Cloud computing could be perceived as the greatest business tool since the Internet began, or possibly even since the first computer made its way into an office. By eliminating infrastructure and hardware costs and introducing easy, global access to systems, applications and data, it has created a change in the way an everyday business works.
But cloud computing isn’t without its risks. Security remains a key talking point and there are cost considerations to be had. It may be cheaper than setting up your own server hardware, but depending on the servers you use, costs can still be high and in some cases bills might be more than you were expecting.
And what about the Internet? What happens if your Internet stops working for a day? It’s been known to happen. Worse still, depending on the sort of Internet you pay for, it might take a few days to fix.
But despite the risks and worries of cloud computing there are several ways to reduce the overall business risk.
1) Security
Security is one of the top reasons a business won’t adopt the cloud. However, there are a few things you can do to tighten up your Internet security to ensure not everyone can access your cloud servers and information.
Web applications that are being accessed from multiple places by multiple people are a risk because they have lots of potential entry points for a hacker. What if a user is logging into the application whilst using an unsecure network in a café? Layered security can help with this. The addition of two-factor authentication that needs more than just a password can help to stop unwanted guests on your cloud servers.
Education is also a great way to reduce risk when using the cloud. Make sure people using the cloud servers understand the risks that go with it and how they can avoid security risks. Simple things like not logging into the service or application on an unsecured network or clicking links in phishing emails.
It may even be the case of communicating to anyone using these cloud servers to consider the type of information that they’re storing on these servers – how sensitive is this data? Ultimately, you should avoid placing sensitive data in the cloud i.e. customer’s personal details, unless absolutely necessary.
2) Cost
For some, adopting the cloud is a way to reduce costs. For others, the cloud is better than the alternative computing options and cost isn’t as much of a consideration. Either way, it can be seen as a business risk.
It becomes a risk when companies pay for more than what they need, over-provision and get stung by higher costs than originally calculated.
But there are ways to avoid paying for more than what you need. Research first! Don’t jump in headfirst and get the largest server you think you can afford, it’s a waste. Depending on your needs, do your research and consider the best option and save yourself some money.
The business risk that is a bit harder to reduce is receiving higher bills than you expected. To use an example, when you spin up a new Amazon EC2 server on an on-demand basis, you are charged by the hour. Now it might be easy to think that this is per hour of usage, and technically it is, but it’s your job to make sure the server is switched off when not in use, and that’s a little more complicated than just not using it.
It’s common for a company to spin up a server and leave it running for the couple of months they’re using it (possibly for testing applications) but then receive a large bill they weren’t expecting.
The way to reduce this risk is to use one of the tools out there that help schedule or automate the switching off of servers. Cloud Machine Manager does exactly this with the added benefit of an on/off switch for each server you’re using, making it fully on-demand.
3) Network Dependency
You can’t control how well your Internet works. It’s just the unfortunate nature of being provided a service that you pretty much rely on. The Internet becomes a business risk when it comes to the cloud because it’s the house in which the cloud lives in. No Internet, no cloud.
How do you reduce a risk that isn’t in your control? Buy better Internet. Or, at least make sure your Internet provider can provide what you need. Business broadband can be great for some, but isn’t necessarily the answer if you’re relying completely on the Internet. A broadband package doesn’t necessarily have service level agreements and that means when something goes wrong, there isn’t a rush to fix it.
Dedicated or leased lines usually come with service level agreements that say service will be repaired in a number of hours if it’s down, rather than days. They also provide a solid service that isn’t contended with other businesses locally.
You may not be able to fix the Internet, but you can invest in a more reliable service.
Business risks put people off investing in the cloud, but as long as you plan your investment and think about what could go wrong, there are always ways to reduce the risk.
So now you have an understanding of ways to reduce the business risk of cloud computing, how about some information on a useful tool that actually does this? Cloud Machine Manager is a new software tool that allows you to schedule, automate and instantaneously switch on and off AWS EC2 servers. By having on-demand control of when your servers are switched on and off, you can save a heap of cash.
Check out the savings estimator to see how much you can save with Cloud Machine Manager.
