When hard drives first made an appearance in the 20th century, they were the only known means of remote storage. However, amidst existing storage forms, an innovation, cloud computing became officially known in 2006. Over time, cloud computing has garnered recognition across several niches including finance, architecture, and of course, the business world.
Generally, the principle behind cloud computing makes it applicable to every field that handles data of various forms. In this article, however, we will center around cloud computing in project management. Why should cloud computing be practiced by your project team? What would you need either as the leader or a member of your project team to ensure seamless transit of project data onto the cloud? Before we delve into these, let’s see. What is cloud computing in project management?
What Does Cloud Computing in Project Management Entail?
In general, cloud project management entails the use of remote servers that are often accessed over the Internet to store data. This way, databases, analytics, and other important data are stored in the cloud rather than in local storage. For several reasons, cloud computing is now adopted across more niches. The reliability and cost-effectiveness of this process are among its notable features.
Knowing what cloud computing is in general, what does it entail in terms of project management? Simply put, it is the use of the unlimited cloud space as a storage site for project-relevant data. Information regarding projects for previous clients, project models, surveys, and planned project management strategies are among the named data that can be uploaded.
What Do You Need for Efficient Cloud Management in Project Management?
- Know-how – Contrary to what some individuals believe, cloud computing is not entirely a process that can be completed by everyone. In other words, a level of mastery of the process is required and this takes a great deal of time to attain.
- As a project team, having at least one member who can efficiently transfer data for proper storage to the cloud comes in handy. If a team member like this does not currently exist, cloud computing can be learned individually or under an institute. However, attaining such mastery by oneself is said to take more time than when one learns at an institute.
- With the required skill set onboard, other items including an internet connection, a compatible device, and of course, a cloud storage service are core to cloud computing. The storage service you settle for should tailor to the needs of the team. A degree of research needs to be put into this as benefits such as free storage limit and limiting stipulations vary from one storage provider to another.
- Draft out a list of the data that will need to be uploaded and ensure that there is ample space. If the free storage provided by the cloud storage service you are working with will be insufficient, be sure to procure additional space.
- Security should not be overlooked. Security measures including data encryption and two-factor authentication alongside a password should be implemented. This goes a-ways to protect the sensitive data of the organization and clients alike from breaches.
6 Advantages of Cloud Computing in Project Management
Why should you get your project team(s) to engage in cloud computing? Here are six benefits that come with cloud computing in project management –
1. Scalability
Having to introduce bulky gadgets for the sake of storage space does not have to be a thing in your office space. Rather, implementing a scalable option like cloud computing would translate to an optimized work environment, improved performance, and better efficiency.
2. Cost-effectiveness
Working in a project team, you would realize that data storage could take up space that could span well into terabytes. These purchases, either in hardware or software, are not cheap. Not only do you have to acquire this storage, but maintenance is just as necessary. With cloud computing as an option, your project team can channel these said resources into satisfying other needs.
3. Flexibility
Cloud computing in project management is one way to economically implement technological solutions without heavy investments in IT resources, including hard drives. A major benefit that comes with this is the ability to access uploaded data in the absence of the physical drive. Simply put, cloud computing in project management enables members of the team to access data that is relevant to projects regardless of their location.
4. Green computing
Although many individuals do not pay attention to this, our consumption of electricity leaves a degree of carbon footprint. The carbon footprint left behind by our activities varies depending on the task we perform. To power up certain hardware to store project-related documents, you would require electricity. This amount of electricity expended would depend on the size of the hardware drive in question. By uploading data to the cloud, this issue is entirely out of the question.
5. Security
The providers of cloud computing storage services understand how sensitive the information in their possession is. With this in mind, several cyber and data security measures are put into place. Most of these cloud space providers ensure to incorporate encryptions including SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security). Either or both are further protected by a higher form of encryption such as the AES (Advanced Encryption Security). In addition to this, individuals can take extra steps to further encrypt their data to prevent unauthorized access.
6. Reliability
Power outages in several cases have been unpredictable and often result in data loss. With cloud computing, such risks of losing vital data due to hard drive crashes or other risks related to abrupt outages are eliminated. Knowing that your uploaded data can be conveniently accessed at any given time provides a sense of ease.
Wrapping Up
Considering how hard drives have undergone modifications since their first appearance to keep up with the times, certain individuals would rather stick to these. However, even as most hard drives now do not require a power brick to function, some risks due to mishandling still present themselves.
On the reverse, cloud computing – although not as old – proves beneficial across several areas. Being able to move more data or as much data as in the external drives around without added weight is one undeniable perk that comes with cloud computing.
With the above-outlined requirements in place, you can safely upload important data of various formats and sizes to the cloud. This data can, in turn, be accessed at any time. So, there you have it! Cloud computing – a cost-effective and flexible solution to any data storage issues that is likely to arise while working on projects.
