Cloud services offer many benefits for companies. One of the most important benefits is the versatility of the Cloud; this is especially true for multi-community Cloud services.
Multi-community Cloud services are where multiple members share the same Cloud—usually for the same purposes. For example, companies in the insurance and finance industries might use a multi-community Cloud service for payment processing.
Businesses that are considering adopting a multi-community Cloud should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of doing so before they make a decision.
Benefits of Multi-Community Cloud Services
- Cost Savings: Since multiple companies use the same Cloud for their services, they share the cost of that Cloud. This can result in significant savings for each business—especially when compared to the cost of having to set up a proprietary Cloud service.
- Less Risk: Since similar businesses use the same Cloud model, there is less risk of having their information compromised due to malware or hacking.
- Easier Access to Relevant Applications: When sharing a multi-community Cloud service, it is easier for businesses to access the applications they need, because that model’s design is geared toward the functions of those businesses.
- Effective Compliance Measures: This Cloud environment makes it simple for organizations to address procedures to ensure compliance.
Drawbacks
While the benefits of using these Cloud services are many, it’s important that businesses look at some of the drawbacks associated with multi-community Cloud services.
- Downtime: Since more organizations are using that specific Cloud, the increased use can lead to a greater chance of downtime, which means that companies won’t have access to their data or applications. In turn, this can lead to loss in productivity or revenue.
- Security Risks: No matter what safeguards a company takes when transferring information to the Cloud, there’s always the risk that the organization’s data could be compromised. To reduce risk, IT administrators should limit access to the Cloud to only necessary employees. In addition, they should remain vigilant about ensuring that security controls are used properly.
Multi-community Cloud services represent an opportunity for similar organizations to use similar functions to conduct business at a significant reduction in costs. Ultimately, by understanding the benefits and risks associated with these services, IT administrators can make informed decisions about whether this move is the best one for their organizations.
