07 Mar The Myths of the Cloud – Explored

Technology has taken over the planet. The capabilities it offers us all in the modern world are truly remarkable – it allows us to achieve levels of productivity in our workplaces that have never been possible before. Tech has allowed us to make changes to the way we do things, and one of the most prominent of these has come in the form of an adaptation to remote working. The Cloud.

The Coronavirus pandemic forced the transition to remote working, making it much more rushed than business owners would have liked it to have been. Organisations were forced to make such a rapid change to the way they work just to keep their businesses operating at a sustainable level.

The Cloud is the catalyst to remote working success. It can – and likely will – cause anxiety at first, because business owners have questions and have heard rumours about it that don’t necessarily project it in all of its glory. In the following two articles we will explore the Cloud and work to explain some of the myths surrounding it, we will walk you through some of the unnecessarily complicated jargon that professionals use when referring to it, and also explain some of the business benefits should you undergo a successful transition.

What is the Cloud?

Cloud computing is the future of business tech. Being ‘on the Cloud’ refers to the fact that a company’s IT services are delivered over the internet from a provider’s data centre, meaning that the business doesn’t have to run their own IT on locally based servers.

Traditional methods would see business owners (or their internal IT teams) purchase, support, and maintain their own IT hardware and software platforms from day one. Unexpected blackouts aren’t an option, so business owners would be forced to supply power and air cool their hardware to ensure it functioned properly. This can prove to be extortionately expensive, and often challenging, especially for those that have little to no idea how to work, maintain, and get the most from their IT.

Now that you are familiar with what it is, let’s take a look – and debunk – some of the myths that surround it.

Cloud myths – Debunked

“We won’t achieve any more value from it, so why would I bother with the Cloud?”

An all-too-common quote, and it often is the case that providers are more than interested when it comes to your migration but have very little care when it comes to the ongoing steps in your journey. For many, your name signed on the dotted line is a sign of their job finishing – that is simply not good enough in today’s world of work.

The concern surrounding the value offered from Cloud computing often comes from small to medium businesses not having the technical prowess to know what they are doing with it, or the knowledge to ensure that they use it to its full potential.

The Microsoft suite is by far the most popular Cloud platform on the market. The majority of users use it for emails and perhaps store some documents, but the capabilities of the Cloud go much further than that.

An IT partner that takes the time to assess your organisation individually is invaluable. Only by doing this can they hope to orchestrate beneficial plans for your technological landscape. If this is done successfully, you can look forward to not just longstanding business challenges being solved but also levels of production and efficiency which were previously unachievable.

“Do I still need to back-up my data if we work in the Cloud.”

Your data could be stored anywhere in the world – regardless of its location, there is always a chance your data could be lost, stolen, or corrupted. There is no way to guarantee 100% safety – and any provider that says otherwise is not being truthful.

Human error will always keep back-ups of data, email and systems necessary. There are many ways that your users could inadvertently be the cause of your problems, resulting in the loss or theft of your data. (Some are; accidental deletion, poor levels of access control that permit a cyber-attack, or simply a lack of end-user knowledge resulting in a click on a malicious email link.)

Despite its enterprise-grade levels of cyber defences, the Cloud is unfortunately not an entirely impenetrable fortress on an infrastructural level either. As with anything, the security of it is only as strong as its weakest link, and the ‘weakest link’ is the non-technological element – the person at the desk using them.

But it isn’t all bad news about the Cloud, because you can back-up your Cloud systems to another independent Cloud service if you want to. You can then feel safe in the knowledge that your data is protected and accessible from anywhere no matter the circumstances. With backing up directly from your Cloud environment being cheaper than from an on-premise one, this is a no brainer for most.

“The Cloud is unsafe. I’m no longer in control of My Data when it is there”

The fact that your data is residing in your physical control does not guarantee safety – if anything it makes it less safe than when in a data centre. The data centre you choose to put your data in is safe – it is called a data centre after all. Its whole purpose is to look after your data. They have likely invested large sums of time and money on a security infrastructure and defences that are far better equipped than those you can produce in house, making the Cloud the far safer option.

“My data is missing, and I don’t know where it has gone”

You must always have control over your data! Not knowing where it is being stored is a recipe for disaster – not only could this lead to disastrous consequences in terms of theft and corruption, but also in regard to your compliance obligations (possibly resulting in legal ramifications). In the Cloud you maintain control. The prompting of your provider will lead them to tell you where your data is being kept and ensure that you are compliant to the different obligations you have. But remember, not all Cloud providers have your best interests at heart. Always read the small print before signing! Some Cloud providers claim ownership of your data, allowing them to scan your email and content for their own purposes.

Connecting you to the modern world

Since our conception back in 2005, at Vostron we have operated under a series of predetermined guiding principles: agility, people, and approachability. With those principles adopted wholeheartedly throughout everything that we do, along with our progressive approach in helping our clients to achieve their business goals in the most cost-effective and secure way possible, we are proud to say that we have earned the trust of a loyal customer base across the UK from our home in Southampton. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact to find out how we can help you!