Recently we have reported about advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage. However it is not the only way how clouds can be used. Many businesses practice running applications on their clouds. But before placing an application on a cloud it is necessary to learn standards and regulations that your cloud provider supports and weigh all the pros and cons.
While using application cloud it is of crucial importance to take care about its security. The best way to secure your data is a strong encryption. Make sure that the information is reliably encrypted not only while stored on a cloud server but also while it is transferred to it.
It is not recommended to place on a cloud an application that is interconnected with your datacenter. And there are several reasons for it. First of all, if the internet connection is down, the application is down together with the datacenter. Moreover if the application is compromised the third party can also easily get access to your datacenter.
Before using an application cloud, consider doing TCO comparisons. Running high-volume applications on clouds can cost a lot for the company. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy necessary hardware than to pay a monthly fee.
Nevertheless it would be a wise idea to use cloud to test apps or to run stand-alone departmental applications. In case such stand-alone application need access to data center services you can easily move it to the local server.
Moreover cloud computing solution is the best fit for e-mail. It allows organizations with the departments all over the world to create a single e-mail system and free up space in many datacenters.