The Undeniable Benefits of Cloud Technology | Antivirus Software

Cloud technologies are already a familiar tool for business, science, education and social communication. The 21st century is characterized by an exponential growth of information (data) that needs to be stored and processed somewhere. Many companies' own servers are not able to cope with such a load, so working in the cloud is easier, cheaper, faster.

Despite the complex architecture and fine-tuning, the main advantage of cloud technologies is that they are easy to use. Working on the principle of a web client, services in the cloud allow you to access all functions and files without the need to store data on your own computer. For work, study, scientific computing or communication, you need any device with Internet access.

The provider often deals with data security, protection against viruses and DDoS attacks; the user is only required to strengthen the protection on his side and follow the basic rules (for example, do not give his password to anyone). The software is also automatically updated on the provider's side.

Saving

Using cloud technologies will give you a financial advantage - it will save you on deployment and project maintenance. The client pays only for the number of resources that he consumes, controls costs using convenient reports. You can refuse extra resources at any time. You don't have to buy licenses for OS and programs - everything you need will be preinstalled.

No system administrator needed

Sysadmin costs are a big budget item for any business. We will not argue that the company will be able to completely abandon the services of the IT department - cloud services also need to be configured and personalized.

The indisputable advantage of using cloud technologies is the rejection of expensive maintenance of your own servers and server rooms. The system administrator does not have to keep track of hardware and software updates - it is enough to maintain the functionality of the ready-made package of services.

What companies with physical servers pay for:

modernization of stacks;

maintenance and replacement of iron;

checking backup power and cooling;

keeping a room with ideal temperature and humidity;

complex fire fighting system.

Small and medium-sized businesses store their physical machines where they rent an office. Such premises are not characterized by increased security, for example, they can be flooded by tenants from above. The storage system of the provider's machines in the TIER III data centre is much safer - the likelihood of emergencies in the data centre is minimized: even if something happens, you do not have to spend your own resources on recovery.

Versatility

Any project has a limited amount of resources - human, software, material. The advantage of cloud technologies is that they, due to their versatility, optimize the use of available resources to increase efficiency. Among the services in the cloud, there is everything you need for a project of any complexity. The as-a-service system leases software, infrastructure, databases, computing, workstations and entire platforms.

The cloud is more flexible than on-premises servers. If business needs grow, just choose new useful services without wasting time on upgrading your own equipment and implementation.

Scalability

Another major benefit of cloud computing is scalability. Many providers offer free trial periods for tenants to objectively assess whether the selected resources are sufficient for stable operation. You can start with the simplest configuration and scale as your needs grow.

If you do not want to waste time testing and selecting the optimal capacities empirically, order an audit service - the provider's representatives will assess the scale of your project and recommend a suitable configuration.

Resources can be not only increased but also decreased. For example, an online gift shop needs more capacity before the holidays and much less off-peak capacity. In a cloud computing environment, scaling is a click away.

Data security

Providing services in the cloud is a highly competitive area. Therefore, providers strive to increase the attractiveness of their offerings. It is important for any project that the data, system and files are secure. One of the benefits of cloud technology is that the provider's security protocols are updated. What does it mean?

If you are working in the cloud, you will have by default:

two-factor authorization;

data encryption;

SSL protocols;

Basic protection against viruses and DDoS attacks.

According to statistics, working in the cloud is 94% safer than using local servers. It is more likely that your laptop with business data will be stolen at the airport than the cloud will be hacked.

Viruses

The advantage of cloud antiviruses is the unified malware database and the ability to analyze attacks thanks to a special algorithm for data that classify malware according to different qualities, including threat level. Why are cloud antivirus software more effective than those on regular office computers?

The continuously collected data is available to you in real-time. Regular antiviruses are updated at regular intervals, you have to wait until the next patch is loaded. In the cloud, you get updated data continuously, without sacrificing the speed of your core workflows.

And if there is no internet? This is not a problem either. For offline access, you can store a cache of malicious data on your local computer. This cache will not include the entire malware threat database, but it will contain malware that is the most common threat specifically to your computer.

DDoS Attacks

The advantage of DDoS protection in cloud solutions is a thorough analysis of traffic. Analytics identify normal traffic patterns, which are then used as a reference when detecting threats. Most commercial solutions provide threshold-based alerting mechanisms that are triggered by collecting information from logs.

Another method of protecting against DDoS attacks is multilevel filtering. Its strength lies in the timely detection and mitigation of attacks at the network and application levels.

Another benefit of cloud technology is the reduction in investment in hardware and infrastructure (capital expenditure), as well as lower management and maintenance costs for typical hardware solutions (operating expenses). All work on collecting and analyzing traffic takes place on the side of the provider. Successful mitigation depends on the ability to monitor and analyze traffic patterns in real-time.

When a DDoS attack is detected by monitoring systems, malicious traffic is redirected from the target website to the protection architecture through the cloud. He finds himself in the nearest cleanup centre where the mitigation solution uses filtering and routing techniques. The clean traffic is then routed back to the customer's network.

The throughput of the cleaning centres and the filtering methods used are critical to providing an effective DDoS mitigation service.

Data Theft

How can data be stolen from a computer? With the help of a virus, hacking, due to user error. Similarly, you can steal data from the cloud, but in practice, it is much more difficult.

Cloud storages are protected using modern software, data is encrypted, and access is provided after two-factor authorization. Also, you can customize the rights for each user by restricting access to a specific piece of information in the repository.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery is an important advantage of cloud technology. Backups are stored on a secure server, at the right time, the restoration of the latest version is launched.

Unlike a physical backup, the frequency of saving to the cloud can be more finely tuned. In order not to waste time on a long recovery, you can run a backup of only part of the data, files or system.

Automatic software update

For effective work, it is not enough to buy licensed software, it must be updated promptly. Some updates are free, others have to be paid for. The advantage of using cloud technologies is timely software and OS updates at no additional cost (the provider will do this for you).

Access from anywhere in the world

Using cloud technologies, you can access resources from anywhere in the world and from any device. You can work from a laptop, tablet or smartphone - you only need Internet access. In the cloud, you can work remotely without losing productivity.

Thanks to mobility, cooperation between employees and departments increases: you can create joint discussions, track the progress of tasks.

Competitiveness

Until 5 years ago, the company's profit largely depended on start-up capital and physical resource capabilities. With the advent of cloud technology, businesses of all sizes have gained hardware advantages.

No need to buy servers, maintain them, hire system administrators - services-as-a-service can be used remotely for a small fee.

Sustainability

Eco-friendly solutions are the trend of the 21st century. This is especially important for large or social businesses, where any pollution of the environment provokes a drop in the rating. Cloud hosting is more sustainable than owning your own server room.

Benefits of cloud technologies in the context of ecology:

electricity is spent reasonably;

reduced paper consumption;

the possibility of remote access from anywhere in the world reduces passenger traffic.

What are the disadvantages of cloud technologies?

Along with the indisputable advantages, cloud technologies have several disadvantages:

cloud versions of some programs are not as convenient as desktop ones;

you need a stable and fast internet;

if you forget to make backups, data can be lost forever;

safety depends not only on the settings but also on the human factor;

high cost with the wrong choice of configuration.

Most of these disadvantages can be minimized through fine-tuning. For example, differentiate access rights to prevent data leakage; use Firewall to restrict traffic; read the SSL agreement carefully; choose flexible platforms with easy migration.