PART II

INTRODUCTION

The cloud industry has been growing significantly due to rising awareness of its capabilities and benefits. As a result, businesses have begun to leverage the cloud for their infrastructure and services, removing the need for traditional physical hardware equipments and certain software developments. In addition, a continuous effort has been made to enable cloud compatibility for older applications and cloud-native apps.

According to a Data Group study, around 69% of firms have integrated cloud platforms, with another 18% planning to do so. In addition, companies who invest in cloud, big data, mobility, and security experience a 53% gain in income, according to Dell.

Your company may not be leveraging the expanding benefits of cloud services and applications. At this time, you can contact a cloud service provider to accelerate the adoption. These providers can take care of your cloud infrastructure so that you may run your businesses more efficiently, provide better service to your customers, and boost your total profitability. Whether operating in a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environment, the CSPs have considerable experience supporting your environment, filling in the workflow, and providing cloud compliance services. So let’s get started on the benefits and drawbacks of working with Cloud Service Providers (CSP).

BENEFITS OF CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER.

Here are the top benefits of choosing a CSP.

1. Simplicity and flexibility

Your company can utilize a CSP to establish a single package for all its cloud products and services, and you pay for what you use. If you want to temporarily increase or decrease your consumption for a particular project, you can do it as per demands. You will not be charged for features you do not subscribe or use, and you can cancel your membership.

2. Robust infrastructure and strong SLAs

Cloud service providers may provide you with management assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and frequently monitor and analyze your network for security issues. CSPs will also use current business procedures and rules to manage your network, connecting your IT goals to the overall organizational goals.

3. Security

When you migrate to a cloud service provider, following the best practices, you can ensure that your systems, apps, and sensitive data are safe and secure since the proper configurations and rules are in place. In addition, cloud providers use highly restricted data, encryption, and security procedures to guarantee that your data is not accessible to unauthorized persons or systems. As a result, using a cloud service provider will provide you with more security and privacy protection.

4. Custom and integrated services

CSPs are versatile and offer a wide range of services. For example, some companies provide pay-per-service or alternative payment arrangements, allowing your company to focus on growth. Others provide concurrent systems, which allow for more significant cost savings. These integrated solutions include security safeguards, network monitoring, and establishing a new service area.

5. Cost efficiency

Your business can enjoy guaranteed financial freedom by acquiring cloud solutions and services from a cloud service provider. This will help your organization determine how much you are prepared to spend on services, allowing you to maintain a consistent monthly payment. Outsourcing IT management may also help you save money on your monthly infrastructure, support, and maintenance costs.

DRAWBACKS OF CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER

1. Downtime

One of the most critical challenges for the CSP is downtime because of remote servers and connectivity over internet. Service outages can occur for various reasons since cloud systems are entirely internet-based. Businesses will be unable to access data or apps unless they have an active internet connection. In 2020, Google had three major disruptions that impacted most of its services and users worldwide.

2. Data protection

One of the most critical considerations for businesses is ensuring that their most sensitive data is secure. Even with advanced security measures cloud service providers use, storing confidential content on remote servers wholly owned and maintained by a third-party provider is always a security risk. When an organization deploys its apps and data to a cloud platform, the cloud provider and the user share IT security responsibilities. Both parties take accountability for the assets, procedures, and functions.

3. Vendor Lock-in

Another downside of CSP is vendor lock-in. Businesses may find it difficult to migrate their services from one provider to another. Because of variations in vendor platforms and services, migrating from one cloud platform to another may be challenging, resulting in higher costs and setup issues. In addition, any gaps or exposures established during the transfer process may expose your data to additional security and privacy threats.

4. Cost concerns

Pay-as-you-go service providers give greater flexibility and reduced hardware and operational costs, but the overall cost may be higher than anticipated over time. You may experiment with several plans until you discover one that works best for you. Cost estimators from service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform etc. are also available. Cloud expenditures can skyrocket if you do not correctly employ cloud computing, memory, storage, and services.

5. Limited control

Because the cloud provider owns, manages, and controls the cloud infrastructure, organizations that employ cloud computing services have minimal influence over the environment. You can get a suitable End User License Agreement (EULA) to decide what you are and are not authorized to perform within the cloud infrastructure.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The increasing demand for cloud services is due to the availability of many services and flexibility it offers. As more businesses use cloud computing, they will be able to reap the full benefits. Despite all of its benefits and downsides, cloud computing is one of the biggest emerging segments in computing. It provides significant benefits to all users who migrate to the cloud.

The cloud infrastructure can assist environmental proactivity by powering virtual services rather than actual products and hardware, increasing energy efficiency, and facilitating access.

Previous Article

How Do You Choose The Best Fit CSP For Your Business?

About the Author

Ayana L Raj

Technical writer| BDE| CloudControl
Technical writer and BDE with experience in supporting and delivering traffic-driving content and solutions to Clients.