More businesses are becoming aware of the profitability and efficiency cloud technology can bring.
No wonder cloud computing — public, private, hybrid, or a mix of these models — is thriving nowadays with the tech being used in at least 70 percent of American organizations.
Companies moving to the cloud report greater productivity, ease of access, streamlined management and administration, and lower expenses. However, before businesses can reap the cloud benefits, they must first transition successfully.
But this is easier said than done. The process has numerous pitfalls — many are well publicized and well known, but there are a slew of issues that businesses are woefully unaware of. Let’s look at a few.
1. Threat to confidentiality
Putting all your eggs in one basket leads to one of two outcomes — either they remain well-guarded and sheltered or they become cracked, exposed, and stolen. Moving all your valuable business data to the open cloud platform is a lot like that. You will face numerous challenges regarding data security and confidentiality. There is no way to ensure your data against cyberattacks unless you opt for encryption software and data shielding.
2. Authentication problems
In a crowded restaurant, it is very hard for management to discern who’s there to buy food and who’s a freeloader trying to benefit from rush hour. In cloud computing, too, poor identity authentication mechanisms mean hackers might pretend to be official users and access the online platform of your business. The worst part is that you have no way of apprehending or recognizing them, which could allow them to release malware, intercept data transfer, and redirect your clients to unknown domains. Unless you adopt the right countermeasures, the negative impact on the integrity of your business can be damning.
3. Chance of outage
When a single cloud server bears the data load of multiple companies or websites, an outage becomes more than likely, irrespective of what the provider says.
The storage capacity in the cloud has a limit, and when that limit is exceeded, it does not bode well for anyone involved. Especially at the time of critical operations, the overall performance and health of the business is affected. The only countermeasure is to back up all necessary data using an instant site recovery software.
4. Transitional issues
Businesses that follow a more traditional path have a hard time adapting to cloud technology. While not impossible, the process is drawn out and the organization takes some time to settle in. On top of that, business managers and owners are often hesitant to give up control of their private datacenter. They try to hold off on delegating power to the provider and are distrustful of placing sensitive details on the Internet.
The absence of expertise and resources in the field is a major drawback. But all a company needs is proper tactics and an ironclad will to increase their revenue once they transition to cloud technology.
5. Management issues
The staffs of an organization are used to working in a certain way. So, it’s very hard for some of them to give up their old habits and adapt to the cloud. Sure, the upgrade benefits them in the long run, but the transition is not entirely smooth sailing.
Since they are not used to working with cloud tools (though they know what the cloud is unlike Rocky Balboa in “Creed” who thinks the cloud is actually up in the sky!), their absence of expertise leaves them feeling very confused. A clear governance and organizational policy is necessary to make sense of the various complex controls and options available.
6. Chaos due to multitenancy
Multitenancy cloud frameworks are never a good thing. Most of the time, a single cloud server is used to power the online activities of different companies. As they work in close proximity to one another, these diverse firms often collaborate on issues related to cloud tools, applications, and shared resources. Hopefully, the collaboration is not misguided.
However, there is a dearth of a secure separation between their operations. So, the risk of exposure or loss of privacy of vital, confidential information is higher on open channels populated by hackers and other malicious virtual entities.
7. Cost efficiency
Transitioning to the cloud has been touted to be the next logical step for businesses worldwide. But the tech features its own unique set of problems.
Once you forego hardware to switch to the cloud, you face new economic problems. This is truer if your company deals with data-intensive operations. In such a situation, the Internet connection should not have data caps of any sort, and a lot of bandwidth is required – neither of which are available for cheap.
8. Necessary technological infrastructure
As your company becomes more reliant on cloud computing, the technological infrastructure of the workplace will increase in significance. Before you evaluate the new storage methods and software, owners must determine if their building is suited to handle the changes. For example, different reliable ISPs will be required and mobile coverage should be present.
9. IT interference
Cloud technology adoption often gets complicated because of inefficient IT departments that lose control of cloud security practices as well as the budget.
The average percent of organizational IT spending controlled by IT departments has gone to 40 percent in 2017 from 53 percent in 2016. This 13 percentage point decrease within the span of a year might have something to do with functions outside the IT sphere now deploying nearly 58 percent of cloud services.
But all is not doom and gloom. The average corporate data percentage stored in the cloud and without IT interference has risen from 44 percent to 53 percent. Unfortunately, as IT relinquishes control and becomes less capable, the vulnerabilities of the business cloud will only increase.
10. Automated provisioning and invoicing
Cloud technology needs monthly billing to the end customers. This means that clients are free to scale down or up on such services.
There are various third-party solutions available in the market. But cloud service providers often do not understand their requirements and end up selecting the wrong software.
Cloud technology adoption
The adoption of cloud technology is occurring quickly, but it will happen even more rapidly in the future. Companies would do well to recognize the uncommon challenges and problems facing them moving to the cloud. It would make the transition smoother.
Featured image: Pixabay
