It’s undeniable: cloud computing is both the present and the future of businesses. More and more organizations are fully adapting to the cloud – for good reason. The reasons for this are numerous.
The benefits of cloud technology are improved efficiency, reduced costs, better collaboration and greater scalability. However, it's easy to get blinded by these benefits, which can lead to costly mistakes for your business.
Cloud computing is not a risk-free business. Without the right approach, you can find yourself in various sticky situations. To try to minimize this possibility, here are several mistakes you should avoid with cloud computing.
1. Migrate without a plan
A common mistake businesses make is migrating to the cloud for no specific reason. They see the benefits, decide to rush, and don't have the infrastructure or plan to get the most out of this technology. Additionally, it could cost their business more than it deserves.
In other words, you shouldn't jump into the cloud just because you can. A clearly defined objective is necessary.
Before migrating, you should evaluate all aspects of migrating to a cloud environment. This includes the benefits – and costs – of migrating your workflow, processes and data to the cloud. A thorough analysis helps determine what type of cloud migration is right for your business.
Remember that while cloud computing generally improves efficiency, this does not necessarily mean that running all business tasks through the cloud will be more efficient.
2. Overlooking the costs associated with migrating to the cloud
In the long run, migrating to the cloud can save your business a lot of money. But before you start dreaming about how it can improve your profit margins, you need to carefully evaluate the cost of migrating to the cloud.
This process can be costly, especially if unexpected costs arise during the migration. For this reason, you should take the time to calculate prices as accurately as possible. Without an accurate projection, your business finances may be affected more than expected.
When you crunch the numbers, you naturally focus on the expenses related to the cloud migration itself. However, it would be helpful if you also considered the money you could lose during the migration when your business data is not available.
3. Choosing the wrong apps
A simple point, but worth mentioning. It's easy for a business to select applications that don't fit into its cloud server. This does not necessarily mean that they are wrong about their general function. There are so many reasons why an app might not be suitable.
Age, database configuration, design, and how it interacts with different cloud-based applications: all of these aspects can factor into your decision when choosing an application. It is also a good idea to test all applications and ensure they are working properly before migrating them to the cloud.
4. Forgetting about security
Advanced data security is one of the significant benefits of cloud computing. It is possible to store and manipulate data to ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. However, it is not only cloud computing security features that ensure data security, but also the security policies implemented by companies.
This is where problems can arise.
Without the right policies, this significantly increases the chances that sensitive data will be shared inappropriately. You must have an effective data loss prevention policy in place to limit the possibility of a data breach or leak. A quality DLP policy includes a set of rules that dictate how cloud-based data is accessed, shared, and used by your organization's identities.
Of course, you need to know how to create a policy that works. Fortunately, Sonrai Security has produced a nine-step guide to creating a DLP policy that covers all the bases.
5. Choosing the Wrong Cloud Service Provider
One of the big decisions to make when moving to the cloud is choosing a provider. Hundreds of platforms are available, ranging from those offered by small vendors to those from big names like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
Consider several points before deciding to sign up with a cloud service provider. This includes understanding the applications you need, your end goals, and the type of cloud environment that will help you achieve your goals. You will also want to see what support is available.