Doomsday prophecies often abound regarding the demise of certain aspects of technology, with cloud computing often dominating these discussions. The concept of a cloud replacing traditional IT infrastructure has been bandied about for several years, leading many to ask the question: Will cloud replace traditional IT infrastructure?
In order to answer this question fully, there are several different aspects which must be explored within a given IT environment. This article explores the pros and cons of a cloud-based architecture, how it can benefit or limit an organization and what future trends may impact the overall decision-making process.
What is Cloud Computing?
Before discussing whether cloud computing will supplant traditional IT infrastructure, it is important to explain what cloud computing is. Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services such as infrastructure, software, databases, and storage via an Internet connection. It allows an organization to access computing resources on demand, instead of having to manage and maintain on-premise hardware.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
There are several notable benefits that organizations can experience when they leverage the scalability of cloud computing.
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Cost Savings: By leveraging the cloud, organizations can reduce their up-front capital expenditures by allocating their needs to a pay-as-you-go model. This allows organizations to scale their computing needs as needed, without having to invest in hardware or software upfront.
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Security: The cloud can provide additional security for an organization’s data by leveraging multiple layers of encryption, robust antivirus protection, and vulnerability scanning. This allows for organizations to be more secure in their operations without having to invest in additional security measures.
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Agility: Cloud computing helps organizations to move much faster in terms of both development and deployment. Since the cloud provides access to resources on-demand, organizations can quickly develop, test, deploy, and scale their apps and services with minimal effort.
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Accessibility: Cloud computing allows organizations to access data and resources from any location at any time. This eliminates the need for manual data transfer, as well as the need to provide secure access to third parties.
Drawbacks of Cloud Computing
Just as there are many benefits to cloud computing, there are also several key drawbacks organizations should consider when evaluating a cloud-based architecture.
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Lock-In: Organizations run the risk of becoming too reliant on their cloud provider. This “vendor lock-in” can limit a customer to current tools, as well as create a scenario where organizations can be held hostage to certain contracts and vendor dependencies.
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Compliance: Many organizations are regulated by certain compliance standards; yet, these same regulations can make it difficult or impossible to use cloud computing. Regulatory requirements vary from country to country, and organizations must be sure to remain compliant when using the cloud.
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Outages: Just as cloud computing is connected to the internet, it is also susceptible to outages or connection issues. While technology is becoming more stable and reliable every day, there is still a risk of service disruption that organizations should consider.
Will Cloud Replace Traditional IT Infrastructure?
The short answer is “not yet.” While cloud computing has come a long way in recent years, and continues to improve, traditional IT infrastructures have been built and maintained for decades, and may not disappear overnight.
However, there are certain trends which indicate that cloud computing is—and will continue to be—an increasingly popular choice for many organizations. We will now take a closer look at these trends and how they will shape the conversation about whether cloud can replace traditional IT infrastructure.
Economy of Scale
As mentioned before, cloud computing has the benefit of cost-savings when compared to the traditional model of IT infrastructure. Due to its pay-as-you-go model, organizations have the ability to scale their computing needs as needed, only paying for the resources they use.
With more organizations looking to cut costs and save time, the economy of scale offered by cloud computing can often be a deciding factor as to whether an organization shifts to the cloud or not.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is a cloud-based development platform which enables companies to extend their existing IT infrastructures with powerful cloud-based tools.
By leveraging PaaS, organizations can develop cloud applications faster and build their applications utilizing open-source APIs, web services, and other technologies without having to manage and maintain on-premises software.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to physical devices that are connected to the Internet, and which can be used to gain access to key insights, as well as control or monitor operations from a remote location.
As IoT becomes increasingly popular within an organization, leveraging the cloud can help to integrate and analyze data from multiple devices in real-time. This allows for the scalability of a given IoT deployment, as it provides organizations access to resources when needed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that is becoming increasingly popular within organizations, as it has the power to quickly analyze large sets of data and take actions according to predetermined rules. AI is often combined with cloud computing in order to create intelligent algorithms and predictive insights.
By leveraging the cloud, AI can access larger amounts of data and storage in order to provide more accurate results. Additionally, due to the elastic nature of the cloud, AI can access resources without having to invest in additional hardware or manage the setup of those resources.
From the trend insights discussed above, it is clear that cloud computing is here to stay. While traditional IT infrastructure has been around for some time, the cost savings, ease of use and scalability offered by cloud computing make it a viable and often preferred solution for many organizations.
At the same time, organizations should be aware of the potential risks posed by cloud computing, such as vendor lock-in or compliance issues. Organizations should also factor in future trends in order to make an informed decision as to whether cloud can replace traditional IT infrastructure.
Cloud computing can be a powerful asset for many organizations. While it may not completely replace traditional IT infrastructure, it can provide organizations with many of the benefits of traditional infrastructures, without the need for bulky and expensive hardware.