Cloud computing has to do with the internet. Cloud computing is whereby data, information, and computer programs are kept and retrieved through the internet instead of doing so from the computer’s hard drive. It has turned out to be a critical integration of business or organizational operations. In the present sophisticated technological environment, many organizations provide and utilize public, private, and hybrid cloud services as well as software in their operations (Botta, De Donato, Persico, & Pescape, 2016). Companies utilize cloud computing for a number of reasons, even though these come with myriads of challenges.
Features Available to Cloud Technology
Cloud computing runs the same principle like cloud-based email consumers, giving the clients the chance to interact with different features as well as files of the system with the option of not keeping the information of such a system on their systems. Actually, most individuals and companies utilize numerous cloud computing services and fail to realize that Gmail, google drive, Facebook and other internet platforms are all web-based features. For each of such services, clients send their personal information to cloud-hosted servers that preserve the data for later retrieval (Wei, Zhu, Cao, Dong, JIa, Chen, & Vasilakos, 2014). In the same way, these applications are critical for individual use, they are even more significant for the organization, which deal with large information over a safe, online network platform.
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There is the HealthLink platform that offers web-founded messaging opportunity. Healthlink enables the protection of clinical patient data between the hospital, healthcare agencies and overall physicians during their transmission. It is always a challenging task for practitioners to follow up on patient reports and retrieve them quickly as it is necessary. However, when the test results are transmitted and stored electronically, it makes the retrieval process easy for the physicians (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2016). Through healthlink email accounts, practitioners send and receive patient data conveniently with an assurance of security of such information.
There is also the feature of resource pooling. The cloud providers’ computing resources are gathered to fulfill the several demands of many consumers who are interested in a multi-tenant framework. Cloud computing services involve making available several physical and virtual resources that are allocated and reallocated based on the demands of consumers (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). Therefore, cloud technology can give organizations the opportunity for storage, processing, and retrieving their data.
Cloud technologies also have the feature of measuring service. Cloud systems spontaneously regulate and enhance resource utilization through optimizing a metering potential for all the stakeholders (Botta et al., 2016). All these levels of services such as storage, processing and providing active user accounts are availed to the organization. They can assess their systems and operations, control and report any data discrepancies through these cloud technologies (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). Cloud technologies have the feature that provides transparency for both operators of cloud technologies and the consumers.
Advantages of Using Cloud Technology
Organizations are motivated to use cloud computing and there are a number of benefits they receive from it. The utilization of cloud computing varies from one organization to the other depending on the nature of their operations (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). Most organizations have prioritized the use of enterprise cloud computing to have a competitive edge over their competitors. Organizations are realizing the place of cloud computing as far as the occasions of cost savings is created (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2016). There are also opportunities for new inventions and innovations, brilliant aggressiveness and promptness in a continuously dynamic technological environment as well as improved partnerships with vendors and consumers.
Cost saving is very fundamental in any business organizations as most operations are oriented towards profit making. Therefore, finding avenues of cutting costs to boost profits is always a key goal of business executives. Many expenses in the day-to-day operations of the organization would culminate into low profits being realized (Wei et al., 2014). Investments in cloud computing are prioritized to reduce information technology and data center costs for several organizations. Companies that insist on manual and conventional ways of doing things are incurring a lot that could be saved.
In terms of security, organizations also find cloud computing as the best solution to bar against internal and external interferences. Files, programs and other kinds of information about an organization need to be secured. Most times the organizations have exposed themselves to cybercrimes and attacks, because of depending on remote forms of keeping and accessing their data. Cloud computing system ensures that security of companies’ data and programs are monitored, that is considerably more effective than the old in-house system (Botta et al., 2016). In the past, without the cloud technologies, organizations would divide their efforts to deal with many IT issues, security being one of them.
Another advantage of cloud technologies is the flexibility that it brings into business organizations. Organizations need to employ the current cloud computing solutions to balance flexibly their business operations and goals as well as leaving the consumers satisfied. Cloud computing is always an outside organization that helps organizations to organize themselves as far as offering IT solutions is concerned through their hosting as well as infrastructure (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). As such, an organization can commit themselves to other sections and operations of the business, which straight away influence their bottom line.
Through cloud computing, organizations can increase their collaborations. Practitioners of health institutions can intensify their collaborations and make it a simple procedure by embracing IT solutions. Members of a team in an organization can access as well as share their information in a convenient way and do not worry about security across a web-based avenue (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). Collaborations can also be heightened among employees across an organization, thus promoting interest as well as commitment. Collaboration can be done without considering cloud technologies; however, it may never be easier nor effectual.
Cloud computing has been in place for about two decades now. Unfortunately, even with many advantages that are accrued like business efficiencies, competitive edges and cost cuttings, some businesses still insist on their ancient way of operation. Rittinghouse and Ransome (2016) carried out a study and determined that 70 percent of businesses are presently utilizing cloud computing in one way or another (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). They also established that 18 percent had intentions to incorporate cloud-computing solutions in their operations after a while (Wei et al., 2014). Concurrently, the Dell reported that organizations, which have to handle much data, cloud, movement, as well as security issues, record a 54 percent efficiency in their revenue progress as compared to their rivals (Botta et al., 2016). As this finding clearly indicates, a rising number of tech-knowledge organizations, as well as industry frontrunners, are awakened to the many advantages that cloud computing bring. Beyond that, organizations are utilizing the cloud technologies to more effectively run their systems, better handle their clients as well as spectacularly raise their ultimate profit margins.
Disadvantages Associated with Cloud Technology
Cloud technologies also have some disadvantages that come with its implementation. Performance-intensive software like the ones that deal with video editing is not suitable to the cloud system. The implementation of cloud technologies may need high-performance desktop processes like those utilized in graphic designs (Wei et al., 2014). Organizations have various needs and various comfort stages that may not necessarily require the input of cloud technologies. As such, it may not be profitable to invest in cloud technologies.
Cloud computing also would bring a possible downtime. Organizations that rely on cloud computing are subject to the reliability of these systems, particularly their internet connectivity. When the internet is disconnected from the control point or there are internet challenges that cause everyone to be offline, many operations would be incapacitated (Botta et al., 2016). Organizations that have their internet services being frustrated with recurrent outages or reduced speeds may not find cloud technologies beneficial to them.
Implementation of cloud technologies may also pose security issues to an organization. It will be a challenge for an organization to use computing applications when they are handling sensitive data. Even with the most advanced data security systems, it may require more expertise and technical knowledge (Ali, Khan, & Vasilakos, 2015). The credibility of these systems is also a great concern since it has created an opportunity for many scandals. Cloud information of all companies can be accessed from anywhere through the internet platforms (Wei et al., 2014). Data through the internet are susceptible to cyber-attack or some careless practitioners that do not secure the organization’s information from unauthorized persons.
Conclusion
I recommend the use of cloud technology as long as the advantages supersede the little limitations in my organization. Cloud computing is a great chance to be above the competitors as the organization can minimize the disturbances and costs involved with the old way of operations. Thus, cloud computing should be greatly embraced to also offset security issues involved with organization data on the internet being a serious matter in the business environment. Cloud technologies can be incorporated into the operations of an organization slowly up to a point that they will be comfortable. Old way business applications may not be as efficient as embracing cloud technologies.
References
Ali, M., Khan, S. U., & Vasilakos, A. V. (2015). Security in cloud computing: Opportunities and challenges. Information sciences , 305 , 357-383.
Botta, A., De Donato, W., Persico, V., & Pescapé, A. (2016). Integration of cloud computing and internet of things: a survey. Future Generation Computer Systems , 56 , 684-700.
Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2016). Cloud computing: implementation, management, and security . CRC press.
Wei, L., Zhu, H., Cao, Z., Dong, X., Jia, W., Chen, Y., & Vasilakos, A. V. (2014). Security and privacy for storage and computation in cloud computing. Information Sciences , 258 , 371- 386.