The Cloud: Understanding More About Its Benefits and Security
What Is the Cloud?
“The cloud” is one of those popular tech topics people talk about but can’t always define. The cloud is essentially a network of servers that does two types of things. One kind of cloud server stores data and while the other uses its computing power to help applications run.
We all come across the cloud frequently in everyday life, especially for storage. Every time you use an app like Instagram, a cloud server is what holds the pictures uploaded to your account. These photos are not saved in your phone’s internal memory, but rather in Instagram’s network of servers. Dropbox is also an example of a cloud server. Every time you save something on your computer that doesn’t take up your computer’s memory, you are using the cloud.
Other companies like Adobe use the cloud to deliver services. Previously you could buy the Adobe Creative Suite™ in a physical box. Now, all of these tools exist in the cloud and users pay a subscription fee to access them in the Adobe Creative Cloud™.
How the Cloud Benefits You
When businesses decide to move their resources to the cloud, overhead costs can be reduced. Before cloud technology became widespread, businesses would have to purchase hardware and computer applications that lost their value over time. With the cloud, applications previously downloaded on physical computers are now run and updated through the Internet.
Businesses can also be more flexible with their resources. The cloud allows them to pay for only what they use since cloud computing is a subscription-based service. It can also accommodate for businesses that have growing bandwidth demands since cloud capacity can be scaled up and down easily. This kind of agility makes these services cost-effective and adaptive.
The cloud can make your business more secure in a variety of ways. Lost laptops are a security breach for companies every year because many of them contain highly sensitive information. Not only that, valuable documents may be lost forever when devices are misplaced.
With cloud computing, you can access files at any time via your Internet connection. This allows you to remotely wipe the memory of lost devices and not have to worry about information falling into the wrong hands.
The cloud benefits the environment by decreasing your carbon footprint, by reducing unnecessary hardware and only using the required amount of cloud storage. Even in the digital age where more and more companies are going paperless, sustainability is important.
Is the Cloud Secure?
Contrary to popular belief, the cloud is quite secure. However, it requires you to take measures to personally secure your company’s data. When businesses “move to the cloud,” it requires that you have knowledgeable security staff that understands what that entails. Your team must know that the data you are moving is sensitive, and apply end-to-end encryption to the data during both storage and transfer process.
A recent study found that 82% of public databases are not encrypted. Make sure the cloud provider you are using suits your data needs and has what it takes to keep your files secure. Whatever service you choose, it is still the job of the user to define who can access the data, move it, add data, etc., and how those permissions change with each cloud provider. Defining these terms is known as Identity Access Management (IAM).
In addition to these steps, it is wise to back up your data in separate fault domains. Fault domains are basically stacks of servers. They include features that, in the case of a network failure, make sure only the server with the failure would stop working. This means you have multiple copies of your data, achieving maximum file resiliency.
Cloud Computing Creates a Level Playing Field
Anyone can utilize cloud computing services since they are inexpensive and require only an Internet connection to access. It also allows small and growing companies to use enterprise-level technology, and even make faster business decisions than larger, more established companies.
Cloud networks facilitate collaboration from your team members, meaning that they can work and share files with everyone, from anywhere. Cloud-based workflow applications allow real-time remote collaboration and streamline communication. Gone are the days of attaching files to emails and ending up with incompatible file formats, and ineffective version-control.
Moving data to the cloud means that even the smallest companies are becoming more globally involved. Since growing businesses can be financially nimble using cloud computing services, they can now disrupt a market dominated by Fortune 500 corporations.
If you need assistance in moving data to the cloud, don’t hesitate to contact Geek-Aid. We’re here for all of your technology needs and computer repair questions.