5 stereotypes about the Cloud
In December 2014, more than 55% of French companies and administrations reported using the Cloud for their business. Despite an ever-increasing adoption rate, there are still many misgivings and misunderstandings about this technology. Between myth and reality, what are the preconceived ideas on the cloud?
We propose here a tour of the 5 most common preconceived ideas.
Myth #1: The Cloud is less secure
A parallel can be drawn with the birth of the first banks. At first, the concept of a bank made many skeptics sceptical: leaving money with a stranger, in a place to which access was not controlled, seemed absurd. Then mentalities changed, the advantages of this solution were imposed on everyone. Today few people doubt the usefulness of a bank; preferring to keep their money under a mattress for more security. This analogy perfectly illustrates the current problem of data security.
IT and cloud service security experts manage data centers. They correct security vulnerabilities discovered very quickly and industrially. If cloud providers want to ensure their credibility, trust is an essential element to maintain. The hosted data may under no circumstances be corrupted through their fault. In addition, many tools for encryption, workflow security, identity management and access are available from suppliers. The customer ensures maximum security of his data.
Myth #2: The Cloud, a loss of control over its server
The control of its cloud resources is of the same order as the control performed on a local server. The only difference is that the ON/OFF button is not controlled, which sometimes rendered great services to operational staff (Ops) in data centers.
Administration rights are similar to those of a local server, but the Cloud adds more flexibility and capacity availability.
Myth 3: The Cloud is the end of my IT team
Above all, the Cloud changes the team's structure and pushes it to acquire new skills: it is a new tool that must be learned to manage.
A local datacenter requires specific skills in infrastructure installation, networking and hardware maintenance. The Cloud eliminates these needs and reallocates human resources to activities that have a direct impact on the business of companies.
The Cloud thus leads to the implementation of the DevOps method, which optimizes the creation of business applications over time. The various businesses of the technical team have better relationships, which increases the agility and speed of application deployment.
Myth #4: The Cloud is just having a server in a data center
The Cloud is not a simple assembly of servers located in an ultra-modern datacenter whose location would remain mysterious. Rather, it is a complex system of interconnected components that unite to provide easily accessible, efficient and effective virtualized IT resources.
The Cloud is a complete offer that allows you to host your data, applications and other IT services. A multitude of computing services, databases, storage, networks, software or analyses are directly available, with no capacity limits, depending on the user's needs.
Using the Cloud is much more than a technical option. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for corporate business. The Cloud allows new products to be developed at high speed and tests to be carried out on a large scale, without any investment.
Myth 5: The Cloud is more expensive
The cost of the Cloud depends on the company's consumption. Billing is done through a monthly amount that varies according to usage (pay-as-you-use).
Expenses vary according to use and time period. Always paying according to your needs is a real advantage.
Having your own datacenter requires additional equipment and a dedicated maintenance team. This does not reduce expenses if usage decreases. The flexibility of the Cloud is reflected in the invoice that follows the company's activity.
How to find your way around Cloud offers?
During meetings and exchanges, we were able to hear these kinds of remarks. We wanted to share our point of view, especially to reach those who are wondering about the issue of migration in the Cloud.
Aware of the new nature of the Cloud, both technological and organizational, we have identified other challenges such as invoicing and the control of its dematerialized environment.
Cloud invoices are sometimes difficult for users to understand and control, as evidenced by Cigref's IT departments. Lota.cloud wants to provide a solution to help companies meet this challenge.
