Cloud Computing – You Have Two Sides To The Same Coin

The Cloud, the new and raging phenomena has swept the world off its feet. Actually we shouldn’t be surprised when something new is staring back at our faces, we are at that stage of evolution where things like these should be expected. If two decades ago, someone would have told you that you would have your data stored in the Cloud, you would have thought that the person has definitely lost it! But if we as humans can evolve from apes, why can’t computers store their data on the Cloud?

There still does exist some part of the population who haven’t grasped the ropes of what a cloud is and how does it work. So, here you would know what exactly is called Cloud Computing. In the layman’s language, “Cloud Computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.” It has taken the IT Industry by storm. All industries, irrespective of being a big enterprise or a small- scale industry are vouching for the Cloud. They either opt for a Public Cloud or a Private one if they can afford to do so. But there is a catch somewhere in the Cloud being the next big thing. You must have witnessed these sayings popping up in certain conversations plenty of times- every coin has two sides, or, there are two sides to a story. So let’s just say it holds true to this situation as well. The Cloud,no matter how efficient is liable to have some or the other factor that might prove to be a disadvantage.

So we would first dazzle you with what the rising star of today’s IT Industry has to flaunt. Let’s go through what pros the Cloud has to offer:

Cost-efficient: One of the most appealing features of the Cloud is that, it is very cost-efficient. It goes easy on your wallet and you are not required to shell out plenty of money just to set up the infrastructure. Cloud Computing consists of three major categories- laaS, PaaS, SaaS. These are comparatively cheaper and wouldn’t require you to spend money on the hardware or infrastructure part. By making use of the Cloud’s attributes, one does not have to spend money on Servers, Network Devices, ISP Connections, Storage and Software, everything that the traditional mode would have demanded.

Easy Disaster Recovery: When you are on Cloud, no disaster can reach you! You can take that literally. Your data when stored on the Cloud cannot be totally wiped out. In times of any hardware failure, you can easily retrieve it at lesser cost.

Environment Friendly: Cloud is one of the most environment friendly technology of today’s times. All the usual resources that go into the making and computing in the traditional manner does not adhere to the cloud. So it saves up on the resources and reduces the wastage of energy.

Increased Storage Capacity: The Cloud encompasses the entire sky and this is no hyperbole. The storage capacity of Cloud is immense. You can store as much data as you want which might not be accommodated on your personal computer.

So here you saw one side of the coin, and the other side that appears, would present you with certain cons that Cloud presents. These being:

Dependability: When you opt for a Cloud Server, you would be giving away a lot of personal details or professional data to the service provider. If the service provider is trustworthy, then you won yourself a good night’s sleep or else all hell breaks loose when your data is leaked.

Bandwidth: Proper functioning of the Cloud requires a sturdy internet connection, in the absence of which your Cloud would be rendered useless.

Limited Flexibility: Cloud might be making available plenty of services but it comes with its share of restrictions. Cloud uses third-party virtual environments for running its applications and services, thus the individual or the company has relatively lesser control on the software or hardware functions.

Vulnerability: Cloud is the metaphor for the Internet. So whatever your data is on the Cloud is inevitably available on the public Internet. This means that your data is vulnerable to serious attacks and security breaches.

Despite the Cloud being immensely popular, it has it certain setbacks. It might be a technical entity, but it has its human attribute. Evolution doesn’t mean that whatever entity has evolved, it is free from any drawbacks. The Cloud is still evolving and has been the core of many of the activities in the recent times. So, let’s not be harsh upon it and let it evolve further into something that would be the ultimate trendsetter of all times.