The 5 Biggest Misconceptions About Working in the Cloud

The driving force in technology over the last 15 years had been the adoption of “the cloud.” When the cloud was first introduced, many businesses in Charlotte and the rest of the world weren’t sure what to make of it.

But now cloud computing is considered the norm and adoption is reaching close to the level where all companies are using at least one cloud service for their business processes.

90% of companies have adopted one or more cloud services and 60% of business workloads are cloud based.

Many businesses have switched to cloud services to save money and expand capabilities. However, they’re often held back by common misconceptions about the cloud.

Those misconceptions can cause business owners to be less effective with their use of the cloud and can leave their data at risk, because they don’t understand cloud solution limitations.

Are You Making One of These Cloud Mistakes?

Some companies look at the cloud as the solution for everything, while others are highly suspicious of trusting a cloud provider with their data. The cloud is not inherently “good” or “evil,” it’s simply one more powerful tool you can use to run your business.

Benefits of the cloud include its flexibility to scale up or down, the cost savings, and ability to give you access to your workflows from anywhere. But, just like many other big tech trends that companies have jumped onboard, it has limitations that can be misunderstood.

Here are some of the biggest cloud misconceptions. Understanding these can help you more effectively use the cloud at your company.

Misconception: The Cloud and Virtualization Are the Same

It’s common to confuse the cloud and virtualization because they both involve the ability to access data and apps over a network connection. But these two technologies are not identical.

Virtualization is a technology that allows one resource to run multiple server environments. It gives companies the ability to move server workloads to a dedicated space for better efficiency. Using virtualization, companies can still fully control their application resources that are hosted a single virtual server.

The cloud allows access to a shared pool of computer resources, which can include networks, servers, applications, etc. Virtual servers are used in cloud computing as one piece of the infrastructure. Companies using the cloud are relying on a cloud provider for software access and their resources may be spread out over multiple servers.

For some companies, virtualization may be a better option for certain processes than the cloud.

Misconception: The Cloud Automatically Improves Productivity

While 41% of businesses can directly attribute growth to their use of the cloud, the boost in productivity is not automatic. Employees need to be trained on cloud solutions properly and workflows need to be optimized to get the expected benefits.

Some things that can reduce the productivity benefit of the cloud include:

  • Not integrating different cloud systems, requiring manual data entry
  • Not properly training employees on new cloud solutions
  • Using too many different cloud solutions, requiring more administration time
  • Not having cloud solutions customized to your workflows

Misconception: I don’t Need a Backup System If I Use Cloud Storage

Many companies make the mistake of confusing a cloud storage and sharing service (like Dropbox or OneDrive) with a cloud or on-premises backup and recovery platform. That mistake can result in costly data loss.

Cloud storage systems are not the same thing as a backup. They’re designed to make file synching and sharing simple and create an environment where you can access your data from anywhere. However, files can easily be overwritten or deleted in cloud storage.

For backup and recovery, you need a program specifically designed to back up files. Data backup and recovery solutions keep running backups of your files and typically store several backups on a rotating basis. They’re also designed to take images of drives so your files and folders can be easily restored if needed.

Misconception: We Don’t Need to Customize Our Cloud Solution

All businesses, even in the same industry, don’t have the same workflows. If you’re using your cloud service with its “out of the box” settings, you’re leaving a big part of its potential efficiency on the table.

Cloud solutions are meant to be customized and molded around a company’s workflows and processes. This includes using specific settings and integrations to automate functions and match how a company’s employees work.

If you’re not taking advantage of cloud service customization, your team may be less effective because they’re having to change the way they work to fit the application, rather than the other way around.

Misconception: My Data is Completely Safe in the Cloud

When you’re using a cloud service, your data is on a physical server somewhere in a datacenter. That server is subject to the same issues as an on-premises server, such as a malware attack, a drive crash, or power surge.

Not backing up data that is in a cloud service, like Office 365 or G Suite, is a big mistake. These services say in their user agreements that outages or unexpected circumstances could cause your data to be unavailable. Microsoft specifically recommends that you back up their cloud services with a 3rd party solution to avoid loss.

Just as with any other data that you store on computer hard drives or on-premises servers, data stored in cloud platforms also needs to be separately backed up to ensure it’s not at risk.

Get the Custom Cloud help You Need from IP Technologies

IP Technologies helps Charlotte businesses optimize their workflows using cloud solutions, virtualization, and other tools. We’ll ensure your technology is molded to fit your needs and power your business.

Contact us today for a free consultation. Call 704-912-4999 or reach out online.