Discussion: Storage And Collaboration In The Cloud
In this unit we are examining some Cloud solutions for individuals and businesses. Specifically, we will consider data storage and collaboration in the Cloud in this discussion by answering the following questions:
1. Some users are still not comfortable storing data in the cloud. How would you convince them that it is safe?
2. List the pros and cons of using the following collaboration tools: Wiki, Blog, IM, shared documents.
Be sure to use at least 2 external sources and to include all of your sources by providing citations/links to the Web pages you used in APA format.
POST 1
1. I would tell the person who is hesitant of cloud solutions due to security concerns the following. Cloud storage provides redundancy. Your data is typically stored at least 3 times all of which are in different places. So, the chances that all three areas lose your data at the same time is very slim. Cloud storage has good data recovery. In the event that bad data was uploaded, or data was incorrectly inputted and wiped your stored data you can revert back to an ordered version of your data. Cost wise cloud storage offers a lot of security. Your data is in a data center that has a good level of physical security and IT professional guarding it. This much security would be expensive for some companies to afford.
2. Collaboration tools have many pros and cons, below are only a few examples of some of the most popular ones:
Wiki
PROS
Free wiki software available: Easy to create, and not too much tech support needed.
Promotes creativity: Promotes creativity through users.
CONS
Possibilities of vandalism: If no password is established.
Might not be trustworthy: Difficult to authenticate the source and the qualifications of writers unless its ability to edit is controlled.
Blogs
PROS
Starting a blog is easy: There are many sites that can help starting a blog.
A blog can attract business to your company. A blog can go into details about your business to people who are inquiring about subjects that your company deals with.
A blog can be a great resource for your customers: The blog can provide a place where customers can ask questions about your products or ask technical questions.
CONS
A good blog requires regular updates: Although starting a blog is easy, it requires being disciplined enough to keep it updated.
Being too honest can lead to trouble: You might expose yourself or your company too much by giving away trade secrets or being to0 honest about your products.
IM
PROS
Real-Time Communication: You can communicate with other people, anywhere in the world, in real-time unlike the response of emails.
Convenience: You as well as the other end can do several other works while communicating through their respective laptops. If you were talking on the phone, both of you would have to leave all other works to talk to each other.
CONS
Viruses: The instant messaging software you are using for your business instant messaging can be affected from various spyware and viruses.
Cannot recall message once sent: Once you press the send button whatever was sent is gone.
References:
McKeough, T. (2017, October 05). The Pros and Cons of Blogging. Retrieved from https://www.elledecor.com/shopping/best-stores/news/a3383/the-pros-cons-of-blogging-a-70424/
Pros and Cons of Instant Messaging for Business. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eztalks.com/unified-communications/pros-and-cons-of-instant-messaging-for-business.html
Quora. (2017, September 18). Cloud Storage Is Much More Secure Than You Think. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/09/18/cloud-storage-is-much-more-secure-than-you-think/#3395c6587403
Wiki Pros and Cons. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://meblog.pbworks.com/w/page/11074188/Wiki Pros and Cons
POST 2
For someone still hesitant, I would give them an example of a great platform and how well their security is. Microsoft Azure is really well put together. For someone still on the fence, I will tell them this. Microsoft spends over 1 billion dollars on cybersecurity for this program every year and they said the only time there may be a breach it would be a human error. They are working on being human free for security for Azure. Platforms like Facebook are considered cloud computing and you’re pretty much safe on their unless you do something to conflict that. You make a profile and put all your info in without even thinking about that it goes to a server somewhere private. Cloud computing is really safe and a hacker would have to be really talented in order to get information.
Wiki: This is a free software and there are some great pros to using this. Multiple people can work on the same file and it can be used without a lot of tech knowledge. You could also go back to previous versions of it if you want to. But with pros there are cons. Tech support could possibly be limited based on the company or school. Outside people could add the wrong information to it if it isn’t monitored well.
IM: Pros to this would include you could keep in contact with people you know from all around the world and you could send quick messages to family and fellow employees at work. Cons would be you don’t know for sure if who you’re talking to is who you actually want to talk to. You could also possibly get viruses on your computer from people you don’t know.
Blog: Pros are you can update your blog manually and can have interaction with the people that look at your blog. There is even software that manages a search engine for you. Some cons would include security risks. Also, for new blog users, they may not know how to even setup a blog. If you make a mistake, it would be live. Updates could also come at inconvenient times and you couldn’t do anything with your blog while that happened.
RJackson. (2019, April 05). Why cloud computing is safe. Retrieved from https://www.isgtech.com/why-cloud-computing-is-safe/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Somer, J. S. (n.d.). The Problems with Blogs, Whats Wrong with Blogging. Retrieved from https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/2096/computers_and_the_internet/the_problems_with_blogs_whats_wrong_with_blogging.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
