Cloud computing is now utilised by a large number of SMEs to the benefit of their respective organisations. We believe that every business should be benefiting from the cloud. However, many of the most common issues that new businesses have in utilising cloud-based technologies comes from misinformation.
In this article we look at one of the most commonly cited cloud computing myths.
Overcoming misconceptions about the cloud can be a big challenge when launching new projects. Understanding how cloud technologies work and what they can deliver can be difficult enough without the facts being distorted.
With misinformation comes false expectations. With false expectations comes false understanding. And false understanding can lead to projects being started with an incorrect direction. As with any new technology, it is of paramount importance to understand exactly what can be expected before you launch.
As cloud computing is in it’s (relative) infancy, it’s understandable that we have seen a fair share of myths and misinformation. These can distort your planning stages and, as a result, jeopardise projects. In order for you to better make an informed decision about what cloud services are right for your organisation, we want to look at one of the biggest cloud computing myths…
“A lack of cloud computing standards compromises its use.”
We have heard the above statement made on multiple occasions by a variety of different professionals from different backgrounds. At its heart is a very understandable concern. What these professionals all want to be sure of is that standards are in place that won’t jeopardise the viability of their project further down the line. But a lack of centralised cloud computing standards is unlikely to be as much of an issue as thought.
While it is right so suggest that with new technologies comes a lack of standards across the board, this doesn’t necessarily correlate to a compromisation of usage. For the majority of SMEs, the lack of cloud computing standards shouldn’t be viewed as a barrier. The reason is simple – each cloud provider has their own specific tools that allows users to handle a portion of their platform.
At this point, when the user has access to a single cloud provider, adherence to standards doesn’t and shouldn’t matter. What matters is that the user is able to use their cloud provider’s own management tools to handle, amongst other things, operating systems, hardware and application software.
Their may be some issues – but not so much that they can’t be overcome
It is important to note that a lack of cloud computing standards could become an issue for certain projects. In particular, if your project focuses on building applications that are tightly coordinated between your own personal data-centre and the cloud, or different cloud providers, you are going to need to tune your problem management practices for the cloud. But you’d need to do this if there were standards anyway.
Rather than dismiss the cloud on these grounds, it’s far better to weigh the potential pitfalls against the alternatives.
