In our last blog, we set the table and defined the cloud. We then explained the first cloud myth – that there is only one way to practice cloud computing. Here are two more cloud computing myths to consider as you explore whether the cloud is right for you.
Myth 2—There is no recognized value proposition
Much work still remains to be done on refining the value proposition of cloud computing. Key elements of the value proposition, however, already have become apparent. These include:
- Access to IT resources without upfront capital investment—allows organizations to easily and quickly gain the use of IT resources of all sorts without the upfront capital investment usually required or involvement in long term leasing. The cloud enables IT resources on demand.
- Pay-per-use access—the organization pays only for the IT resources it actually uses and only when it uses them. This eliminates the common practice of buying extra IT resources that may never get utilized
- Easier innovation by removing IT barriers—organizations can pursue business strategies without concerns having the necessary IT resources in place when they need them.
- Scale up or down easily—the cloud enables organizations to respond to fluctuations in the economy, markets, customer behavior, unexpected events quickly and easily by scaling their IT resources up or down as needed.
Cloud computing effectively shifts IT investment from a capital expenditure (CAPEX) to an operational expense (OPEX). In practice, the cloud allows organizations to find the optimal balance of IT resource CAPEX and OPEX and shift that balance as conditions warrant.
Myth 3—Your data lies exposed to the public
Yes, with cloud computing the organization’s data will reside in the cloud, but that needn’t leave it any more exposed than when it resides behind the corporate firewall. To date, the most egregious losses of data—think TJX Companies—occurred when the data was supposedly sitting safe behind the fire wall and under the direct control of the organization’s in-house IT people.
In addition, cloud computing takes three forms, each with different amounts of public exposure:
- Private—data sits behind the corporate firewall, where the organization directly controls the amount of exposure.
- Public—the data sits in the public cloud exposed to the public; security is dependent on the cloud service provider’s security precautions and defenses.
- Hybrid clouds—some data resides on the private cloud, other data may reside on the public cloud. Security depends on both the organization’s internal security controls and those of the cloud provider.
In all cases, you must assess the security capabilities of the cloud service provider and balance any participation in private, public, and hybrid clouds accordingly.
Our next blog will explore 2 more myths of cloud computing, so swing by in a few days. As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, so leave a comment.
