Cloud computing is one of the latest technological developments. Cloud computing refers to the use of computing resources in an external network. The internet is the major method of accessing the external network. Companies are slowly embracing this new technology. Most companies prefer to use external clouds in hosting IT services that are not critical.
On the other hand, companies prefer to host critical IT services in their internal cloud. The hybrid approach presents several management challenges to the organization. It is vital for the clouds to integrate with each for proper management of the IT services. In addition, the organization must manage legacy systems and workflow of data across the clouds and IT systems (Grimes 1).
The level of complexity of platforms that manage hybrid clouds is increasing at a rapid rate. This is because hybrid clouds involve different technologies and vendors, and require continuous development of new capabilities. Therefore, it is critical for an organization to choose the right management platform.
In addition, a company should choose its vendors carefully. A company should consider the licensing and contract terms of the vendor, track record, and security performance of the vendor. Companies should strive to reduce the number of vendors, as this would minimize risk exposure and complexity of the management platform (Grimes 1).
A company should first transfer low-risk applications and data to the external cloud after entering into an agreement with the vendor. Therefore, should a breach occur, the company will not lose sensitive information. The company may gradually transfer high-risk applications to the control of the vendor after building confidence in the vendor’s capabilities (Grimes 2).
Data security is not the major concern of companies. A survey on users of the top 5 cloud services – Drop Box, Google Drive, SugarSync, iCloud, and Box – showed that some of the major concerns of users of the cloud computing were capacity, missing files, and ability of the cloud to support various applications.
Among the users of Google Drive, missing files was the main concern. Users of SugarSync cited the inability of the cloud to support ‘Quickbooks’ – an accounting software – as one of their major concerns. In addition, a sizeable percentage of the users of SugarSync cited high pricing of storage space as one of their major concerns (Mearian 2). The survey shows that cloud service providers still have various areas of improvement. Development of new technologies would help in the tackling some of the above problems.
Adoption of cloud computing may face stiff resistance from the employees of the company. This is because employees may view cloud computing as an outsourcing opportunity that may threaten their careers. Therefore, it is vital for the management of the organization to change the mindset of the employees to enable them to recognize and appreciate the benefits of cloud computing to the organization.
In addition, the management of the organization should ensure that IT professionals appreciate how new technologies would provide new functions that would enable the professionals advance their careers (Grimes 2).
The rapid pace of innovation on cloud computing is expected to continue in the near future. Therefore, it is vital for organizations to understand the developments in order to keep their hybrid clouds operating at optimal levels. Rapid technological changes necessitate organizations to adapt technologies that can easily adapt the technological changes (Grimes 2).
Works Cited
Grimes, David. “Meeting the challenges of hybrid cloud computing infrastructures.” CIO, 2012. Web.
Mearian, Lucas. “The top 5 issues with the top 5 cloud storage services.” CIO, 2012. Web.