By now everyone has heard of “the cloud,” but most people tend to associate it with its namesake: i.e. a puffy white ball of nothingness that’s far away and impossible to grasp. Well, folks, the cloud is real, and it could be the answer to your computing frustrations. But not if you don’t understand it, right? With that said, here are nine common misconceptions about the cloud … and the real facts behind them.
1. It’s Really a Cloud!
It’s not really a cloud. It’s not in the air, it’s not a weird vapor, it’s not insubstantial. The cloud is everywhere and nowhere, however, and in that sense is rather cloud-like. When you put your data in the cloud, you can access it from anywhere and any device.
2. There’s Only One Type of Cloud
Nope. There are several types of clouds, the main distinction between them being whether they’re dedicated only to your company, are shared between several companies, are public, are community, or are a mix.
3. The Public Cloud Is Dangerous
Luckily, this isn’t true. A public cloud is no more easily breached than a private cloud, and your data is just as secure. You may still want a dedicated cloud, because you can host it in your own data center and more easily track usage, but it isn’t necessary.
4. Private Clouds Are Always In-House
Not so. A data center can host your private cloud if you don’t have the space or the desire to have a data center in-house.
5. Private Clouds Are Too Costly
While it is more expensive to implement a private cloud than to use a preexisting public one, your return on investment can make this worthwhile. The flexibility and ability to meet immediate demand that comes with a private cloud can make it worthwhile for large organizations.
6. Your Cloud Provider Will Protect You
It’s important to realize that cloud service providers aren’t responsible for maintaining your passwords, overseeing your data and people, and assessing risk. That’s still on you.
7. Cloud Services Are a Flat Rate
Actually, many cloud service providers charge by usage, making this a very affordable option.
8. The Cloud Is Less Secure Than On-Site IT
Just like the public cloud isn’t less secure than a private cloud, no type of cloud computing is less secure than on-site data storage.
9. Desktops and Laptops Are Still Necessary
When you think of computing, you think of a comput-er, but the truth is you no longer need a desktop or laptop in order to, well, compute. Now it’s possible to move all your computing to the cloud with a service such as Avatara, making you infinitely mobile and totally secure.
Now that you know more about the cloud, perhaps you can see how it could help your business to transition to this ever-growing and cutting-edge method of storing data and computing. Your business will only get more powerful if you do.
