Cloud computing gets a lot of hype, so some may not consider the hidden costs associated with a move to the cloud. There are five hidden dangers associated with cloud technology that IT managers should consider, according to a white paper released by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).
The paper, which offers a detailed analysis of potential benefits and costs associated with the technology, suggests not buying into the hype before looking at the hidden costs and making a detailed economic plan first. “Users who have been in IT for a long time know that, no matter what new innovation comes along, the challenges of managing IT (e.g., security, cost, complexity) never go away — they just take on new (and sometimes dangerous) forms,” the paper reads.
The five hidden dangers of cloud computing are:
- the cost of being forced off the cloud due to a regulatory change such as stricter data privacy laws;
- the cost of implementing and operating countermeasures to mitigate risk;
- unexpected expenses involved in initial migration of systems;
- loss of internal IT knowledge; and
- lock-in with a specific cloud provider or proprietary service model, which may slow down future adoption of open standards-based services.