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Despite these concerns, WaaS features centralized stor-
age that reduces the chance of data loss and thereby provides
greater security. Most WaaS providers configure their ar-
chitecture so that application data flows between the user’s
device and the data center, keeping applications securely in a
company’s data center. Traffic doesn’t generally flow through
the cloud, so no new security concerns are raised. The same
goes for credentials, which usually flow between a device and
a company’s existing authentication mechanisms, without
storing sensitive data in the cloud.
Thus, as long as a WaaS provider has the right data center
credentials, the provider’s Tier IV data center will be much
more secure than an SMB server room. Even companies at-
tempting to maintain their own data centers as part of the IT
function are better off moving to WaaS, as data center man-
agement is best left to those who focus exclusively on this task.
Giving it any less attention than that is opening things up for a
security breach.
Myth 4:
Custom and graphical
software applications don’t play
well in the cloud.
Fact:
While this may be the most legitimate myth on
the list, it’s also an antiquated one. Back in 2009, even the
most respectable WaaS provider would have had to wave the
white flag on this – but no longer. Today’s cloud is fast, robust
and highly accessible, so the user experience with custom and
graphical software applications simply isn’t an issue.
Myth 5:
Doing it in-house
is just less expensive.
Fact:
This is another statement that may have been
true five years ago but has today been relegated to myth sta-
tus since the standard cost of a WaaS seat is now around $40.
That includes infrastructure, storage (personal and com-
pany), data backup, all line of business applications, manage-
ment of the solution, and more. In addition to lowering costs
by making IT staffs more effective, WaaS also augments the
efficiency of an organization’s entire staff, since people can
work from anywhere with access to all of their files from all
of their devices.
Myth 6:
If there is no Internet,
I can’t work.
Fact:
While this could conceivably pose a concern to
some users in very remote locations, it’s certainly not go-
ing to affect most people because there are so few places
now without Internet access. Today’s reality is that there are
usually multiple choices for accessing the Internet at any
given time: from your phone as a hot spot to any respectable
Web-enabled business dotting the globe (often for no cost).
Even airplanes – once a no-Internet stronghold – now provide
access. With such pervasive Internet services now available,
the fear that if the Internet goes down your workspace goes
down becomes a thing of the past. Today’s solutions also
provide offline sync, which allow users to work on company
files offline, then once back online, the system auto-syncs the
files back to the application.
These six myths about WaaS are pervasive but when put to
the test, don’t hold water. The truth is that WaaS solutions of-
fer many important benefits to competitive organizations that
range from a flexible workspace that offers users the mobility
they need, to centralized storage for more secure online
access to data.
J.D. Helms is the president of nGenx
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