Myth: Data hosting on the cloud is less secure than through in-house servers

Reality: Contrary to popular belief, cloud hosting with a reliable service provider is more secure than in-house server hosting. Cloud service providers have a team of experts across various domains including data security. They normally have state-of-the-art technology and solutions in all areas including security, which may not necessarily be the case with enterprise IT.

Also, cloud service providers constantly invest and upgrade their technology, knowledge, skills and expertise in order to offer the latest hosting services to their customers. A reputed provider also holds various quality and security certifications and conducts regular security system audits. Owing to the fact that they run and manage systems for multiple customers, they continuously keep themselves updated about security threats across verticals.

Myth: Cloud and virtualisation are the same

Reality: They are not the same and both cloud computing and virtualisation have broader definitions. Virtualisation is the way for IT to maximise the use of computing, storage and networking and provide increased flexibility to those resources. On the other hand, cloud computing brings significant value on top of virtualisation platforms by streamlining management processes and increasing efficiencies to reduce the total cost of ownership.

Myth: The location of data is unknown

Reality: Data location is a key concern for many organisations. However, despite moving workloads and applications to the cloud, organisations can have complete control on the stored data as well as its location by choosing a local private cloud services provider.

Myth: After cloud migration, there is no going back

Reality: Cloud technology does not fundamentally lock in data. However, this should be outlined in the service level agreement the company signs with its provider. Businesses need to ensure that cloud providers offer seamless movement to and out of the cloud platform. A step-by-step data migration plan can be designed to retain a certain degree of control and avoid downtime.

Myth: Cloud computing is only about lowering costs

Reality: Sure, adopting cloud services lets an organisation save money in terms of both operational and capital costs. However, as companies focus more on how to grow their business, there are other strategic benefits of cloud that should not be overlooked. Some of these include speedy deployment, agility and faster time for marketing, and quick adaptability to changing business needs.

By Yasser Zeineldin, CEO, EHosting DataFort

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