Subject: Cloud Infrastructure and Services
Semester: BE Computer Sem-8
Question: Advantages & Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
Advantages of Cloud Computing:
- Cost: It reduces the huge capital costs of buying hardware and software.
- Speed: Resources can be accessed in minutes, typically within a few clicks.
- Scalability: We can increase or decrease the requirement of resources according to the business requirements.
- Productivity: While using cloud computing, we put less operational effort. We do not need to apply patching, as well as no need to maintain hardware and software. So, in this way, the IT team can be more productive and focus on achieving business goals.
- Reliability: Backup and recovery of data are less expensive and very fast for business continuity.
- Security: Many cloud vendors offer a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls that strengthen our data security.
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing:
- Requires good speed internet with good bandwidth: To access your cloud services, you need to have a good internet connection always with good bandwidth to upload or download files to/from the cloud
- Downtime: Since the cloud requires high internet speed and good bandwidth, there is always a possibility of service outage, which can result in business downtime. Today, no business can afford revenue or business loss due to downtime or slow down from an interruption in critical business processes.
- Limited control of infrastructure: Since you are not the owner of the infrastructure of the cloud, hence you don’t have any control or have limited access to the cloud infra.
- Restricted or limited flexibility: The cloud provides a huge list of services, but consuming them comes with a lot of restrictions and limited flexibility for your applications or developments. Also, platform dependency or ‘vendor lock-in’ can sometimes make it difficult for you to migrate from one provider to another.
- Ongoing costs: Although you save your cost of spending on whole infrastructure and its management, on the cloud, you need to keep paying for services as long as you use them. But in traditional methods, you only need to invest once.
- Security: Security of data is a big concern for everyone. Since the public cloud utilizes the internet, your data may become vulnerable. In the case of a public cloud, it depends on the cloud provider to take care of your data. So, before opting for cloud services, it is required that you find a provider who follows maximum compliance policies for data security.
- Vendor Lock-in: Although the cloud service providers assure you that they will allow you to switch or migrate to any other service provider whenever you want, it is a very difficult process. You will find it complex to migrate all the cloud services from one service provider to another. During migration, you might end up facing compatibility, interoperability and support issues. To avoid these issues, many customers choose not to change the vendor.
- Technical issues: Even if you are a tech whiz, the technical issues can occur, and everything can’t be resolved in-house. To avoid interruptions, you will need to contact your service provider for support. However, not every vendor provides 24/7 support to their clients.
