The 3 biggest cloud computing risks for businesses

…and how they’re being addressed by major cloud computing providers

Adopting and adapting to any new technology incurs some form of risk, there’s simply no way of avoiding it. Does this mean that we should cower in the corner, our momentum frozen in total disillusionment? We have to move forward, that’s the way the world of business and nature works; but we should also be mindful of our risks while doing so.  

Cloud computing is an amazing technology which is poised to soon change the world in ways which we can only imagine, yet it’s far from perfect. However, with each sunrise you can rest assured that solutions for the problems facing cloud computing (en masse) are being dealt with. Today’s top tech companies are devoting quite a lot of time, money and energy toward solving the most pertinent cloud computing risks and liabilities. But enough about that, let’s take a look at what the major risks are for businesses looking to adopt cloud computing.

#1 – Security, Security, Security…
The most visible and scrutinized risk associated with cloud computing continues to be security. Despite all the data which clearly suggests that cloud computing is at the very least, as secure as traditional IT, some people seem to be obsessed with the idea that cloud computing is somehow insecure. It could be argued that the only thing preventing more widespread cloud transition is the hype and fear surrounding security in the cloud.

The truth is that cloud computing is more or less as secure as any traditional IT computing / networking model. It should be noted that most major cloud providers are in fact developing new tools for combating malicious attacks and preventing security breaches. Likewise, the nature and design of cloud infrastructure makes it much easier to perform forensic investigations following a security event. As the tools and technologies associated with cloud security logging increases in power and scope, it is entirely foreseeable that criminals will become less inclined to engage in illegal activities.

#2 – Integration, Compliance & Compatibility
Cloud computing functionality is at risk because of a complete lack of definitive standardization. In truth, standardization could render all of the risks associated with integration, compliance and compatibility obsolete. As newer services and apps are released, effort has to be put forth toward integrating these components into an existing infrastructure. While technicians are focused on trying to integrate a new, extremely useful service into their cloud computing setup, additionally compatibility issues may crop up. For instance, integrating an app into a cloud doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it will work in tandem with other, older apps and services. If a company is very dependent on some form of enterprise, or legacy software / application to do their business, new additions will probably have to be adapted (and not the other way around).  

Any situation whereupon the functionality of vital business-facilitating software is challenged by the addition of new components is a significant risk. As previously mentioned, standardization is the ultimate fix for these types of issues, but some organizations right now are leveraging hybrid clouds to accomplish more seamless integration.

Compliance issues are also of some concern as data in a cloud isn’t always confined to one area, locality or country. When an organization’s cloud extends across several different nations, there may even be legal issues to contend with (as certain types of data and sensitive information may supersede the given laws or doctrines of that principality). Additionally, if there is a security breach and consequent investigation, a lack of a compliance agreement may prevent a business from obtaining the evidence needed to track down or prosecute those who trespassed against them.

#3 – Management & Accessibility
Some of the top cloud providers are able to provide completely managed services for their clients. Many of these same vendors also often claim to be able to offer uninterrupted high-bandwidth service, which is vital to the ongoing success of many businesses. But what about situations where it’s unclear who is responsible for managing what and accessibility is questionable? Before your organization begins using any cloud computing service it’s important to closely evaluate (or create) your SLA (service level agreement).

If your data is not actually controlled or managed directly by your IT department, you need to ensure that you have a direct line of communication (which is always open) with those who do. Additionally, your service provider must have contingencies in place to deal with all manner of bandwidth and service availability issues. DDOS attacks are becoming increasingly common in cloud computing circles and a quality, forward-thinking cloud provider will have plans in place to ensure your data and service is secure. For those organizations which aren’t utilizing a fully managed cloud service, it is imperative that they have qualified personnel on hand who are trained and/or certified in cloud computing.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
While there are certain risks associated with cloud computing, you shouldn’t let them deter you or your organization(s) from taking advantage of what the cloud has to offer. Businesses all across the globe are rushing to adapt and adopt cloud computing. This escalating cloud frenzy will also increase competition (from a technological standpoint) for many markets and industries as well. In other words, if you want to win, you need to join the game.

Revolutionizing modern healthcare with cloud computing

With cloud data storage costs steadily and falling rapidly and integrated cloud systems for healthcare emerging, perhaps now is the time for the global medical establishment to “upgrade” to cloud computing?  

If you were to look at IT in hospitals across the globe you would find that most of the systems they rely on are not only outdated, but also not uniform. Paper records, non-digital patient images, handwritten memos / notes, etc…are scattered about and used in tandem with ineffectual IT systems which are only operating at half-functionality. Many hospitals have no dedicated digital database of patient records or data, and those that do are operating in a very disjointed capacity. The problem with this scenario (though it should be obvious) is that too much time, energy, and funds are being spent to manage these faulty systems of record keeping.

In a number of global surveys it was discovered that a majority of hospitals and healthcare facilities are utilizing outdated technologies. Likewise, while we like in the age of smartphones, it was determined that many on-call doctors are still being contacted via pagers! In the end, patient care will suffer at the hands of ineffectual data basing and inability to leverage technology; however, cloud computing may offer permanent solutions for the current predicament.

The biggest prohibiting factor to engaging new technologies and equipment is cost (no surprise there). Most institutions simply don’t have the funds necessary to devote toward upgrading their traditional Information Technology systems. It should also be noted that changes to one’s IT and data basing often requires additional training of personnel. It is these types of hidden costs that make upgrading nearly impossible for most healthcare organizations.

Cloud computing might just be the IT and data basing solution that the healthcare industry has been looking for. Comprehensive data basing, centralized management, and extremely low costs of operation make cloud computing look like a very attractive solution for the aforementioned problems. The costs associated with usage and maintenance of a cloud system has been steadily declining in recent years.  For example, hospitals can now gain access to cloud-based IT for pennies on the dollar. Furthermore, because managed cloud services do exist, some healthcare organizations can slash their IT budgets while improving their capabilities at the same time. Additionally, through the implementation of cloud computing, healthcare facilities can often take advantage of emerging software and upgrades without having their monthly and/or annual costs increase.

Carecloud (www.carecloud.com) is one such cloud computing solution for healthcare organizations. While they are able to offer services like EHR (electronic health recordkeeping), they also delve into other pertinent areas for healthcare groups, like management of their revenue cycles and so forth. Likewise, better financial decisions can be made through Carecloud’s analytics and reporting services.  

As cloud computing is generally offered as a metered service, healthcare institutions only pay for what they actually use and are able to cut away all the extraneous costs of maintaining infrastructure and so forth. While there are certain types of cloud computing providers which can offer their clients complete maintenance and management, having qualified cloud personnel on hand (on-site) is still the order of the day. It’s never been easier or cheaper to train or certify personnel in cloud computing, now it can be done entirely online!  

At the end of the day, moving to the cloud is really about improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of IT for healthcare organizations. As previously stated; many hospitals and care facilities might have certain assets available to them, but they are often underutilized or perhaps being used in an incorrect manner. Just imagine, through cloud computing all medical records, physician reports, laboratory reports, scans, prescriptions, and information can be made available over to doctors via a globally accessible database. This will help to eliminate errors, misdiagnosis, or the assignment of wrong prescriptions as well; cloud computing could save a lot of lives and eliminate the need for many malpractice lawsuits.

Cloud computing is arguably the only real comprehensive solution out there for healthcare organizations. While there are other older systems in place which are also available, they are not offering the same level of incentive as what is offered by cloud providers. It should also be noted that many of these groups who are providing antiquated software, hardware or service to healthcare groups simply don’t understand the benefits of switching to dedicated cloud computing systems. Often times there’s simply too much upfront investment required and not enough enticement; additionally, many of the older systems require a great deal more personal maintenance. Cloud computing will revolutionize modern healthcare simply because it is the most cost-effective and technologically truthful choice. Through cloud computing, healthcare organizations will be able to keep better records and share information more easily while at the same time cutting expenditures and increasing capabilities.

Has cloud computing already become the new norm?

Take a minute and think about your daily tech routine. What’s the first thing most of us do when we fire up our devices and/or computers? It’s safe to say that most people immediately delve into their email boxes, right? From there maybe you’ll go on to transfer, upload or download some content from some storage site (pictures, documents, videos, audio files, etc…). Perhaps you have received several emails over the course of the night with YouTube links and you go on to check those out.

The question is, what do all of these things have in common? If you answered “they all use and/or rely on cloud computing technology”, then you are correct. In truth, most of the major sites we visit every day and the online services we use are facilitated by way of cloud computing. For a large portion of the world’s population, cloud computing is already the norm, whether or not they realize it.

However, when it comes to business, cloud computing hasn’t completely replaced or overtaken traditional IT (yet). Does this mean that the technology is inherent geared-toward consumers and the general population? Not exactly; cloud computing is just as useful to businesses as it is to individuals, if not more so.

There is an almost insane number of ways that cloud technology can be leveraged, even by smaller organizations, to enable them to reach out to new clientele and better service their existing customer base. For example, even organizations that aren’t reliant on cloud providers are still using cloud-powered social media sites and tools to advertise and generate buzz. Beyond advertising, some businesses are even using cheap or free cloud services to host or deliver their products or site content. The point is that businesses are already using cloud computing to further their agendas in a staggering number of ways, with more coming on board all the time.  

What do cloud providers and dedicated hosting services have to offer businesses, exactly?  
Regardless of what type of industry a business is involved in, once it reaches a certain size it will likely require internal and/or external IT assets. They need IT to help facilitate the processing of larger work loads in a more efficient manner, as well as perhaps to assist in the creation of sales / online-based self service resources.

One of the main benefits of seeking out a complete cloud solution via a provider (for most companies) is the prospect of having their IT services thoroughly managed. In other words, if a business is paying for cloud computing through a provider, they will often have the option to choose whether they want IT management to be completely covered, absent, or somewhere in between.

Some organizations see their cloud provider(s) as being merely a provider of infrastructure or a platform; which their own IT department can use and manage. Others might even see cloud computing as a total IT solution and perhaps even as a means of eliminating or downsizing their IT permanently.

Apart from the many ways businesses are looking at or using cloud computing, IT professionals need to take stock of their situation. The fact that so many of companies are jumping at the opportunity to adopt cloud computing should be reason enough to motivate most IT workers to seek out some form of cloud computing certification and/or training.

Most trends forecasters and technical gurus are quick to note these days that all signs point toward the continuing increase in adoption of cloud computing by businesses and individuals. As previously stated, the evidence of this is literally all around us; in truth, it’s getting harder and harder to find successful businesses that aren’t using some type of cloud technology these days. The point is, if you are an IT careerist, you need to start looking into ways to increase your ability to utilize and service cloud computing systems and infrastructure.

Where do we go from here?
Given the sharp rise in the total number of cloud-related businesses, brokers, providers, and facilitators, it’s safe to say that the market for cloud computing is expanding.  Not only is it getting bigger, but it is also generating more innovation through increasing competition.   Furthermore, all of the large megalithic corporations have devoted extensive financial resources and research toward the development of various cloud computing technologies (and that alone should be a major indicator of global importance).

It could be argued that we are nearing or have already surpassed the point whereby cloud computing has replaced the notion of traditional IT entirely, which would in fact mean that it is the norm. At any rate, whether this has happened already or might be poised to occur in the very near future, it seems that information and evidence is dictating that cloud computing will become the new standard in the very near future.

Cloud Computing and business-oriented risk analysis: A match made in heaven?

With any perceived advantage comes some form of risk, right?  Sometimes these risks are negligible, sort of like speed-bumps. Other times however, certain business-related risks can be quite damaging if not properly prepared for. These days, a large percentage of “assumed risk” for businesses is directly related to computing and IT. Given that it is an organization’s IT infrastructure that enables many/most business transactions to take place (and also facilitates actual work in most cases), it’s easy to see why there would be risk in the event of these systems going down. Likewise, there are a number of other areas (not related to computing) that organizations need to account for when it comes to risk analysis. The great thing about cloud computing is that it can help businesses deal with both IT-related risks as well as calculate and/or compile data about risks in other areas. In other words, cloud computing can be leveraged to help a company prepare for risks and conduct risk-assessment in a much more cost-effective manner.  

Cloud Computing for IT, Network & Infrastructure Risk Avoidance Cloud Computing and business-oriented
Quite simply, there are a number of ways that cloud computing can provide a hedge against potential risks. For starters, nearly every individual component of a cloud can be easily copied; for example, if your business relies on a nest of applications or programs which are critical to daily operations (they can be copied / stored off-site). Additionally, cloud computing can incorporate a sophisticated form of continuous data backups which ensures that “in the event of a disaster” all records, data, settings, user profiles, customer orders, etc…can be safely stored away in a remote location. Simply put, cloud computing gives businesses the ability to ensure daily preparation for complete system breakdowns and catastrophes; which is really significant when you think about it.  

Backups aren’t the only thing that cloud computing has going for it however. Because clouds are typically designed to use power and resources in a more efficient manner, they are more-or-less designed to facilitate a company’s overall business plan / model. Given that a company’s accounting department has to calculate items like annual energy usage into their budget, any system that can potentially lower these types of costs is in effect, a form of risk avoidance and/or management. Most major cloud computing providers have already addressed most risks associated with the use of their infrastructures. Realizing this, more and more businesses are turning to the cloud so that they can concentrate on weaker areas.

Using Cloud Computing to Assist in Risk Management Assessment
Moreover, for those institutions which already have a cloud computing infrastructure at their disposal, it should be noted that it can be used to carry out a better company-wide risk assessment. Aside from the ability to carry out a barrage of risk-related tests, clouds can also assist in data collection, aggregation, and calculation. For example, automated testing (and data analysis) can be carried out on a regular basis replete with detailed reports; this information can then be used to determine the best course(s) of action in terms of long- and short-term risks.

The biggest cloud computing risk might be a delayed or careless adoption
The total number of businesses which are adopting cloud computing continues to rise. In fact, we’re probably approaching the 50% mark when you look at the global scale. It could be argued that the big risks for most businesses (out there right now) is the speed and manner in which they transition over to cloud computing. Whether we’re talking about a transition that’s too slow or a cloud adoption plan that’s too sloppy, organizations need to take great care in how and when they jump into cloud computing.

A great way to prepare for a cloud transition (as well as strengthen your entire organization) is to place emphasis on cloud computing certification & training. Through proper education your IT department and employees will not only be able to better utilize cloud systems, they will be able to use them to arrive at more efficient uses for this technology.

At the same time that your organization is preparing for internal issues and malicious attacks, your competitors are likely exploring new ways to harness the power of cloud computing. While this isn’t necessarily seen as a “risk’ in a traditional sense, failing to match the abilities of one’s competition will have the same effect as losing functionality in some ways. Whether your business runs into operational issues or your competitor uses their newfound technological know-how to steal some of your clientele, the end result is the same; you encounter losses and additional risks. So, what’s the solution, you ask? In order to effectively manage all current / future risks and hedge against competition arising through emerging technologies, it is advised that you get on a fast track toward cloud computing adoption.

Perhaps the best and simplest way of describing the relationship between risk analysis and cloud computing is to say that they can be mutually beneficial. In other words, if a business is engaging in risk analysis, cloud computing can assist in this process. Likewise, if an organization has a cloud computing infrastructure at their disposal they can ensure lower levels of overall risk. One reinforces the other and vice-versa. The question is, does your company’s lack of motivation for adopting cloud computing highlight some additional risk(s)?

Cisco’s Cloud Connected Solution is positioned to bring more businesses to the cloud

Cisco is internationally recognized as one of the major cloud computing players. They have put forth a lot of valuable research, technologies and products which are helping to bring advanced cloud technologies to industry and the public sector alike. The Cloud Connected Solution, is Cisco’s attempt at building a more comprehensive set of adaptive cloud tools, so to speak. Simply put, this is Cisco’s attempt at crafting a method for bringing outside private and public cloud apps directly to the platform and infrastructure of the user.

What defines Cisco’s Cloud Connected Solution?
Routing and optimization are two of the biggest areas of concern for cloud users under Cisco’s CCS; specifically covering items like WAN (wide area network optimization platforms). It’s important to note that the CCS is only one part of Cisco’s Cloud Intelligent Network. The other contributing pieces of the CIN are:

• Cisco Unified Data Center
• Cisco Cloud Applications and Services

Together (along with the connected cloud solution), these components deliver an extremely ample set of cloud computing capabilities.

The Cloud Connected Solution basically seeks to connect users with that of their available / selected cloud services. A number of cloud connectors are tasked with managing areas like Storage, 3rd party apps / services, survivability and web security. These elements are in turn coupled with concerns over:

• Visibility
• Optimization Security
• Collaboration
• Application Hosting

In the end, these concerns are leveraged against Cisco’s cloud-ready platforms, like:

• Cisco ISR (Integrated Service Routers)
• Cisco ASR (Aggregation Service Routers)
• Cisco CSR (Cloud Services Router)

According to Cisco, the Cloud Connected Solution will offer distinct benefits to customers in several areas linked to performance and survivability as well as time spent engaging in troubleshooting. Additionally, since consolidation of assets is also an aspect of the CCS, it is estimated that overall costs related to infrastructure upkeep will be significantly reduced. Here are the actual percentages touted by Cisco with regards to the efficiency of the Cloud Connected Solution:

• A 70% increase in the performance of cloud applications
• Virtually non-existent downtimes, with applications remaining active and functional 99.999% of the time.  
• The time spent troubleshooting or deploying components can be reduced by up to 62%.  

How will this Cloud Connected Solution deliver new cloud business?
It’s no secret that Amazon, Microsoft and others have dynamite cloud apps and services available which are in high demand. Through Cisco’s Cloud Connected Solution, virtually all of the best (and in-demand) cloud apps and services (offered by other companies) will soon be supported and incorporated. For many businesses, the emergence of a solution like CCS marks their ability to accomplish new things, and directly utilize certain technologies, products, services and applications with others (which were once considered contrasting). Likewise, 3rd part vendors can really take advantage of the Cloud Connected Solution by developing their own connectors. Cisco’s Connected Cloud Solution will bring additional businesses to the cloud simply because it will provide a centralized platform whereby the heavy hitters can deploy their individual products, apps, and services. Given that Cisco is already one of the most well-known and respected institutions in cloud computing, being able to incorporate any existing or emerging technologies quickly and without any major problems is going to continue to look very attractive to most major businesses.

How well prepared is your organization for integrating Cisco’s Cloud Intelligent Network and Cloud Connected Solution?  
For many businesses the question remains, “do we have enough certified cloud personnel on hand?” According to a number of studies and experts; most organizations, while extremely eager to jump head-first into cloud computing, are still somewhat lacking when it comes to their cloud knowledge base. While you might be inclined to think that cloud training and certification is an expensive, intensive and time-consuming proposition, exactly the opposite is true. Online-enable e-learning for cloud computing is actually quite thorough from an educational perspective, is quite affordable, and certainly can be classified as being cost-effective. It could be argued that businesses who encounter serious issues with regards to instituting cloud computing simply don’t have the required expertise in their respective IT departments. Given that cloud computing certification is offered through various online retailers at bargain prices, often with group rate discounts available, businesses simply have no excuse for not updating their cloud know-how.