Cloud Computing may be a technology where all the software and hardware services are delivered over a network. This network is typically the internet. Cloud computing has become the foremost significant force in the world of technology. It provides the power to do much more with much less cost and the ability to change the business technology in a much more efficient and agile way. cloud computing has become pervasive in IT and it's another tool in the shed. The developments are also leading us to the emergence of new cloud capabilities such as machine learning and big data analytics. And one last place they're leading is the mass migration of applications and data to cloud-based platforms. As a result, we'll see plenty of projects based on that goal. Ultimately the promise that cloud computing delivers is flexibility. It can dynamically proportion or down to meet your organization's computer hardware, software, and price demands.

Cloud characteristics:

First, it's on-demand and self-service, meaning that you simply can access the resources anytime for any reason almost instantly. Being on-demand and self-service is vital for several reasons, but here are some good ones: number one, you simply no longer have to try to guess now how much computing power, storage, and infrastructure you will need and put out the capital investment for hardware, software, location, and personnel to run it. Cloud providers have all of the resources you'll ever need and more. And second, you do not have to work closely with your cloud provider to launch, decommission, or proportion your resources. you'll make changes to your cloud resources at will. the subsequent characteristic of cloud computing is ubiquitous network access, meaning that if you've got an internet connection, you will have access to cloud services. Even from a humble internet-enabled cellphone, you'll connect with a cloud provider, launch services, and monitor the health of your services or resources. Within the early days of data centers, when someone left the building, they often also left behind the power to leverage the business's onsite computing services. With cloud computing, people can access their resources from anywhere that they will connect to the web. Another key characteristic of cloud computing is that it utilizes resource pooling, meaning that cloud computing is in a position to access resources, leverage them for a period of your time, and return them to the resource pool for others to use. Cloud-computing resources are usually organized into clusters, where a gaggle of servers and other resources are pooled together. At that point, those resources return to the resource pool and another organization in need might use them. This ties into the subsequent characteristic which is rapid elasticity, meaning cloud resources can proportion or down as needed. Cloud computing's value is the ability to expand access and provision resources as you need them, then have those resources expand as the application needs to expand to support an increasing or bursting processing load. This is often perhaps the most compelling reason to leverage a cloud-computing model. the ultimate characteristic is that cloud computing is pay-per-use. it is a metered service so you're only paying for the services you consume. Each of those characteristics on its own is powerful.

Cloud Computing Challenges:

1. Data Security and Privacy The biggest concern with cloud computing is data security and privacy. As organizations adopt the cloud on a world scale, the risks became more grave than ever, with plenty of consumer and business data available for hackers to breach. The problem with cloud computing is that the user cannot view where their data is being processed or stored. And if it's not handled correctly during cloud management or implementation, risks can happen like data theft, leaks, breaches, compromised credentials, hacked APIs, authentication breaches, account hijacking, etc.

2. Compliance Risks Compliance rules have gotten more stringent thanks to the increased cyberattacks and data privacy issues. Regulatory bodies like HIPAA, GDPR, etc., ensure organizations fit applicable state or federal rules and regulations to keep up data security and privacy for their business and customers. However, compliance is another big challenge for organizations adopting the cloud. within the same survey by Statista, compliance is the third most vital challenge for 44% of respondents. The issues arise for anyone using cloud storage or backup services. When organizations move their data from on-premises to the cloud, they need to befit the local laws. for instance, every healthcare institution must adjust to HIPAA within the US. And if they don’t have it off by any means, they might face penalties that will tarnish their reputation and value their money and customer trust.

3. Reduced Visibility and Control Cloud computing offers the advantage of not having to manage the infrastructure and resources like servers to stay the systems working. Although it saves time, expenses, and effort, the users find themselves having reduced control and visibility into their software, systems, applications, and computing assets. As a result, organizations find it challenging to verify how efficient the safety systems are because of no access to the info and security tools on the cloud platform. They also can’t implement incident response because they don’t have complete control over their cloud-based assets. additionally, organizations can’t have complete insight into their services, data, and users to spot abnormal patterns that may cause a breach.

4. Cloud Migration Cloud migration means moving your data, services, applications, systems, and other information or assets from on-premises (servers or desktops) to the cloud. This process enables computing capabilities to require place on the cloud infrastructure rather than on-premise devices. When a company wants to embrace the cloud, it can face many challenges while moving all its legacy or traditional systems to the cloud. the process can consume lots of your time, and resources and they have little idea of a way to handle expert cloud providers already in business for years. Similarly, once they want to migrate from one cloud provider to a different one, they need to try to do it everywhere again, and they aren't sure how the subsequent provider will serve them. They face challenges like extensive troubleshooting, speed, security, application downtime, complexity, expenses, and more. of these are troublesome for organizations and also for their users. Ultimately, it can cause poor user experience and thus, affect organizations in various directions.

5. Incompatibility While moving your workload to the cloud from on-premises, incompatibility issues may arise between the cloud services and on-premises infrastructure. This is a giant challenge that will require the organizations to take a position in making it compatible by any means or by creating a brand new service altogether. Either way, it invites troubles and expenditures for organizations.

6. Improper Access Controls and Management Improper or inadequate cloud access controls and management can result in various risks for a company. Cybercriminals leverage web apps, steal credentials, perform data breaches, and whatnot. they will face access management issues if they need an outsized or distributed workforce. In addition, organizations may face password fatigue and other issues like inactive users signed for long terms, poorly protected credentials, weak passwords, multiple admin accounts, mismanagement of passwords, certificates, and keys, and more. As a result of poor access controls and management, organizations will be prone to attacks. And their business information and user data are exposed. Ultimately, it can cause reputation damage and increase unnecessary expenses. There are many identity and access providers available who facilitate your can ensure only authorized personnel can access your network, systems, and applications. you'll be able to use a third-party or cloud-native tool to research all the users, groups, and roles. The IAM solutions can show you who has access to information and resources. it'll also facilitate your detect suspicious activities and take immediate actions to remain protected.

7. Lack of experience Cloud technologies are rapidly advancing, and more and more services and applications are being released to cater to different needs. However, it’s also becoming difficult for organizations to seek out skilled professionals to take care of cloud systems. It’s also costly for little and medium-sized businesses to rent expert cloud professionals. It again incurs a high cost, which may be a burden for organizations with a limited budget. they're going to need to acquire the teacher and invest in recruiting and onboarding cloud professionals.

8. Downtime Another irritating thing about the cloud for several organizations is often downtime thanks to the poor internet connection. If you've got a regular and high-speed internet connection, you'll make the foremost of their cloud services. But if you don’t, you will face repeated downtimes, lags, and errors. It not only frustrates the users but also reduces their productivity.

9. Insecure APIs Using application interfaces APIs in cloud infrastructure enables you to implement better controls for your systems and applications. they're either in-built into the mobile apps or the web to permit the staff and users to access the systems. Insecure APIs can cause broken authentication, security misconfigurations, break function-level authorization, expose data, and mismanagement of resources and assets.