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Top Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing Solutions for Business

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In 2019, the global market of cloud-related services is expected to grow by 17.5% over the previous year level (source: Statista). According to the same source, the cloud computing market has grown by 12-25% each year since 2011. The market is growing rapidly. It acquires millions of users yearly. 

Let’s find out why these services have become so popular and why your company might need them. In this article, you will become familiar with the key types of cloud solutions, their advantages, and disadvantages. You will also get a short guide on how to start migrating to the cloud.

Major Types of Cloud Solutions

Cloud solutions are distinguished by their service models. To choose the right model, you should decide on how much you want to control the cloud, and what tasks you want to outsource to a vendor. So, below are the three main types of cloud solutions:

Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the most understandable cloud models. You just use apps via the Internet (without installing apps onto your device).

The main advantages of SaaS are as follows:

  • Technical details are hidden. The vendor provides timely updates, high performance, and support.
  • Quick availability. Once you inquire about the service, it is ready to use. 

The main disadvantages are as follows:

  • Low or no customization capabilities.
  • High dependency on vendor’s services.
  • Limited control over your own data.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). You rent a server or computing resources. A vendor guarantees the high performance of a server. You can select between three types of IaaS: a dedicated server, IaaS as is, and VPS/VDS (virtual personal or virtual dedicated server).

The main advantages of IaaS are as follows:

  • It is possible to change or update the server once it is obsolete.
  • You can manage performance and other technical parameters as you wish.
  • The prices for IaaS are quite reasonable.

The main disadvantages of IaaS are as follows:

  • You need an in-house specialist to maintain IaaS.
  • Lower flexibility due to virtualization technology and a unique set of server settings.  

Platform as a Service (PaaS). You rent a computing platform consisting of virtual computing services, data warehouse, and other data-related services. 

The main advantages of PaaS are as follows:

  • High flexibility
  • Ability to integrate with advanced services like Microsoft, Oracle, or Google.
  • Possibility to pay for what you use only.

The main disadvantages of PaaS are as follows:

  • The need for specific knowledge and skills to work with virtual platforms.
  • The high price even for basic packages.

Now that you are somewhat familiar with the three types of cloud solutions, here are some concluding remarks on the general pros and cons of cloud technologies.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Solutions for Your Business

Let’s start with the benefits you get once you decide on a cloud solution.

Pros

  1. All data is accessible via the Internet from any device (desktop, tablet, phone, etc.). A user is not tied to his workplace. 
  2. The costs for expensive hardware and servers can be significantly cut. There’s no need to pay IT specialists in order to maintain the local data center.
  3. All the needed tools to work with cloud solutions are provided by a web service automatically. 
  4. You pay only for what you use. 
  5. Modern data centers can provide the highest level of data security.

Cons

  1. There’s a constant need to access the Internet if you want to work with cloud solutions.
  2. Users are not always able to customize or adapt cloud software to their needs.
  3. It takes much time to create a cloud for a new company.

As you can see, there are more pros than cons to migrating to the cloud. Once you’ve decided to use a cloud solution, you should learn the essentials of cloud migration.

What Your Company Should Know Before Migrating to the Cloud?

Here are some helpful steps to decide if it is worth migrating to the cloud.

  1. Conduct a feasibility analysis.
  2. Make a priority list of systems for migration.
  3. Develop a step-by-step plan for migration of the most important applications.
  4. Make sure the migration is secure.
  5. Deploy cloud infrastructure. 

If you’ve already considered all the pros and cons, the next step is to hire cloud experts. Find a reliable vendor providing high-quality cloud computing skills. You might need to find individuals with the following skills:

  • Developers with expertise in cloud technology
  • Specialists in data warehouse management
  • Migration specialists
  • Data security specialists

The simplicity that cloud technology offers to enterprises is one of the most defining factors affecting its popularity in 2019. Open source developers have already started to develop different tools to manage cloud platforms more effectively. Thus, very soon companies will have more convenient ways to run their business efficiently.

About the author

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Dmitry Reshetchenko

Dmitry Reshetchenko is a Outreach Specialist for Diceus, a technology partner for developing enterprise solutions. He is passionate in his belief that a partnership with IT blogs is of great importance. Dmitry works mostly with Tech blogs.