Pros And Cons Of Storing Most Of Your Company’s Database On The Cloud
You have heard a lot about cloud computing. You may even be considering taking the plunge and putting most of your company’s data on the cloud. Before you consider this move, there are a few things you need to consider such as the cloud services you’ll utilize for your database and how secure the cloud is, and also about your company’s digital health. Accessibility is also a major concern. Having a remote storage database is prudent for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is business continuity after a disaster. Here are four pros and cons of utilizing the cloud.
Pros
Usability
The main reason why most companies decide to store data on the cloud is the ease of moving electronic files from local files to the cloud. You can access that information from any connected device from anywhere. The likes of Google Drive and Dropbox have revolutionized the ways in which people share documents, and other companies are even taking it a step further with client album integrations aimed at reducing turnaround time for client interactions.
Bandwidth
Unlike emails, where you can only send a limited bandwidth of information, with cloud storage, you can place a link to the data. You do have to watch how much bandwidth you can use without paying substantial fees. Some cloud providers offer unlimited bandwidth.
No Server Maintenance
Small businesses appreciate the fact that they don’t need to manage their data onsite anymore. Remote cloud servers are managed and maintained by the cloud provider. This saves companies money in maintaining the software and hardware in-house. It also saves labor costs.
Automatic Updates And Software
This is an important consideration when your business is growing. Cloud providers provide updates to hardware and software, so you don’t have to do it. This saves time and frustration.
Cons
Outages
Your business is highly dependent on your Internet connection. Cloud servers are also dependent on Internet connections. Cloud providers can’t guarantee that they won’t have service outages or hardware issues. This could put a serious dent in your business, especially if the outage lasts more than a day or two, so it’s a good thing that there are resources out there like Azure monitoring services to help keep you aware of impending outages based on usage spikes and other logic you can feed into the monitoring system.
Privacy And Security
Security and privacy concerns should be one of your business’s top priorities. There is a potential risk that all of your sensitive data could be leaked through the cloud. Remote access is your responsibility. You will need to encrypt your data before sending it through to the cloud and also should ensure that you’ve done your research and chosen the correct hosting company using the correct endpoints for ultimate security protection. For instance, if you utilize Google Workspace services, then Safeguarding Microsoft 365 data integrity through cloud-to-cloud backup becomes essential to ensure that any sensitive data is safeguarded.
Limited Control And Flexibility
Cloud providers do place certain controls on what customers can do with their databases. This can be an issue if you need to do something that the cloud provider won’t allow you to do. You may also have a problem if you want to switch cloud providers’ platforms. For instance, if you’re not happy with the performance of the cloud that the cloud provider assigns to you, you may not be able to get out of it due to migration issues.
Cost
Every business definitely needs to consider costs as they can vary from platform to platform. You should experiment with a variety of offerings before deciding on one cloud provider for your data storage needs. Be on the lookout for discounted services and coupon sites that offer discounts on enterprise solutions, some providing everything from hosting services to cloud storage management at discounted rates through third parties.
