For about ten years already, cloud services have been a daily integral part of many businesses and individuals. However part of the users are entirely unaware of it, and there are still several myths about web solutions that society believes in. Together with our friends – Tildes Jumis and Omniva – we have gathered five myths that are still alive and have deep roots in our minds and we have proven these myths to be wrong. Data on my server or computer is more secure than in the cloud

Security issues are the most frequently heard myth regarding cloud services. Users – mainly businesses – are afraid to entrust the storing of data outside their organisation, because it seems to them that by placing the information outside the local storage space they will lose control over it.

Reality: if data is only stored on a local computer and it is damaged or stolen, there is no way of restoring the lost data. According to experience, on a daily basis, a large number of users forget about storing data backups outside their computers. Therefore in the event of losing the single storage space, it is often impossible to recover all data. And even if a successful result is achieved, the process is expensive and time consuming.

“In theory data can be stored equally well inside the company, as well as by using outsourced service providers. However, storing inside the company is incomparably more expensive and requires the company to implement the same competencies, processes and technological solutions that the data centres and providers of cloud services use. According to practice and statistics, medium and large companies are most open to using cloud services. Apparently this is because they precisely calculate the costs, assess the risks, are aware of and understand the consequences of losing the data and the fact that the company will no longer be able to work. Speaking in allegories, we do not make our own boots – we buy them in the store, because there they are better, cheaper and have a guarantee,” says Mārtiņš Paurs, Commercial Director of cloud computing and telecommunications company Telia.

“It is important to remember – your data is and remains your data, and you control it just as you would on your computer. A sufficiently strong regulatory framework has been created at the Latvian and EU level to ensure that the provider of cloud services treats your data with the utmost care, but at the same time does not access and does not use it for purposes other than those you have provided,” adds Paurs.

2. Getting started with cloud services is complicated and time consuming

The opinion that the transition to cloud solutions is complex and requires a lot of IT resources and time is still popular.

Reality: getting started with cloud service is very simple and usually takes only a few minutes. To get started you simply need to create an account with a username and password. You do not require excellent computer skills to do this. In the case of questions or doubts, the technical support of the server provider is always available.

“Nowadays most of the service systems no longer need to be downloaded and installed on your computers, as it has been before. This information is already present in the cloud services and you only need to register at the specific website to start using it fully. Also, Omniva e-invoice exchange system has been designed like this. Upon starting to use it, the client simply has to send personal or company registration data – without unnecessary time consumption and costs, which is undoubtedly important for every entrepreneur,” says Jānis Segliņš, Head of the e-Invoicing Centre of Omniva Latvia, disproving the myth.

3. Cloud service is only suitable for large companies or companies of specific industries

Despite the fact that each of us uses different cloud solutions every day, part of the society believes that they have been created for large corporations or IT companies.

Reality: cloud solutions are very flexible and versatile. If a business or individual has any data – documents, photos, videos, design files – whether e-mail, company management, communications or coproduction programs are being used, this technology is already required. Cloud is useful for any company, that wants to grow and reach new heights.

Within the study Digital Portrait of a Manager, implemented with the support of the most popular accounting and corporate management system in Latvia Tildes Jumis, it has been stated that digital solutions, including cloud services, are used by a wide range of industries. As a surprise for many, the most digitally developed is the forestry and timber industry, the expertise, equipment, digital environment, enthusiasm for using technologies and digital security of the representatives of which, are rated with 82 points on a scale of a hundred. Second place with 70 points, is held by the industry of information and communications technologies, third place with 69 points is held by media, public relations, advertising and printing, and fourth place – with 66 points, by car dealerships.

4. Either only a cloud solution or your own infrastructure

The transition to cloud services is often perceived as a complete refusal to use local servers.

Reality: the use of cloud solutions is not so categoric. They provide the possibility to improve work efficiency and help focus on the company’s core goals. If you must store the operational information on your computer, you can only do it by placing the finished materials in the cloud storage or by regularly updating the versions of your work. Also, only such data can be stored in the cloud solutions that are required for remote work or which are very important not to be lost.

5. Cloud services are expensive

Costliness is a very common myth, as the clients are often poorly informed about the opportunities and advantages of cloud services, as well as they do not consider the actual costs of maintaining their own infrastructure.

Reality: liberating the company from purchasing and maintaining server infrastructure is already a significant saving of resources, but it is only part of the cost reduction. In the mobility era, cloud solutions are more effective, because data in them can be accessed from anywhere and from different devices, not only from your computer. Service providers take care of regular security updates, compatibility with new versions of programs, and often offer data encryption. Skilfully used cloud solutions improve business efficiency and accelerate growth.

“The same as supermarkets are able to offer lower prices of goods when buying them in bulk, the providers of cloud services are also able to offer significantly lower costs of data storage and program maintenance than each merchant alone. Companies often maintain a server that is not heavily loaded, and pay a full salary to IT specialists, the services of whom are actually used for a few hours a day. Providers of cloud services use resources as rationally as possible and distribute the costs of purchasing servers, electricity consumption, salaries for system administrators and other costs between many clients. As a result, the users of cloud services are saving significantly,” explains Viesturs Slaidiņš, Business Development Manager at Tildes Jumis.