Cloud computing is becoming more popular, and many users are working from the cl

Question

Cloud computing is becoming more popular, and many users are working from the cloud and not even realizing it. Use the readings for this week and an article from the web to support your post. Remember to include an active link to your article.

What software applications are you currently using that are completely based in the cloud?

Have or would you ever use a device that relies solely on the cloud? Explain.

Envision a time when all software is web-based. What would the advantages be for being totally on the cloud? Explain.

What disadvantages might a cloud-based environment present? Explain.

Explanation / Answer

Consumers aren't using cloud storage services in very large numbers, even as nearly every Internet user is on the cloud in some way.

Almost 90% of U.S. broadband users polled have at least heard of "cloud storage," according to a study from nScreenMedia.

But only 29% said they currently use it, and about half of the respondents had either never heard of cloud storage services, didn't use them, or reported not knowing anything about them.

This is a huge opportunity for cloud service companies to build out their audiences.

In particular, usage of cloud storage services, such as iCloud, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, will soar over the next few years as more consumers come to understand the value of storing their data, files, and media online.

These services appeal particularly to users already on the respective platforms who would like to have all of their data and files synced seamlessly. For the companies, the cloud is a means of keeping users within their ecosystem of products.

Here are the key points from the report about how consumers are using the cloud:

References: https://www.businessinsider.in/Most-People-Are-Still-Confused-About-Cloud-Storage-And-No-One-Service-Is-Winning-The-Race-To-Educate-And-Acquire-Users/articleshow/38384805.cms

Some of the most common applications being used in my organization are Google Apps, DropBox, Microsoft Office 365, WorkDay, JIRA, etc.

Some of the devices that relies on the cloud are Alexa, Siri, Google home, etc.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Perhaps, the most significant cloud computing benefit is in terms of IT cost savings. Businesses, no matter what their type or size, exist to earn money while keeping capital and operational expenses to a minimum. With cloud computing, you can save substantial capital costs with zero in-house server storage and application requirements. The lack of on-premises infrastructure also removes their associated operational costs in the form of power, air conditioning and administration costs. You pay for what is used and disengage whenever you like - there is no invested IT capital to worry about. It’s a common misconception that only large businesses can afford to use the cloud, when in fact, cloud services are extremely affordable for smaller businesses.

With a managed service platform, cloud computing is much more reliable and consistent than in-house IT infrastructure. Most providers offer a Service Level Agreement which guarantees 24/7/365 and 99.99% availability. Your organization can benefit from a massive pool of redundant IT resources, as well as quick failover mechanism - if a server fails, hosted applications and services can easily be transited to any of the available servers.

Cloud computing provides enhanced and simplified IT management and maintenance capabilities through central administration of resources, vendor managed infrastructure and SLA backed agreements. IT infrastructure updates and maintenance are eliminated, as all resources are maintained by the service provider. You enjoy a simple web-based user interface for accessing software, applications and services – without the need for installation - and an SLA ensures the timely and guaranteed delivery, management and maintenance of your IT services.

Ever-increasing computing resources give you a competitive edge over competitors, as the time you require for IT procurement is virtually nil. Your company can deploy mission critical applications that deliver significant business benefits, without any upfront costs and minimal provisioning time. Cloud computing allows you to forget about technology and focus on your key business activities and objectives. It can also help you to reduce the time needed to market newer applications and services.

Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

As cloud service providers take care of a number of clients each day, they can become overwhelmed and may even come up against technical outages. This can lead to your business processes being temporarily suspended. Additionally, if your internet connection is offline, you will not be able to access any of your applications, server or data from the cloud.

Although cloud service providers implement the best security standards and industry certifications, storing data and important files on external service providers always opens up risks. Using cloud-powered technologies means you need to provide your service provider with access to important business data. Meanwhile, being a public service opens up cloud service providers to security challenges on a routine basis. The ease in procuring and accessing cloud services can also give nefarious users the ability to scan, identify and exploit loopholes and vulnerabilities within a system. For instance, in a multi-tenant cloud architecture where multiple users are hosted on the same server, a hacker might try to break into the data of other users hosted and stored on the same server. However, such exploits and loopholes are not likely to surface, and the likelihood of a compromise is not great.

Although cloud service providers promise that the cloud will be flexible to use and integrate, switching cloud services is something that hasn’t yet completely evolved. Organizations may find it difficult to migrate their services from one vendor to another. Hosting and integrating current cloud applications on another platform may throw up interoperability and support issues. For instance, applications developed on Microsoft Development Framework (.Net) might not work properly on the Linux platform.

Since the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed and monitored by the service provider, it transfers minimal control over to the customer. The customer can only control and manage the applications, data and services operated on top of that, not the backend infrastructure itself. Key administrative tasks such as server shell access, updating and firmware management may not be passed to the customer or end user.

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