Cloud computing is about using services provided by cloud vendors. When consumers invest effort and capital to develop their computing setup on some provider's service, one major concern for them is whether they can move to other cloud service in future, if necessary, with minimal disruption and effort. Can things once built over one cloud service be moved to another cloud service? This question arises since there are possibilities of vendor-lock-in, a situation where a consumer using one cloud service cannot easily move to a similar service delivered by a competitor company or service provider. All investments by a consumer may be in stake if computing setup created on one provider's service cannot be moved to other provider's service in future.
An other concern comes in mind when consumers think about linking applications of two different cloud services together or, when it is required to link some on-premises non-cloud or cloud computing setup with a public cloud service. Such linking brings forth the issue of interoperability. Can applications of two different cloud environments be linked in such a way? This concern may worry the consumers.
Consumers should have a clear understanding regarding these issues before moving into cloud. Such understanding enables one to take informed decisions when choices have to be made concerning technology, application or platform.
Cloud adoption among the consumers also depends on how a cloud environment can address users’ concerns regarding portability and interoperability, apart from the issue of security.
CHALLENGES IN THE CLOUD
Although the cloud service offerings present a simplistic view of computing services to consumers, there are few critical issues to consider while moving into cloud. As already discussed, the prime challenges among these are the challenges associated with information security, privacy and compliance. The other vital challenges are related to issues of:
▪ Portability and
▪ Interoperability
These two issues arise while moving a system into cloud. The primary concerns during such initiatives are whether the system components are portable into a new environment or not. And then, there are concerns about the interoperability of the components of the existing system too.
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