Now that cloud computing is all the rage, there are plenty of people coming out of the woodwork to say how wonderful it is. Of course, there are also people saying how terrible it is and that it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. What’s the point?
They ask, because they don’t understand what it is intended for – and they forget that cloud computing is relatively new and still developing. They have unrealistic cloud expectations, and that’s not all. There are plenty of other bad practices that they engage in, too. Here are seven things that make for bad practices and unrealistic expectations when it comes to cloud computing.
- Using the cloud, even though you don’t really need it. Don’t do it just because you think it’s cool or it will give you credibility. A lot of people do that, and they’re paying out a lot of money just to say they’re in the cloud – but they’re not doing anything with it. What a waste.
- Jumping in too quickly when you don’t know what you’re doing. Anyone with a credit card can immediately be immersed in tons of things they don’t need. All that will get you is a large credit card bill and a lot of confusion – which could even cost you customers.
- Expectations that go far and beyond what the cloud is actually capable of doing. A lot of people are guilty of this. They want everything automated and they don’t want to do any work. Life isn’t like that, even in the cloud.
- Moving Legacy applications to the cloud, where they clearly don’t belong. Keep them inside the firewall. They aren’t safe floating around out there, and that’s not where they were ever designed to be. You’re just asking for trouble that way.
- Expecting full security from the cloud vendor. It’s not the vendor’s job to take care of your security. It’s your job. Make sure you do it well, or you could be hit with a virus or worse.
- Underestimating how much work you’ll need to put in. People want convenience, and they want things done for them. To make the cloud work for you, you’ll actually have to work.
- Picking the wrong/untalented vendor. If you just choose a random vendor, you might find that he or she really has no clue. After you’ve paid a lot of money and set everything up isn’t the time to find that out. The time to discover a bad vendor is before you sign up, so check the vendor out first.
There are more, of course, but the above seven are probably the worst. If you do them, it’s time to stop. If you haven’t started doing them yet, be sure that you don’t get it in your head that they are a good idea. You have to learn to work with what’s available when you’re involved in cloud computing. More options and opportunities will come along, but being patient can go a long way toward keeping your stress levels low while you’re waiting.