By the time you read about cloud storage, and cloud server technology, tons of websites would have saved terabytes of data on the cloud. It means you don’t need a detailed introduction to what cloud is and what it’s used for. Cloud computing allows individuals/companies to store their data remotely on remote servers, rather than buying and storing it in-house or on-site. Companies spent around $1191 billion in 2021 just to avail of Cloud Services. With around 61% of businesses shifting to Cloud-based platforms in 2020, entrepreneurs and small-scale businesses are eyeing this opportunity. If you have decided to switch, have these Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Technology in mind.
Pros of Cloud
In simpler words, cloud computing lets you share all necessary information between different servers without losing any space on your hard disk. Nowadays, everything can be saved to the cloud; this includes music, books, videos, and other forms of entertainment. So you can find many good things about cloud for your business or personal use.
1. Scalability
The cloud storage is expandable without any limit; you can use the allotted space according to your need. The more people who are using it, the more resources are available to everyone else. A good example of this is Google Drive. Everyone starts with a certain amount of space for free, but if you need more, you can buy it, and everything will be accessible on all your devices. If your hard drive crashes, one thing to happen is that you lose all the information unless you had backed it up somewhere else. However, in the cloud computing world, if anything like that were to ever occur, then none of your data will be lost because all of it is stored elsewhere.
2. Accessibility
You can access your data from any device at any time as long as you have an internet connection. This is useful when you work on your computer, phone, or tablet and wouldn’t be able to do it without the cloud. For example, what would happen if you wrote a report on your desktop but needed some information from your laptop downstairs? You can simply pull up Microsoft Word on your tablet, type in the search bar whatever you need and download it onto the tablet to continue working.
3. Reliability
In Cloud Technology, everything is stored in many different locations, which means there’s always a backup of your data somewhere else just in case something ever goes wrong with one server. So, for example, if there were a fire in one of the data centers, everything on their server would be gone, but since all the other servers have a copy of what’s on that one as well, nothing is lost. This makes it extremely reliable and very secure too.
4. Low cost
With this technology, you don’t have to pay for your storage space. Usually, you get about 10-15 gigabytes free when you first sign up as a way for them to draw people into buying more space as they need it. In reality, though, if someone doesn’t buy any extra space, their files will be accessible indefinitely even if they zap out after a few months because there isn’t any limit to how long they can stay without making a purchase.
5. Flexible
You can upload and access information in a variety of different ways, depending on the service. For example, some offer direct links to Microsoft Office documents, making it extremely easy to edit your files. In contrast, others provide apps for both desktop and mobile devices, so you don’t have to worry about finding one or the other when writing something important. According to IBM, cloud computing is the answer to next-generation technologies like AI, Blockchain, and 5G networks.
Cons of Cloud
As with every technology, comes the downsides; there are issues with cloud technology you need to consider before purchasing a plan for your business.
1. Privacy Issues
People might not want to use this technology because fearing their information being available to anyone with proper credentials to log into their account. For example, if someone is sending out official documents to other companies, they might be wary of putting it in the cloud because all of that data could be seen by anyone. On the other hand, there are different levels of security depending on what company your files are stored with. So if you’re trying to keep something hidden away from prying eyes, it’s probably safer just keeping it locally on your device. This way, only you can access it unless you have no other choice but to put it in the cloud.
2. Accessibility
Even though the cloud is accessible from anywhere, it usually takes a while to load everything onto your screen when you’ve been offline for a long period. For example, if you just got back from vacation and forgot that you’ve turned off access to your account, all you see is a blank screen. The problem continues until the app has finished loading all the images again when viewing pictures on your phone. This can be frustrating because it makes people want to quickly look at what’s in there and put it back up before anyone notices, or even worse, take out whatever’s in their camera roll and accidentally delete something important without realizing what they were doing.
3. Technical Expertise Required
Not everyone knows how to use computers, so they might not want to use this technology because it requires them to learn how it works. It can also be difficult for someone with less knowledge of computers. Furthermore, some of these companies’ cloud services aren’t compatible with certain devices, which means that if you want access to your files on Android, then you’d have to sign up with one company while those who own Apple products would need another; same goes for those who prefer Microsoft as opposed to Google their primary computing device. These problems can turn into possible disadvantages of cloud technology.
4. Connectivity Issues
You need to stay connected to the internet constantly to carry out your business. If you’re not connected in a real-time environment, accessing whatever files you are trying to view is difficult. All of this can happen if your internet connection suddenly goes down or if your device runs out of battery. It’s also possible for users with different operating systems to have connectivity problems with certain services. However, this is very rare since all of the big companies offer compatibility between multiple platforms. For example, Google Drive works well for Android and Apple devices, while OneDrive is compatible with Android, iOS, Mac OS, Xbox 360, and even Windows RT.
5. Price for Service
Some cloud storage services charge users monthly fees if they want access to their files, and some only require a one-time payment. For example, Google Drive is completely free for anyone with a Gmail account (15 GB Limit). After using the free data limit, it’ll cost at least $2.49 per month for one terabyte’s worth of data. Similarly, IBM and Amazon have their different pricing models depending on your space requirements and workload. Although these companies offer free trials, for starters, the premium pricing plans can be surprisingly higher.