The use of Cloud Computing (CC) means threats and risks, which nowadays tend to be reduced but which must be taken into account and managed. But, on the other hand, the CC provides to small and medium companies and startups the advantages and functionalities of technology that they could not otherwise afford.

Vendors of these services offer scalability and flexibility to adapt on the fly (pay as you go) to our needs. They also allow us to get applications available and accessible from anywhere, always. All this with the possibility of hiring not only the infrastructure and software, but also its maintenance.

Accordingly, we can talk about advantages and disadvantages, but the adoption of the CC is a clear competitive advantage for companies and institutions in which they have to embark as soon as possible. Its use is irreversible.

Advantages

• Cost savings and resource optimization: when paying for resource use.
• Disaster recovery: the information is accessible to any event or problem and with the possibility of backups.
• Focus on the business: greater effort can be devoted to the business by being free from ICT management.

 

Disadvantages

• Loss of control: we do not have access to the facilities where our applications run. The data is in the hands of our vendor.
• Confidentiality and security of the data: in case of a technical or security problem, the information stored on our provider’s servers may be compromised.
• Service availability: the cloud may breakdown and services may not be available.
• Internet access: access to applications is conditioned to internet access.

 

Vendors are increasingly investing in guaranteeing security, with which a gradual migration of the different services of a company is the most viable option, always bearing in mind that the supply contract must be well-established in terms of availability and responsibilities.

In the matter of cyberattacks, everyone is exposed to it, the question is when they will occur, so the response plan and establishment of the systems must be included in the supply contract, as well as the security policies of the company to comply by the vendor.

All these issues must be included in the SLA or Service Level Agreements. Risks and threats are mitigated through a series of contract-regulated strategies and the SLA.

But, what is for real, is that CC is a clear competitive advantage for companies and institutions, and its adoption must be a priority.