The Great Cloud Computing Myths That Fooled Us All

Whenever the IT industry witnesses a transformation in technology adoption and usage, we have to struggle through various misconceptions and the hyperbole created around it. Cloud computing is one such technology in our opinion. It is achieving revolutionary success in the industry yet it is clouded with various myths considered as facts by many.

Even with the competitive edge and maturity of cloud computing technology, it is still prone to a great deal of misconceptions. These misconceptions revolve around the security structure, usage, company size, benefits, and cost of implementation.

However, isn’t this transformation unstoppable?

Gartner has predicted that the growth of cloud computing will touch USD 411 billion by the year 2020. Not only leading providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are flourishing but also many small companies or providers are thriving. 

Hence, when you make your decision about migrating to cloud architecture, it is necessary to eliminate the following myths. Understanding the false nature of these myths can help you assess what you should expect from your cloud computing service provider. 

Top 10 Myths About Cloud Computing

Migrating to the cloud is undoubtedly a wise decision for most organizations. However, to proceed with a well-thought and informed approach, here are some of the myths regarding cloud solutions that you need to remove: 

Myth 1: It Is About Money

Of course, sometimes, it is about saving money. But, only when you are spending too much on legacy management. The cost-effectiveness is still one of the important aspects but not the objective behind introduction to cloud. 

In 2014, Gartner revealed that cost-effectiveness and money account for only 14% share of all the reasons due to which organizations adopt cloud. The situation is not entirely different today.

Therefore, money effectiveness through cloud storage should not be taken for granted. Initially, it will cost you some extra money due to set up and implementation. However, if correctly assessed on a case-by-case basis, cost expenditure can be reduced in the long-term. 

Myth 2: Business On Same Cloud Can Spy On Each Other 

Your service provider uses virtualization to separate and partition the access of one business or tenant from another. Just because several businesses are working on the same public space, it doesn’t indicate that anyone can peep into your partition.

In fact, even different virtual machines of the same servers are separated from one another to ensure full security and privacy to every tenant. 

Myth 3: It Is Not Secure

Many entrepreneurs argue the safety and integrity of data when on an on-premise structure is more as compared to a cloud network. Well, contrary to the popular belief, public storage rarely observe data breaches as the vendor put in extra cybersecurity measures to ensure the data safety of several clients.

However, this is not to say that all the service providers will offer equal security structure. Some providers may not have a robust structure. You should assess the capability of the service provider before moving to its public storage.

Myth 4: All Infrastructures Can’t Be Migrated

It’s true for several legacy and proprietary systems, which are impossible to migrate without completely rebuilding them. But, this doesn’t indicate that you should leave these systems untouched. Using different methods for resources and storage will always impact the working of your organization.

To deal with the legacy systems, your service provider could help you understand the functioning of old systems. You can use this knowledge to migrate in multiple bits.

Myth 5: Amazon Azure and Microsoft AWS Are the Only Providers?

Of course, there is no surpassing the level of services offered by Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure. However, for cost-effectiveness, small companies can use the services of various other providers. 

Many businesses have found a middle route to solve the problem. They use multi-cloud services, which means using both private and public storage that too from several providers. These services are merged with an on-prem solution, which adheres to the requirements of your business.

Here, some critical tasks are executed on the private storage to ensure high-level of security, and less-critical tasks are executed on a public storage for cost-effectiveness.

Myth 6: Migration Is A Difficult Task

Time is money. 

No organization can afford to lose a lot of time on the migration of legacy systems. 

But, this only happens when you have too many outdated servers which need architecture revisions and cleansing. You can even reduce the time to migration in this case if you have experienced professionals and robust cloud computing services by your side. Several service providers offer live migrations, which means minimum downtime for the migration of a legacy system. You just have to find the right service provider. 

Myth 7: All Clouds Have Similar Security Structure

This is certainly the most common misconception related to cloud computing solutions. It is widely believed that solutions from separate providers have a similar type of security structure. 

In reality, even a single provider managing two types of storage can implement different security architecture on both. This is dependent on the necessities of the customers as well as the requirements of the storage-type.

This also makes it essential to understand the security structure your provider is offering. You should be able to figure out the features of the firewall implemented not just the name of the firewall. 

Myth 8: Private Cloud Is Better Than Public Cloud

It is a common notion that the public storage is not better than the private storage. However, understand this with an example:

If you are living in a separate house outside the city, you have a security structure deemed necessary as per your requirements. However, when you live in a society or apartment building, you have one key that helps you enter the building and another key that helps you enter your private apartment.

Similarly, a public storage often has additional layers of security, which makes it a lot harder for hackers to enter this server. 

Myth 9: All Security Measures Are Taken by The Provider

Cloud computing solutions offer security infrastructure, regular updates, and maintenance. But, this doesn’t indicate that the individual service acquirer doesn’t need to implement any security policies. You, as the owner of the business, are responsible for data transmitting through local company devices and the data being transmitted outside the organization. 

Limiting access to relevant employees and revoking access from previous stakeholders can help you maintain the security structure. 

Myth 10: Small Businesses Don’t Need Cloud

Small and medium organizations think that they don’t need cloud services because they don’t need enough resources. However, these organizations can benefit the most in terms of cost of resource management and human resources spent on the management of the data center. Additionally, service providers can manage the security structure and architecture of the data center more effectively than small and medium businesses. 

Cloud Computing Leading to Digital Transformation

Cloud computing is your pathway to digital transformation. A survey by MIT tech review and Oracle revealed that 50% of enterprises are fully ready for cloud deployment. Amongst these enterprises, 42% were solely motivated by productivity and performance improvement.

Using cloud computing services, you can implement better security, enhance resource management, reduce in-house efforts, and improve working performance. 

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