The Benefits and Drawbacks of Integrating Cloud Services in a Business

For any business, integrating cloud computing into the organization is a step in the right direction for technological adoption. With that said, it’s important to realize that any cloud computing integration will not go smoothly without understanding the nuances to the process. The best way to develop a well-rounded understanding for how the integration will occur, along with how to avoid common issues, is to look at what exactly cloud computing is at its core and the common benefits and drawbacks to an integration. 

What is Cloud Computing? 

A person would certainly be forgiven for not understanding what exactly cloud computing is given the fact it’s a complex topic. In short, the definition of cloud computing in a business refers to the infrastructure and applications that are accessed via the Internet by consumers and businesses. As opposed to standard computing, which requires hardware setup in the same location as the technology accessing a network, cloud computing allows a user to remotely access servers from anywhere in the world if they have the credentials.  

Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud

When considering how to integrate cloud computing services into your organization, there are three primary options to consider: public, private, and hybrid clouds. First and foremost, a private cloud is the most basic setup and is a dedicated cloud server for a single organization. A public cloud setup, on the other hand, is run by a third-party organization and anyone on the Internet can access it. Finally, a hybrid cloud setup is the most unique and involves utilizing both a private and public cloud, with more sensitive information being stored on the private setup. 

4 Common Issues with Cloud Integration

Cloud integration may not seem difficult for your organization, but there are a number of common issues that businesses face. Specifically, the following four issues appear quite often: 

1. Increase downtime in a business

Firstly, an inexperienced business often experiences downtime initially when integrating cloud computing services given that they attempt to migrate all business departments at once. This becomes a problem when there is an issue with the integration, as all departments will be affected which can lead to company-wide downtime. 

2. Not understanding how to integrate existing processes

Another major issues business owners often run into when integrating cloud computing is a general lack of understanding regarding what they are doing. Cloud computing is complicated and the integration itself can be quite complex. It’s perfectly natural to not understand all parts of the process, which is why hiring a cloud-based expert can help. 

3. A lack of necessary resources to integrate the cloud

Integrating cloud services in a business will require a technological infrastructure that is in place already. It will also require a budget that meets the needs of the integration. A business that attempts to integrate businesses into the cloud without the proper setup will surely fail. 

4. Unexpected costs arising with integration 

Cloud integration will be quite expensive, especially if the integration will be companywide. However, there will be unexpected costs that arise during the process, including potentially issues such as needing to start again. These extra costs may not work for companies operating on a tighter budget which is worth considering prior to the integration. 

The Benefits of Utilizing Cloud Computing

Before diving into a cloud computing integration, it’s important to look at the common benefits of a cloud setup to see why this might be the right strategy for your business: 

Great efficiency with business processes

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of cloud computing is the fact that a business can have far greater efficiency in their day-to-day processes than ever before. This is due to a variety of reasons, but the most prevalent are increased levels of data storage, enhanced speeds of processing, and scalability for tasks. 

Increased chance of disaster recovery

A major downside to standard computing is that the connections to servers are hardwired, meaning all sensitive company data is stored in one place. In the event there is a disaster that compromises this data, it will all be lost. However, with cloud computing, the data is stored off-site which means on-site issues will not impact the stored data. 

An improvement with scalability in a business

All businesses want to have the ability to grow as quickly as possible and a cloud computing setup can allow for this. This scalability is one of the biggest benefits cloud computing can offer, as more services and cloud products can be added to a setup after the fact. 

The Drawbacks of Utilizing Cloud Computing 

While all of the above benefits to cloud computing certainly serve as a reason to adopt the technology into your business, there are also a number of drawbacks that a person should consider: 

Costs can be highly variable depending on business need

The costs associated with a cloud computing setup can vary drastically depending on the needs of a business. This means that predicting the cost and building a budget can be extremely difficult, which isn’t helpful for small businesses. 

A lack of total control over information and data

Companies that use a hybrid cloud setup or a public cloud setup will not have total control over their data. Any potential security breaches will not be handled by a company themselves, as the third-party in charge of the cloud setup will need to handle the problem.

Internet connection will be required 

Finally, it’s been outlined that cloud computing requires an Internet connection, which also happens to be one of the biggest downsides of cloud computing. Organizations without a reliable connection to the Internet will not be able to make the most of a cloud computing setup. 

The Bottom Line

Setting up your business for the future of work is always easier said than done but building a technological foundation that sets up your organization for growth is a great step forward. Specifically, cloud computing has the capability to transform an organization entirely by offering actionable insights on customers, increased efficiency of business processes, enhanced organizational communication, and much more. Take action by determining which cloud setup is best for your organization.