Clearing Up Misconceptions of Cloud-Based Security Installations

Security systems integrators should get a better grasp of the fallacies often conveyed about cloud-based security systems and services.

2. Storing Data in the Cloud Is Not Safe
Oftentimes, customers think because data is stored in a server bank outside of their own office, this automatically means it is more susceptible to unwanted access and as a result, risk. However, ensuring high levels of security and privacy has nothing to do with where the data is physically stored, but more to do with having the proper security mechanisms in place.

Encrypted communications, data protection capabilities and strong user authentication and password protection are key features for any cloud-based system. Also, many of the tier- one cloud providers have implemented far more stringent security measures for their infrastructures than private organizations because they actively want to earn trust by showing customers they have proper safeguards in place.

Both from a physical and information security standpoint, top cloud providers generally seek to obtain various ISO-rated standards and certifications, which ensure their datacenters are void of any external or internal risks and that data is always protected.

3. Cloud Is Only Good for Small to Medium Businesses

Cloud-based VSaaS and ACaaS are already seen as viable and cost-effective solutions for smaller businesses, generally requiring fewer than 10 cameras or door readers. For these customers, cloud-based security solutions are an attractive alternative to eliminate significant hardware and IT costs, and reduce deployment and maintenance time. Hosting the system in a public datacenter also ensures additional offsite redundancy, as compared to local appliances that are susceptible to theft, damage or failure.

RELATED: Is Cloud Access Control in Your Clients’ Forecast?

However, larger organizations and government entities are also recognizing these advantages too but on a much bigger scale. Some large organizations can no longer manage, host or scale massive private datacenters, and are looking for more cost-effective options. For example, some large customers reach points where they outgrow their datacenter and the costs to maintain or expand their systems is no longer feasible. Governments are also implementing cloud-first policies where federal organizations must consider cloud-based options before building datacenters on premise.

Similarly, there are also customers who simply find having offsite storage more suited to their application and needs. These are just some of the factors contributing to the increased demand for cloud solutions from larger entities.

4. Bandwidth Constraints Impose Barriers

While there are still some locations where access to high-speed Internet connectivity might be too costly to stream video to the cloud, this is rapidly becoming the exception. The increasing availability of faster and more affordable Internet connectivity is becoming pervasive and rarely, if ever, will affect a business’ ability to leverage cloud services.

According to the latest State of the Internet report from online traffic routing company Akamai, the United States has an average connection speed of 11.4Mbp
s, suggesting a 39% year-over-year speed increase and ranking the country 14th in the world in terms of speed connection. The report also indicated that 72% connected above 4Mbps, offering a quality connectivity experience. According to Akamai, “Given the extremely positive trends over the last year, it is clear that broadband connectivity is improving in the region, and should continue to benefit going forward from continued investment and adoption.”

This growing high-speed connectivity is directly contributing to lowered costs, thus enabling greater adoption of cloud solutions for the majority.

5. It’s More Lucrative to Build My Own Datacenter

While some integrators might want to purchase servers to build their own datacenters, host a security solution and lease the service to their customers, this option is not al-ways as simple and straightforward as sometimes perceived.

First and foremost, there is significant upfront investment required to build and maintain a private datacenter, both in terms of costs and time. It is not just a matter of acquiring racks of servers, and ensuring high levels of redundancy and security, but it also entails finding the space to house the servers, cooling the hardware and having the manpower to properly maintain the infrastructure.

Building a private datacenter alters an integrator’s core competencies from recommending and implementing solutions, to managing and maintaining the offering itself, which can impose unrealistic demands on resources and inevitable risk on customers. Instead, offering a vendor-hosted cloud-based security solution requires very little technical knowledge, minimal installation time, no maintenance, zero upfront investment and far less risk.

Similarly, looking at simple economies of scale, the ability to compete with tier-one cloud providers is simply not comparable. Growing competition between public datacenter giants owned by Google, Amazon and Microsoft are also driving the costs of cloud services down, making cloud offerings more of a commodity. For most integrators, total cost of ownership of build-your-own-datacenter is simply not an easier or economically viable strategy with these factors at play.

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