Security?  Privacy?  Compliance?  They are all legitimate concerns when it comes to public cloud computing.  That being said, the public cloud has undeniable benefits.  As a utility service, public clouds offer easy and inexpensive setup, scalability for growing needs and a pay-per-use model that eliminates waste.

The public cloud simultaneously solves three resource bottlenecks: power, data processing and access to software-as-a-service (SaaS) without ownership costs.  The public cloud essentially becomes a boost for your regular systems, offering additional power when needed and the ability to process large amounts of data that traditional file systems cannot handle.

But back to the cons.  There are certainly some very important issues to consider before using a public cloud.

1)  You can’t move data between service providers.  Companies therefore must ensure that they have selected a public cloud service provider that has a good reputation and the ability to scale based on their needs.  Switching providers at a later date is not a viable option.

2)  As public cloud computing is available to anybody, the risk of a security breach is much higher.  The data may be stored in different locations or even different countries, making it difficult to ensure that private data stays private.  Companies must therefore limit the access of individual users and strongly enforce password policies.

3)  When using an external service provider, there is always the chance of service outages.  If your public cloud goes offline, how long can you survive without it?

Even with all these issues, the economies of scale put public cloud computing at a clear advantage and service providers realize that.  It is in their best interest to address key customer concerns and work towards creating a secure and reliable service.