By Ben Puzzuoli, Director Sales & Marketing at DataDepositBox
May 25, 2015

DataDepositBox Online Data Backup Expert Tips: Cloud Computing Challenges and Issues

Cloud symbols were common in network diagrams prior to 2008. After 2008, however, a new assortment of services were unveiled. These services allowed people to access computing services over the Internet, in a “virtual” platform that came to be referred to as “Cloud Computing”.

Cloud computing is evolving daily. From social networks to shopping networks, data storage, and online software applications, cloud computing is finding its way into almost every business, regardless of its size. Cloud computing can dynamically increase storage capacity, as well as offer a variety of applications at little or no cost, saving businesses thousands of dollars:

  • No need to invest in software or licensing
  • No need for additional personnel

Cloud computing is huge business

A lot of information is now stored in virtual storage. The safety and security of this huge volume of information is starting to concern people. This concern surrounding security is one of the biggest dilemmas businesses face, and is causing many organizations to be very reluctant to accept cloud computing. Accordingly, every business should have a data disaster recovery protocol in place to ensure business continuity in case of a major cataclysmic event. Cloud backup insures against this very thing.

Businesses have expressed several other areas of concern. For example:

  • Data location – not knowing what country the data is in;
  • Data Segregation – provider should have this ability;
  • Long-term viability – the ability to retract a contract in the event the provider is sold and/or goes out of business.

Three types of clouds exist: the Private Cloud, Public cloud, and the Hybrid cloud. Inside those clouds, there are three types of service platforms that could exist: the SaaS (Software as a Service), the PaaS (Platform as a Service) and the IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service).

For those organizations that wish to retain control of all the aspects of cloud computing that give rise to concerns, the private cloud would most likely be their optimum choice. This imitates cloud computing, typically, arranged through the internal data centre. Virtual applications and scalable resources are combined and offered to cloud users. This is one of the most secure environments due to the limited and controlled number of users.

The most traditional type of cloud is the public cloud. The resources are available as self-serve over the Internet. The service is available on a pay-as-you-go basis through web applications and web services. An off-site, third party, company provides these services. Public clouds are less secure than private clouds due to the potential for cyber-attacks.

As the name suggests, a Hybrid cloud is a private cloud linked external cloud services. They are set up as a single unit with centralized management.

Cloud computing is revolutionizing our usage of the Internet. Cloud computing services should be researched thoroughly before you sign up. These technological advances, when used properly, will help make your life easier. Research and understand the security risks and other challenges associated with cloud computing.

About the Author: Ben Puzzuoli is Director of Sales & Marketing at DataDepositBox, a Toronto based cloud data backup service provider, which is listed at both the Toronto and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges. DataDepositBox technologies and solutions are currently used daily by over 200,000 customers, 1,000 resellers, 25 MSPs and private label partners for online backup and recovery, archiving, disaster readiness, secure file sharing and remote access. Visit DDB website here: www.DataDepositBox.com

 

 

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