While you might be interested in migrating to the cloud, you may also have some concerns. For the most part, common concerns about cloud computing are mainly due to unfamiliarity with the cloud. Cloud computing is actually becoming more mainstream now because it has stood the test of time and built up trust with a wide user base.
Here are 5 common concerns about cloud storage and why you need to stop worrying about them:
1. Concern about data loss
Cloud computing is not putting the invaluable data you have spent years accumulating at risk. In the unlikely event of a large-scale event that brings down their servers like a massive city-wide electrical blackout, you can get your data back. If you lose all your data because the provider’s server crashes, experienced tech companies like Toronto server recovery services are able to retrieve this lost data.
In addition to being able to recover lost data, your data is also protected from theft or hacking attacks because the government requires large companies like cloud providers to comply with ISO-9001 and audits to ensure that these audit schemes are in place.
2. Fear of getting stuck with a binding contract
What if you migrate all your data to a vendor only to find that you are not getting the quantity and quality of service that you had expected? What do you do if you need to switch providers or prefer to go back to using on-premise solutions?
The idea of long-term, binding contracts is part of the legacy model of computer infrastructure. Cloud providers often use a pay-as-you-go model, and even if they do have a contract, it is a shorter-term one.
3. Concern about loss of technical control.
Companies who have become accustomed to maintaining their own on-premise infrastructure know that they have an IT team on hand to handle any emergency, even if this means getting up in the early hours of the morning to fix things.
By contrast, relying on someone else’s structure may appear scary.
However, cloud providers are in the business of making sure that all their customers are happy. Consequently hire the best IT professionals to maintain a consistently high uptime. By maintaining the best equipment and hiring only the best personnel, they are more likely to guarantee better performance than your small business could afford to pay.
4. Concern about loss of revenue or workflow
If the server goes down even temporarily, this loss of uptime could potentially cost your company tens of thousands in lost sales from customers trying to access your website when it’s not online. Perhaps, too, you are more concerned about losing hours of productivity or losing sensitive data. Again, these are concerns that cloud providers respect and good cloud providers have an enviable uptime record.
If this is still a huge concern for you, you are not helpless and can take some precautions, too. According to Network World, “There are plenty of ways users can prepare for a cloud outage – don’t host workloads in a single place, use tools to transfer traffic from dud servers, test system for fault tolerance frequently, etc. Perhaps users are heeding these best practices. Or maybe they’re not putting sensitive materials in the cloud that would be hurt by downtime. Cloud vendors and users both seem to be getting better at providing and using these services.”
5. Concern about loss of privacy and security
Does putting your data on a third party server mean others can see and access your data? Do you wonder if all their security patches are up-to-date?
Why Your Business Will Do Better On The Cloud
While there are many benefits of using the cloud – like security, cost efficiency, scalability, flexibility, collaboration, and easier maintenance – the biggest one might be how much it will reduce your business overheads. This will free up more of your assets to grow your business. Instead of spending a huge chunk of your revenue on computer infrastructure, you could spend more on marketing and sales to exponentially increase your inflow.
Here are 7 reasons why your business has a better chance of experiencing significant growth when using the cloud:
· You will keep your capital expenses down by spending less on operational expenses.
· There will be no in-house server architecture to spend time or money on maintenance, power, air conditioning, and hiring an IT team.
· You will get a lot more storage and use superior applications.
· You only pay for what you use. In slow business seasons, you can disengage parts of your business. Then during high sales volume seasons, you can scale up for higher bandwidth, storage, and functionality.
· You can afford to use all the vast capabilities of the cloud even if you are a small business.
World Class Service
Cloud providers go out of their way to ensure protection from data loss, performance issues, and loss of privacy and security. They also offer flexible contracts, take care of all technical maintenance from installation to patches, and offer clients the chance to access the best software suites in their industry through the SaaS software model.
The biggest risk is actually not using Cloud computing and falling behind your competitors who can do everything better and quicker than you based on superior technology. All these concerns may be based on not understanding how cloud providers work. The fact is that they spend millions to ensure the best user experience for their clients. With so many clients businesses depending on them, they could be sued enormous sums for negligence.