing, it has always been misunderstood, and this is one of the major reasons why people have been slow to adopt it. There is always a lot of rumor and propaganda surrounding it, most of which has very little truth or facts to support it. We all know that masses are always prone to such propaganda, and for some it reason it has always had a lot of success in swaying their opinions and decisions. This is why I believe it is important to discuss the real cloud computing, focusing on the true facts, and also try to understand why maybe some these facts might be somehow misunderstood:

The real facts about cloud computing

Data storage

The reason as to why most people always hold back on adopting cloud computing is because they do not understand where their data will be stored. Of course no one likes relinquishing control of their precious possessions to be controlled by a 3rd party. For starters, cloud computing is more like buying or renting space on the internet, through a web server. This means that you will have your own personal space which is secure and protected by security firewalls, to ensure that no one else has the ability to access your space, apart from people whom you have authorized. Most cloud providers will give you unlimited space, meaning that you do not have to worry about reaching the capacity; you can therefore store as much as you can, for an even longer period of time.

It is very important to note that when you buy cloud space, you are not transferring control of your data to someone else; it may seem like it, but that is far from the truth. The cloud provider is only responsible of ensuring that you are operating in a secure space, and will also regularly update and upgrade the system, just improve your experience with the cloud.

Thus, the belief that adapting cloud computing is transferring data control to someone else is more of a myth, and is far from the truth.

It renders your organization’s IT department obsolete

Cloud computing does not necessarily mean that your IT department is now useless in the organization. As a matter of fact, it gives them more mandates, because they can now be useful in other areas of the organization such as supporting the marketing department in order to improve digital marketing and advertising. They may also be useful in other organizational areas, which require someone with an IT background. Their role in the IT department becomes more of an oversight authority, in order to ensure that what the organization is getting from the cloud is what it bargained for. This means alerting the cloud providers in case any of the servers are down, or in case they notice any attempts of a breach in the security of their cloud. Moreover, they also have adequate time to train other employees on how to make maximum use of what the cloud offers, such as the huge variety of applications that are normally offered on public clouds. Once all the employees learn how to effectively make use of the advanced applications, it will be very beneficial to the organization because it will trickle down to improved performance and introduce efficiency in operations.

The only thing that can happen to an organization when it adopts cloud computing is reducing reliance on its IT department. Thus, the organization can downsize some of the personnel in the IT department, and remain with just a few who are highly skilled and experienced and can be useful in helping the organization to achieve its objectives faster.

On a completely different twist, if your organization adopts a private cloud computing system, you may even be required to add more IT personnel, because you will need to create a data center. Therefore, your IT guys will have to work in shifts, because most data centers especially in large organizations normally require 24/7 monitoring. This just shows that the belief that your IT department becomes obsolete once you adopt cloud computing is a myth.

Demystifying cloud computing

Perhaps what most do not know is that we have been using cloud computing even on an individual basis for quite a longer period of time but we didn’t know. If you have an email account, this is a good example of cloud computing, because your email provider gives you space on the web, where you can receive photos, messages, documents and other things, even though you are not paying for the space. Most email providers normally give their users limited space, like for example Gmail normally gives its subscribers up to 15 GB of cloud space on its servers. You also know that provided you have a device that can access the internet, and you have your Logins, you may be able to access your email account from anywhere. This is why you are able to access your email, from various devices such as a smartphone, tablet and computer all at the same time. This is the simplest way to breakdown cloud computing, because it is most often misunderstood. I think the name cloud is actually what has led to this misconception, because most people can easily link it to the weather. Now, following the email example, you definitely know that if your email provider has not installed strong and advanced firewalls, other people may intercept your mails thus compromising your privacy. This is exactly the same way that cloud computing works in an organization, the only difference being that you will now be utilizing it for more than emails.