5Mysteries of the Cloud Revealed

Let us clear up some of the confusion by revealing five mysteries of the cloud.

Maybe you heard that the cloud is a new technology that magically fixes business problems. And maybe you’re thinking, “But really...what is it?” That’s a fair question, as countless definitions of cloud computing appear every day.

1Where is my data, really?

A common misconception is that with cloud computing, your data is magically floating around, making it accessible to you whenever you need it.

While the accessibility part is true, the magical part...not so much.

The name “cloud” implies that your information is being stored somewhere in the sky above, but the truth is, it’s still physically located in hardware, within data centers.

Data is stored in an off-site location managed and maintained by a third-party provider

A business simply uses the Internet to access its data and computing resources

While it’s not as easy as picking your data out of the air, this saves a lot of time, money and space while creating constant access to data and software

2Is my data safe?

There is constant talk that businesses should not trust their data in the cloud, but as it has matured, the answer to this question is most often, “Yes.”

You will most likely experience better security with a cloud provider than you’d be able to provide yourself with.

A provider has fully trained staff on-hand for the sole purpose of securing client information.

A cloud provider is expert in security, disaster recovery and data protection

Cloud providers work extremely hard to over-perform in terms of security, due to the constant scrutiny they experience

Providers have strict security measures, while in on-site situations, the staff might not be monitored very often

3Can I control my data?

Data control really depends on the cloud provider you work with.

You have to determine from the get-go what administrative rights you have when you move your data.

Will you truly lose control over your data? With a great cloud provider, the answer is, “No.”

Only users with authorized access can go in and change your data

Sensitive data is encrypted in flight and at rest, ensuring that it’s always protected, and the data center features both physical and network security

Use a Control Panel that gives you access to determine authorized control for other users, and manage and assign computing resources

4Is the cloud really cheaper?

If you are working with a provider that properly manages the cloud environment and scales it based on demand, chances are you will save money.

Technology is evolving so quickly that equipment becomes outdated almost immediately. Think about those costs over a five-year period. It’s overwhelming.

The cloud has matured enough that it can offer the best of both worlds: budget efficiency and high-quality computing resources.

Save on hardware, maintenance, support, power, cooling, security and other costs

On-site hardware is underutilized more often than not - cloud helps you avoid consuming resources and space you’re not using

Use a pay-as-you-go method to ensure you receive the up-to-date resources you need, when you need them, avoiding waste and overspending

5What does the weather have to do with it?

This question might not be as technical as those above, but it’s a valid one.

Many people still think that cloud computing has something to do with the weather. Some are even concerned that a rainy day will affect their data.

Fortunately for everyone, this is not true.

The name “cloud computing” simply came from the symbol that was often used to represent the Internet visually

Of course, this symbol was a cloud

This metaphor for the Internet became popular as the futures of business and Internet quickly converged

When the mystery is cleared away, cloud computing is the obvious choice.

There are plenty of people that still don’t understand what the cloud is - many fail to realize that they probably use the technology on a daily basis.

Things like online banking and shopping, social media, gaming, photo sharing and even email involved cloud computing - and that just goes to show how convenient and easy to use it is.