Is cloud computing for all ?

What are the benefits to converting a business or school district to cloud computing?

This is a difficult question. The question assumes that I am convinced that clouding computing is a solution that I would recommend for all my clients or at least that is my humble interpretation.

All technologies have its strengths and weaknesses.

1. Security

I am impressed by how the data is broken down to several pieces, encrypted, and stored in different locations.

Hmmm… I wonder… is this a standard security implementation in all cloud computing?

If a multinational company uses cloud computing, I would not waste my time trying to discover where the data are stored. I would rather focus on how to acquire the authentication(s) of the right people, the accessed server, etc …

For ordinary users like us, maybe it is safe. I am just speculating … in the perspective of a professional hacker, maybe we are just small fishes and not worth their time and effort.

Just curious, if the account really got hacked, who is accountable for it? Would the vendor of cloud computing service disclose immediately that your account has been compromised?

Is cloud computing really safe?

A disgruntled employee might steal pertinent information and give it to a competitor. In the past, email and usb were used. IT’s solution was to “filter” outgoing emails and disable usb drives if needed. Now, what if the data was stored in the cloud?

2. Save money on storage

A 2.5TB is about CAD200 + taxes. It is probably cheaper when bought in another country and/or in bulk. If a company with 10 employees and only uses Microsoft office, how long do you think a 2.5TB lasts?

I noticed that some Cloud computing services has a limit of 2GB imposed if the account is free.

3. Storing data on personal computer or laptops might not be safe?

Let us pretend that 4 laptops get stolen every month in your company. What would you do? Would you stop buying laptops? What would your employees use? I believe the solution is to implement stricter security policies and accountabilities.

I believe most computers now come with a hard disk with at least 100GB capacity and some with biometric security.

I think staffs still need access to a computer to use cloud computing services.

4. Business

Most big corporations would require a database to hold all their important data. Almost all databases now support cloud computing. The question is who would implement it: in-house or outsource?

I will not talk about this in details. But, one must consider the additional costs for support and customization.

 

I am not against cloud computing. I support it … with caution. We need to analyze the following first

  1. Needs of our client
  2. The client’s available resources
  3. Technical staff
  4. Budget constraints
  5. Network
  6. Others (I am sure I missed a lot of things to consider)

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Week 08: Files in the Cloud