Advantage and Disadvantage of Cloud Computing

Advantage of Cloud Computing

Worldwide Access: Cloud computing increases mobility, as you can access your documents from any device in any part of the world. For businesses, this means that employees can work from home or on business trips, without having to carry around documents. This increases productivity and allows faster exchange of information. Employees can also work on the same document without having to be in the same place.

More Storage: In the past, memory was limited by the particular device in question. If you ran out of memory, you would need a USB drive to backup your current device. Cloud computing provides increased storage, so you won’t have to worry about running out of space on your hard drive.

Automation: With Cloud Computing, businesses do not need to set up a team to handle system updates and back-ups. This lets businesses release important internal resources for other high-priority work.

Mobility: Cloud computing helps businesses become mobile. Employees can access work-related information from anywhere in the world. This is a cost-effective way for businesses to expand across locations.

Easy implementation: The technology is easy to install. Cloud Computing does not need businesses to get additional hardware or software. Moreover, since the implementation is done remotely, it is relatively hassle-free for businesses.

Reduce IT Costs: The Cloud enables companies to drive down IT costs. It reduces the energy consumption of computers and servers, and makes it easier for fewer computers to do the same amount of work.

Invest in Growth: Probably the biggest driver is that Cloud Computing allows companies to invest in growth while spreading the cost. Instead of large upfront IT infrastructure costs (servers etc), technology investment becomes a continuing operational expenditure that rises and falls with demand. You pay for what you use.

Disadvantage of Cloud Computing

Internet Reliance: While Internet access is increasingly widespread, it is not available everywhere just yet. If the area that you are in doesn’t have Internet access, you won’t be able to open any of the documents you have stored in the cloud.

Privacy: Cloud computing comes with the risk that unauthorized users might access your information. To protect against this happening, cloud computing services offer password protection and operate on secure servers with data encryption technology.

Loss of Control: Cloud computing entities control the users. This includes not only how much you have to pay to use the service, but also what information you can store, where you can access it from, and many other factors. You depend on the provider for updates and backups. If for some reason, their server ceases to operate, you run the risk of losing all your information.

Security: When using a cloud computing service, you are essentially handing over your data to a third party. The fact that the entity, as well as users from all over the world, are accessing the same server can cause a security issue. Companies handling confidential information might be particularly concerned about using cloud computing, as data could possibly be harmed by viruses and other malware. That said, some servers like Google Cloud Connect come with customizable spam filtering, email encryption, and SSL enforcement for secure HTTPS access, among other security measures.