Cloud computing technology is rapidly becoming an integral part of many industries, driven forward by the efforts of specialists that ensure a cloud-based world is viable and efficient. However, cloud challenges also exist, and they need to be fixed or managed for the cloud computing domain to run smoothly.
This article will address common cloud problems and the more specific challenges cloud engineers face in the workforce. It will also detail the feasibility of cloud engineering as a field and advise on maximizing efficiency and comfort while working on cloud computing services.
Challenges Cloud Engineers Face Daily
Cloud-based technology is relatively new and not without major challenges. This is because it incorporates many different technologies like artificial intelligence as well as various cloud solutions that a cloud project manager or engineer has to juggle.
While the benefits of cloud computing outweigh these cons, it’s still useful to list and address some of the more common challenges cloud computing professionals face. Here is a list of prominent challenges that might be affecting you as a cloud project manager or engineer, as well as some potential solutions.
Common Cloud Problems
- Cost Management
- Managing Multi-Cloud Environments
- Performance
- Creating Private Clouds
- Security Issues
Common Cloud Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Cost Management
One of the challenges of cloud computing is the associated cost, despite cloud computing potentially being cheaper in the long run. There are unavoidable expenses associated with using a cloud computing ecosystem, such as the cost of remote servers and costly maintenance on local servers.
Most cost control issues stem from a lack of efficient cost management. Adoption of cloud computing and setting up remote access can be an expensive task, making the budget tighter going forward.
Automation for Cost Analysis
This common management challenge can be overcome by applying a little business intelligence. Auditing the costs of pay-as-you-go services is a good first step. Next, it is important to track usage to identify and remove wastage. To this end, the automated governance of cloud computing infrastructure can help avoid human error.
Multi-Cloud Environment Management
Many organizations rely on a multi-cloud strategy. This is to maximize cost efficiency and avoid vendor lock-in and usually entails the use of more than one cloud service provider for private and public clouds. It can also mean utilizing internal storage services along with cloud infrastructures as backup services.
While this enables organizations to access different services and avoid vendor lock-in and application downtime, the system poses an issue for cloud computing professionals. Unlike using a single cloud service provider, split focus makes it difficult to control processes and perform necessary tasks to manage the virtual infrastructure.
Method Consolidation Across Platforms
In practice, most organizations use more than one cloud provider but lack specialized cloud tools and methods to do so efficiently. One thing that can help is to work with a hybrid cloud tactic that allows data sharing and consolidation of methods between multiple private and public cloud providers.
Performance Issues
When a business switches to a cloud-based approach for facets of its organization, customer service becomes dependent on cloud-based services. By extension, this means they are dependent on the cloud provider.
As such, any lapse in provider cloud storage, cloud security, or computing capabilities also affects the cloud user. This is one of the biggest concerns in cloud computing. Like anything else that can erode customer trust, it must be mitigated at any cost.
Cloud Provider Scrutiny and Backups
A subpar provider will lead to trouble, so you should choose the best available cloud services. However, no matter how reputable a provider is, there will be periods of downtime. Potential solutions to this problem are available, including a multi-cloud computing ecosystem and extensive troubleshooting when problems occur.
Private Cloud System Creation
Most companies use large-scale distributed cloud systems to cut costs and defend against other issues. While it is possible to have sufficient security and privacy in public cloud computing infrastructure, many organizations will still show interest in utilizing a private cloud system.
This can prove challenging for cloud engineers, as setting up a cloud is a more prominent cloud computing challenge and a complex process. However, due to widespread cloud user security concerns and some perceived privacy issues, it might be a necessary step.
Hybrid Cloud Planning and Automation
While there’s very little you can do when faced with so many important tasks, you can still reduce the pressure of creating a private cloud. Automating as many manual tasks as possible can help eliminate some major concerns. Developing efficient hybrid cloud environments is also important as part of your cloud computing approach.
Security Issues
Cloud privacy and security issues are some of the most difficult challenges faced in the cloud computing environment and some of the most important risks of cloud computing to address. These concerns range from data loss to unauthorized access and even DOS and hacker attacks.
One of the more difficult challenges of cloud computing is ensuring that you have complete control and easy access to data stored in cloud systems. A break in access or security breach can foster a lack of trust in customers. Since nothing is more important to a business than customer trust, it’s clear why security is such an important issue.
Authentication Software for Improved Security
Security challenges are best addressed by using specialized software to authenticate access, store credentials and manage customer information. One advantage of cloud computing over localized systems is that these measures can be implemented more easily with cloud computing.
Useful Cloud Tools That Will Make Your Life Easier as a Cloud Engineer
| Tool | Challenge Tackled | Applications | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asana | Cost management | Plan schedules for whole teams and business units, sync tasks across teams to limit inefficient cloud spend | $30 a month for premium version |
| Okta | Security challenges | Monitor and authenticate users that demand access, provide customer management interface, and store cloud credentials | $4 a month for the light version, $5 a month for medium use, $6 a month for unlimited use |
| CloudZero | Cost management | Proactively track and flag cloud spend, automate part of cost management | Variable based on size and complexity of AWS |
| AppDynamics | Performance | Access real-time diagnostics on cloud app performance, access other useful data for deeper understanding and performance optimization | $90 a month per CPU Core for the enterprise edition |
| Nutanix | Managing multi-cloud environments | Manage multiple cloud services on one platform, provide services to supplement existing cloud architecture | Variable based on needs |
Resources to Overcome Cloud Challenges and Become a Better Professional
- Compare the Cloud. A powerful research platform for cloud-related inquiry, Compare the Cloud offers a repository of material on cloud computing and related technologies like AI and machine learning.
- The Cloudcast. A podcast dedicated to cloud computing and other related services. The Cloudcast is an informative and engaging way to keep up with the latest developments in the cloud.
- The Engineering Exchange. A social network used by over 10,000 engineering professionals, The Engineering Exchange is a great facilitator for forums on topics relevant to you and your field.
- Slack. Slack is a powerful tool for communication, both within and outside your team or organization. With a large community of industry peers to discuss with, it’s a valuable resource to gain insight.
- Virtasant. Virtasant provides cloud services, as well as product development and outsourcing of services. In addition, Virtasant is powered by a large community of experts driving productive conversation.
Is Becoming a Cloud Engineer a Good Career Choice?
Yes, becoming a cloud engineer is a good career choice. While there are a few challenges cloud engineers face, the pros far outweigh the cons in terms of job satisfaction. In fact, most professionals in the field are generally happy. This is good news, considering how straightforward it is to become a cloud engineer compared to similarly high-earning jobs.
Cloud Engineer Salary and Job Outlook
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for cloud engineers is $129,000. Furthermore, there is a wide range within the distribution, with the lowest earning around $69,000 and the highest earning more than $170,000. This indicates opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on qualifications and experience in cloud computing.
It’s clear that demand for cloud engineers isn’t falling but is instead becoming a part of our daily lives. The adoption of cloud computing to help businesses grow, like the smart power grid and e-health cloud services, is proof of this. Current applications aside, more future technology will be built on cloud resources and cloud computing.
Next Steps in Your Cloud Journey
As a cloud engineer, it’s important that you keep up to date with new challenges in cloud computing. The field continues to expand and develop, and staying updated on the latest ideas is key. A cloud engineer should always be learning new things about cloud architecture and acquiring new certifications to stay ahead of the curve.
Cloud Challenges FAQ
There are three types of cloud computing. These are IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) deals with computing resources hosted in the cloud. Platform as a Service (PaaS) uses virtualization to enable users to develop services in the cloud. Finally, Software as a Service (SaaS) offers software services not installed or hosted locally.
Cloud computing can be applied to virtually any business due to its versatile features. Some ways in which it’s already being applied include Amazon Web Services (AWS), business intelligence trends, cloud-based health services like Google Health, public management interfaces, and much more.
Some examples of prominent cloud service providers are Amazon, with its Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft, with its Microsoft Azure. Other prominent cloud computing service providers include Google, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, VMWare, and Alibaba.
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Some features of cloud computing are ready availability, resource pooling, economic viability, and dynamic backup in cloud hosting services. These are just some of the attractive features that make current cloud computing so appealing to organizations, both big and small.
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