How Cloud Computing Affects Individuals and Organizations

Cloud computing is a computation technique that depends on computing resources which are shared over the internet. In cloud computing resources are hosted remotely and are accessible to as many persons as the cloud computing servers restrict. Each individual or organization is allocated a workspace or is allowed to access applications and software pertinent to their functioning.

How cloud computing applies in individuals

Cloud computing is evident in our interactions with computers and internet and we may consciously or naively use it. An elaborate example of cloud computing services is using Google mail services, alternatively named Gmail. In this cloud computing formulation Google hosts the mail services for you. Instead of burdening your laptop or personal computer with software to organize your mails, Google enables you to do it online by just having internet connection and an internet enabled device. It is important to note that cloud computing also offers storage facilities to a company as stated by PCMag.com.

Another example of such cloud computing service that many people use is the programmers platform GitHub. GitHub enables a computer or mobile programmer to save his codes online. This can be done when a complete program is written or gradual saving as an application software is developed. The codes are saved in Repositories, which is the GitHub name for workspace, unique to every individual programmer. As stated by IT specialists at BeeStudent, in order to access this feature, a computer programmer has to create an online account and link it to his Integrated Development Environment (IDE). An IDE is a platform in which the coding is done. GitHub also facilitates teamwork programming as multiple programmers can save progress to a particular cloud host allocated memory. These clouds can later be accessed by any authorized programmer through downloading the codes. GitHub refers to this downloading as cloning.

Cloud computing in organizations

Cloud computing comes in place of local servers as well as personal devices tasked to handle applications. Usually, in an organization setting, a company makes or purchases software to be used in the company operations and also by the staff. The organization is also tasked the role of purchasing heavy server equipment that monitors the functionalities of the organizations applications as well as stores crucial information. More to that, only computers with capabilities and storage facilities enough to run these applications are used, limiting the flexibility of this software. When problems arise, the organization has to constantly keep hiring technicians to fix problems experienced. More so, buying and renewing licenses is the order of the day.    

However, cloud computing uses a different approach. This approach tends to solve some of the challenges experienced in these organizations. In cloud computing, an organization buys or is offered free services by a cloud computing host company. Through authorization, the organization is able to access software needed in its day-to-day management and staff work. The organization is also capable to customize these applications available to suit its needs. The staff of the organization only needs to have internet connection and a computer or a device that can access the internet. With these, the staff contact the applications online, use them to manipulate a piece of work, then download the final bit and save it. The staff have the option of downloading it or saving it in the cloud storage. Another member with authorized admission to the cloud storage facility can access the piece of work and further influence it. This feature in cloud computing is more efficient.

How cloud computing affects work in organizations

Cloud computing lifts the burden in organizations of having to purchase software and software licenses so that employees can have access to all they require.  More to that, they lighten up the need to keep the software up to date and repairs made where there is a breakdown. This gives room to job specialization. A clear boundary is marked between division of work in the organization and the cloud server providers. Workers are only left to the task of job performance, the rest of these management tasks are left to a cloud server or a main administrator, who provides these services remotely. What an organization does is only pays for the necessary software available, and then customizes to suit their needs. The responsibility of keeping the software up to date is left to the cloud server service provider. This improves productivity as an organization shifts attention from software management to task completion.

How cloud computing affects an organizational culture

A cloud computing system causes a shift in the structure of an organization. With this system, there’s a significant workload shift. This change in workload means new responsibilities to individuals. Cloud computing provides alternatives to job posts such as managers. Services like customer relationship management can be performed by these applications that are hosted remotely in cloud computing. This means that authority shifts from human resource managers, whose task was to make sure all needs of the workers are met, to the cloud computing, which ensures that workers access all that is needed to perform the working criteria.

Cloud computing is disadvantageous in the sense that it does away with workers previously employed to maintain computer software owned by the company. Similarly, they are also designed to do away with employees whose responsibility is to ensure that the correct software and hardware are in place for the jobs in an organization. To allocate for this gaps, the structure has to be altered.  

What is the security status in cloud computing? Can an organization rely on it to store crucial information?

According to CSO, cloud computing security heavily depends on the cloud server security. The levels of security implemented by the cloud server reflect the impossibility of information breach. Those companies that employ a high encryption algorithm in cloud computing are termed as the more secure. For example, in order to choose the cloud server to manage ones mail, it is important to select the most secure. As of now, the most securely known mail servers are Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and Hotmail. Storing confidential documents should also be trusted to the secured cloud storage servers such as Outlook and Google Drive. It is therefore very crucial when choosing the company to host an organizations cloud computing System. An organization can hence rely on cloud computing depending on the cloud systems selected.