The whole category in one page.
WHAT IT IS
Using someone else's computing resources, paying for usage rather than buying hardware.
Most small businesses already use it. The question is never whether, but which parts and why.
THE MODEL THAT EXPLAINS MOST INCIDENTS
Shared responsibility. They secure the infrastructure; you secure your configuration, access and data.
Most cloud incidents are customer-side: exposed storage, weak credentials, misconfiguration.
THE RULE FOR CHOOSING
Take the most managed option that does what you need.
Every layer you manage is a layer you must maintain and secure, and raw infrastructure looks cheaper until you count the administration time.
THE DISTINCTION THAT CATCHES PEOPLE OUT
Synchronised storage is not backup. A file deleted or encrypted becomes that everywhere.
Arrange a genuine backup of cloud data, separate from the service, and test restoring it.
THE TWO ERRORS THAT COST MOST
Storage left publicly accessible, and access keys committed to a repository.
Both are found automatically, within minutes.
BEFORE ADOPTING ANYTHING
Establish the exit: how you export, in what format, what it costs to move out, and what happens to your data when you leave.
TWO LOCAL REALITIES
Latency, since the nearest region may be distant; and foreign-currency billing, which changes your cost without the provider changing their price.
Review spend monthly, in your own currency.
WHAT NEVER TRANSFERS TO A PROVIDER
Your obligations relating to your data, and your responsibility for your own backups.
