five cloud myths for midsized businesses

8/13/2019 Five Cloud Myths for Midsized Businesses

1/10

A Primer

CLOUD COMPUTING DEMYSTIFIED

5 CLOUD COMPUTING

MYTHS DEBUNKED

FOR MIDSIZEDBUSINESSES


2/10

Everyone is talking about how cloud computing maybring considerable benefits to small and medium-sizedbusinesses (SMBs). It allows even organizations withlimited resources to store critical data or leverage

considerable computing power without purchasingadditional software and hardware. Cloud computing notonly reduces overhead costs but also allows SMBs to tofocus their resources on areas that need them most.

But what do SMB owners and decision makers needto know about the cloud? And what do many of them

misunderstand?


3/10


4/10

SMBs knowthey are using the cloud.Consider the following services:

Email (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail,and Yahoo! Mail!) Websites (e.g., official company web portals and external-

facing sites) Social media (e.g., Facebookand Twitter) Online productivity tools (e.g., Office 365and Google Apps) Online storage and backup services (e.g., Dropbox, YouSendIt,

Google Drive,and SafeSync)

If your organization uses any one of the services mentionedabove, you already enjoy the benefits the cloud can offer. Eachof the services above employ cloud computing in one way oranother in order to satisfy users needs.

Surprised? You are not alone. According to a Trend Micro study,some organizations used cloud computing services without beingaware of it.1The respondents were presented with the samelist as above and asked which ones they were already using.Everyone was surprised to find out that they were indeed alreadyleveraging the benefits of cloud computing.

As long as a business process or service is provided fromsomeone elses server or infrastructure, it is safe to say thatcloud computing is involved.

1 http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/about/presentation-global-cloud-survey_exec-summary.pdf
http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/about/presentation-global-cloud-survey_exec-summary.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/about/presentation-global-cloud-survey_exec-summary.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/about/presentation-global-cloud-survey_exec-summary.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/about/presentation-global-cloud-survey_exec-summary.pdf


5/10

Paying for cloud services is more costlythan buying hardware and software.

Consider the following scenario:

A small start-up needs a server in order to store all of itsbusiness-critical data. Purchasing an actual server will not only

take a lot of capital; it will also cost a lot in terms of overhead andmaintenance. The organization also has to enlist the services ofa competent IT technician to make sure the server properly runsat all times. Software programs need to be regularly patched andupdated as well, which typically cost money.

Cloud computing services provide companies the benefits of havingnumerous servers with none of the hassle. Keeping servers up andrunning smoothly is left to the service providers. If this responsibility isleft to a single IT technician who does not work 24 x 7, the solution maynot be as reliable.

A recent survey found that 14% of SMB cloud adopters saw a 20% ormore IT expense reduction versus noncloud users who only reported a3% reduction.2

2 http://www.cirrusebusiness.com/documents/business-adoption-of-cloud-computing.pdf

SMB cloud users spent

11%less on IT than noncloud

users.
http://www.cirrusebusiness.com/documents/business-adoption-of-cloud-computing.pdfhttp://www.cirrusebusiness.com/documents/business-adoption-of-cloud-computing.pdf


6/10

Cloud computingslows processes down and reducesproductivity.

As far as productivity is concerned, cloud computing services notonly streamline critical processes but also improve productivity.How? Take a look at some of the reasons:

Cloud computing solutions allow SMBs to harness the powerof top-of-the-line servers, programs, and technologies.

Cloud computing solution vendors and service providers havebetter manpower and IT resources to handle software andhardware issues than SMBs.

Cloud computing services help keep data accessible even ifSMBs devices fail, are destroyed, or get stolen.

Cloud computing services allow users to access, handle, andwork with even large amounts of data wherever they are.

Now, what if an organization maintained its own central server?Assuming the organization hired an IT technician, it would takesome time before he/she can get the server running again. Repairservices can be expensive. If the server sustained severe damage

it may need to be replaced, costing the organization much morein terms of expenses and lost productivity.

Microsoft enlisted Edge Strategies to conduct a survey, whichrevealed that 59% of SMB cloud adopters reported significantproductivity benefits compared with only 30% of non-cloudusers.3

3 http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2012/mar12/03-28SMBCloudPR.aspx

59%of SMB cloud adopters

reported significantproductivity benefits

compared with only 30%of non-cloud users.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2012/mar12/03-28SMBCloudPR.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2012/mar12/03-28SMBCloudPR.aspx


7/10

Using personal devices to access thecloud does not pose risks.

While it is more secure for SMBs to use the cloud to store data, they stillface risks of losing data.4

Using personal devices to access company data stored in the cloud pose

risks of losing data or suffering from a breach, especially if the devicesare stolen or are not sufficiently secured from data-stealing malware.Data loss as well as device replacement and repair are expensive and candamage an organizations reputation.

Human error cannot be discounted as a risk, too, as based on a TrendMicro-sponsored Ponemon Institute study:

81% of organizations have suffered from a data breach due tonegligent or malicious employees or other insiders over the past twoyears

52% said their employees failed to update their antivirus/anti-

malware solutions 35% said that losing laptops and/or other mobile devices was the

root cause of data breach incidents 22% said malicious employees or other insiders was the root cause

of data breach incidents5

4 http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/the-small-business-journey-to-the-cloud-is-actually-a-round-trip/

5 http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt_trend-micro_ponemon-survey-2012.pdf

81%of organizations havesuffered from a data

breach due to negligentor malicious employees

or other insiders over thepast two years.
http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/the-small-business-journey-to-the-cloud-is-actually-a-round-trip/http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/the-small-business-journey-to-the-cloud-is-actually-a-round-trip/http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt_trend-micro_ponemon-survey-2012.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt_trend-micro_ponemon-survey-2012.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt_trend-micro_ponemon-survey-2012.pdfhttp://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt_trend-micro_ponemon-survey-2012.pdfhttp://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/the-small-business-journey-to-the-cloud-is-actually-a-round-trip/http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/the-small-business-journey-to-the-cloud-is-actually-a-round-trip/


8/10

Cloud service adopters have nothingto worry about.

If an organizations cloud service provider suffers from a poweroutage, while rare, its owner and employees will have no way toaccess the data stored in the cloud unless it keep backups on

servers or storage drives. The service providers servers couldalso malfunction, rendering the organizations data inaccessible.Scenarios like these can result in productivity loss.

Another risk that organizations may face is having their cloudservice providers servers seized by authorities for certainviolations. Megaupload, a file-hosting service provider, forinstance, was recently indicted for copyright violations and othercharges, which rendered its servers inaccessible. While such anevent may be rare, it does pose possible risks that organizationsmust plan for.

In case of a power outage, service-level agreements (SLAs) canassure cloud service adopters that their chosen vendors willprovide consistent and sustained services. Note, however, thatcloud services like Gmailand Dropbox,which SMBs commonlysubscribe to do not offer any kind of SLA, as these mainly caterto consumers.


9/10

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOUR

ORGANIZATION ENJOY THE BENEFITS

OF GOING TO THE CLOUD

With Trend Micro, securing your business while enjoying the benefits of thecloud is easy. Heres a list of what you can do to start enjoying the benefits ofgoing to the cloud:

Make a laundry list.Identify which of your organizations tasks requirehosting software on a computer or server. Ask yourself if these can beperformed by a cloud solution instead.

Make a decision.Ask questions like, Do I want to maintain my ownserver? Do I have the skills and budget to do so? If your answer to bothquestions is No, find a service provider who can manage your server.Then weigh how much it would cost you to manage your server and serversoftware on your own than hiring someone else to do so.

Have a backup plan.Thoroughly read your cloud service providers termsof service. If possible, ask your provider what would typically happen shoulda power outage occur. Ask questions like What kind of SLA do you offer?and What sort of contingencies do you have in place should a power outageoccur? Then come up with a plan to ensure that business goes on as usualdespite power disruptions or other unavoidable circumstances.

Secure your devices.Make sure your devices or endpoints are secure.Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Servicesprovides enterprise-level protection for your desktops, laptops, and servers without the need fora server to host the solution.

Give secure access.Provide your employees secure access to business-critical data stored in the cloud. Trend Micro SafeSync for Businessprovides anytime, anywhere file access from any device with a 99.9%service availability backed by a money-back agreement.

Protect against spam.Provide email protection against spam. TrendMicro Hosted Email Securitydoes not require maintenance whilecontinuously delivering updated protection against spam and malwarebefore these even reach your network.
http://www.trendmicro.com/us/small-business/product-security/worry-free-services/index.htmlhttp://www.trendmicro.com/us/small-business/online-backup/safesync/index.htmlhttp://emea.trendmicro.com/emea/products/enterprise/hosted-email-security/http://emea.trendmicro.com/emea/products/enterprise/hosted-email-security/http://emea.trendmicro.com/emea/products/enterprise/hosted-email-security/http://emea.trendmicro.com/emea/products/enterprise/hosted-email-security/http://www.trendmicro.com/us/small-business/online-backup/safesync/index.htmlhttp://www.trendmicro.com/us/small-business/product-security/worry-free-services/index.html


10/10

TREND MICRO

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cloud secu-

rity leader, creates a world safe for exchanging digital information with

its Internet content security and threat management solutions for busi-

nesses and consumers. A pioneer in server security with over

20 years experience, we deliver top-ranked client, server and cloud-

based security that fits our customers and partners needs, stops

new threats faster, and protects data in physical, virtualized and cloud

environments. Powered by the industry-leading Trend Micro Smart

Protection Network cloud computing security infrastructure, our

products and services stop threats where they emergefrom the Inter-

net. They are supported by 1,000+ threat intelligence experts around

the globe.

TRENDLABSSM

TrendLabs is a multinational research, development, and support

center with an extensive regional presence committed to 24 x 7 threat

surveillance, attack prevention, and timely and seamless solutions

delivery. With more than 1,000 threat experts and support engineers

deployed round-the-clock in labs located around the globe, TrendLabs

enables Trend Micro to continuously monitor the threat landscape

across the globe; deliver real-time data to detect, to preempt, and to

eliminate threats; research on and analyze technologies to combat new

threats; respond in real time to targeted threats; and help custom-

ers worldwide minimize damage, reduce costs, and ensure business

continuity.

2012 by Trend Micro, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Trend Micro and the Trend Micro t-ball logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Trend Micro, Incorporated. All other product or

company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners.

five cloud myths for midsized businesses

Documents