Don’t Let These Top Cloud Myths Hamper Your Business Decision-Making

The cloud remains a dominant technology innovation well into its second decade of existence. However, after all this time, certain cloud computing myths still creep into the minds of CIOs and other denizens of the corner office. For example, some business decision-makers feel the cloud is simply a magic potion that leads to greater success without planning and hard work.

With an eye on truly understanding its myriad benefits, let’s take a look at some of the top cloud myths still permeating the IT world in 2020. Use these insights to help make the right decisions on cloud adoption for your organization. In the end, the cloud is simply a powerful tool that needs to be leveraged wisely.

The cloud is only about cost savings

Migrating a technical infrastructure and in-house data center to cloud-based services provides significant cost savings to a business. Unfortunately, some executives feel saving money is the only real advantage of cloud computing. This concept remains one of the top cloud myths in the technology industry.

Focusing only on the cost savings causes companies to miss many other advantages of migrating to the cloud. One of these includes improved business agility and flexibility. It’s a benefit that especially matters in the wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic with many organizations now leveraging a work-from-home model for their employees. Using SaaS and IaaS services helps companies still thrive with a dispersed workforce.

Migrate all technical resources to the cloud!

When a company gains significant benefits from migrating parts of its technical infrastructure to the cloud, some CEOs want to move everything. While the cloud is obviously great for certain use cases, it’s not always suitable for all. For example, some older legacy applications simply won’t function as a cloud-based service. Additionally, security reasons may require a company maintaining its own on-premises data center.

Using one cloud vendor is the right approach

While many cloud service providers exist in the industry, a few big names dominate the market. Many companies hoping for a simple cloud migration process decide to go with a one vendor approach. However, cloud computing isn’t a monolithic entity, so using a one vendor strategy isn’t right for any organization that wants to be nimble in a competitive business world.

Remember, as the types of cloud services proliferate, it’s hard to expect one provider to offer everything that meets a business’s needs. In the end, choosing vendors that specialize in certain services is a wise strategy.

A multi-cloud strategy prevents vendor lock-in

Somewhat related to that last point, certain executives feel embracing a multi-cloud strategy helps stave off the adverse effects of vendor lock-in. While it is smart to use multiple cloud providers for different services, the most important thing is to stay open-minded. Whenever a need for a cloud-service arises, forge the right strategy for addressing that need without worrying about the multi-cloud vs. single vendor issue.

Enterprises are abandoning the public cloud

One pervasive myth about cloud computing notes that enterprises are beginning to migrate their technical resources from the public cloud back in-house. While there are a few examples of this reverse migration happening, overall it doesn’t appear to be an actual trend.

Most large businesses take a proactive approach when it comes to cloud strategy. So when they encounter a problem with a specific migration project or cloud provider, they are more likely to address the issue as opposed to abandoning their entire cloud adoption effort.

After migrating to the cloud, our work is complete

Some businesses believe once their initial cloud migration is finished, it’s time to celebrate as their work is complete. All they need to do is watch the cost savings and profitability increase. This really isn’t the case. In fact, their cloud effort is only beginning.

Ultimately, companies must treat the cloud as more of an operating model as opposed to technology. Expect the reengineering of corporate processes and the redesigning of operational workflows to continue as long as the business exists. This remains the best way to take full advantage of an investment in migrating to cloud-based services.

The company’s data is secure in the cloud

When businesses first began migrating to the cloud in the late 2000s, security issues were paramount. In fact, the perception that the cloud wasn’t secure led many companies to delay adopting the new IT services model. Over time, as cloud providers invested in upgrading their information security protections, this fear gradually abated.

The current problem is companies automatically assume their corporate data remains secure when hosted with cloud-based service providers. With employees now working from home accessing corporate cloud-based resources, cybersecurity vigilance has never been more important. Both businesses and the cloud providers need to be proactive to ensure data stays protected from hackers and other nefarious agents.

As industry experts in information security, Rapid7 employs the brightest minds in the business. Our products and expertise help businesses across the globe secure their on-premises and cloud-based technical infrastructures. Connect with us to see how we can help your organization’s cybersecurity footprint.