With businesses basking in the overwhelming benefits of cloud computing, it’s all too easy to get lost in the swirling hype. In every corner (including IT), there are voices whispering myths of all varieties. Some of them are mostly true, many of them are partially true, and a few of them are almost totally untrue. Here are five of the biggest cloud integration myths we just had to debunk:
Myth #1: Cloud Integration is Less Secure than On-Premise Integration
This myth is totally untrue. The fact is, on-premise and cloud solutions both face the same security risks regardless of whether the solution is in the cloud or not.
More importantly, the most innovative cloud solutions provide a closed and secure system which eliminate gaps that still exist in many on-premise solutions.
If you buy into this myth, your misguided cloud insecurity could hold your business back from increased efficiency and speed that would elevate you above your competitors and secure your position as a leader in your field.
Myth #2: Cloud Integration Always Saves Money
This myth is partially true, but it is by no means true in every case. Though cloud integration solutions can eliminate infrastructure and many in-house operating costs, the subscription price for cloud integration might only be a fraction of the total cost of ownership depending on the vendor and your specific situation.
It all comes down to your strategy and whether or not you choose your solution wisely. Not all integration solutions will provide what you need for your particular initiative, and choosing the wrong solution, cloud or on-premise, can result in higher costs regardless of the platform.
Myth #3: Cloud Integration Cannot Easily Access Internal Databases
Though this myth is often true, there are cloud integration offerings which provide easy cloud-to-cloud, hybrid, and on-premise data access using an “agent” that allows customers to orchestrate multi-step integration workflows completely from the cloud.
If you accept this myth and assume that cloud solutions are too difficult to connect internally, you could, again, be holding back your company from a significant competitive advantage.
Myth #4: Cloud Integration Always Uses More Advanced Technology than On-Premise Integration.
This myth seems true, but it’s not in every case. It’s unfortunately common for vendors to simply port on-premise technology into the cloud instead of designing a completely native architecture that would maximize the cloud benefits.
If you blindly accept the assumption that cloud technology is necessarily better technology, you might be getting fooled. The product you thought you were getting isn’t better or more intuitive. Instead, it’s complex, dated, and not optimized for performance in the cloud. Don’t buy into this myth, or you may find yourself struggling with an inferior solution that is not really much of a solution at all.
Myth #5: Cloud Integration Provides Fewer Capabilities Than On-Premise Integration
Though this myth feels somewhat contradictory, it is, like the others, not universally true. While many cloud solutions do not provide the full suite of integration capabilities, some of the most innovative cloud solutions actually have more capability than some on-premise solutions.
Do not assume that an on-premise solution is automatically going to offer you more of what you need. If you fall prey to this assumption, you may end up choosing the wrong product for the wrong reasons.
As you continue to pursue the truth about cloud integration solutions, don’t believe everything you hear. As a general rule, distrust any myth that offers over-simplified and over-generalized solutions. The truth is always trickier, and it always requires more digging to get to. Don’t bank your integration strategy on a myth, and don’t forget that there are some of us here to help keep you from doing so.