Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

As we know, there are two sides to a coin, so before switching to cloud computing, it is better to explore both sides, meaning the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. Let's see the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing in detail.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Cost Reduction

The major reason companies shift towards cloud computing is that it takes lower costs. The business does not need to build its own IT infrastructure or purchase hardware or equipment. Costs include physical hardware for data storage purposes like hard drives, solid-state drives or disks, etc.

Better Collaboration

Cloud computing allows people to access cloud data from any device, from anywhere, from any time as long as they have an internet connection.

Suppose the team is working remotely. The team is spread worldwide, so it is a good option to go ahead with cloud computing as employees can access data from anywhere in the world, at any time, and from any device.

Backup and Restore Data

As the data is stored in the cloud, it is a lot easier to get the backup and recovery of that data with just a few clicks; otherwise, manually, it is a very time-consuming process on-premise.

Security

Due to different security reasons, cloud providers have designed very high-security cloud features so that you can allow what data is accessible to which person groups.

Cloud providers also hire top security experts and develop the most advanced security solutions, providing robust protection. Research by RapidScale says that 94% of businesses saw major security improvements after switching to the cloud.

Pay as you go

Cloud computing allows you flexibility because you have to pay only for what you use as a service.

Boundless storage capacity

No storage capacity is predefined, so you can increase or decrease storage capacity according to your needs at any time.

Accessibility

Cloud computing allows you to quickly and easily store, access, and manipulate information on the cloud.

Mobility

Cloud computing allows easy access to all cloud data via mobile through the internet.

Quicker Deployments

Cloud computing allows us to deploy our services to the cloud more quickly and with fewer clicks. As compared to setting up all the configurations on the normal deployments.

Automatic Software Integrations

Cloud computing allows you to set automation of software updates and upgrades. So as soon as a newer version of any software is released, it will automatically integrate into the services you are using.

Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

Internet Connectivity

In cloud computing, data (files, images, video, audio, etc.) is stored in the cloud. So to access the data, an internet connection is required. In the absence of the internet, we can't access it.

Downtime

We can't access the data if there is downtime (internet loss at the cloud provider's end). Other than this, downtime also includes cloud providers that may face power loss, service maintenance, etc.

Vendor lock-in

When transferring all the data from one cloud provider to another, there can be many issues, such as the different cloud providers using different platforms, hosting, and running of the applications on the different platforms that can result in configuration and complexities issues.

The company data might be left vulnerable to security or thereat attacks due to compromises made during the data migrations.

Limited Bandwidth

As the Cloud provider provides limited bandwidth to all its users, you have to pay significantly higher costs if your organization surpasses that limit.

Security

Even though the cloud providers are storing information very securely, we still don't have to forget that data is vulnerable to cyber-attacks when stored in the cloud. Many organizations and companies have suffered from security breaches and their potential risks in the cloud.

Performance Variation

As the server is hosted on a cloud provider, which also provides services to other businesses, any cyberattack on shared resources may slow down your services.

Lack of support staff

Some cloud companies do not provide proper support to their clients; then, you have to only depend on FAQs or online help.

Limited Control and Flexibility

The cloud infrastructure is completely owned, managed, and monitored by the cloud providers. So businesses using cloud computing have limited control over their data, applications, and services. It makes it hard for companies to have the level of control they want over the different services they use.

The customer may not have access to key administrative services. So it's recommended that companies have a proper end-user license agreement(EULA) so that what a company can do and what not with cloud infrastructure is clearly defined.

Technical issues

Due to frequent version releases of some applications, you have to constantly upgrade your systems to meet a market need; in between these updates, there is a chance that you may be stuck on some technical problems.