9 Top Cloud Computing Challenges Hindering Employee Performance

Cloud computing has profoundly transformed how we lead our lives and conduct our businesses.

As per the stats, 81% of organizations around the globe have multi-cloud strategies laid out or in progress. Besides 67% of enterprise infrastructure is cloud-based.

The reason behind this epic rise of cloud computing might be its low maintenance cost, excellent accessibility, improved collaboration, high productivity, infinite storage capacity, data security, data mobility,  and pay-per-use model.

According to an estimate an average person uses 36 cloud-based services every single day. And cloud computing indubitably is going to rise.

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Cloud Computing Is Going To Rise

Consider this or not,  cloud computing is going to rise with each passing moment. And by the end of 2023, the global cloud market will reach a value of $623 billion. This expedited increase in cloud computing technology is mainly due to cloud-based application development.

But with such a vast amount of information now available at our fingertips, there are challenges associated with this technology. 

Especially, cloud users have less control over the function of services within a cloud infrastructure, which is somehow also causing a decrease in employee productivity.

You might be thinking what??

How cloud computing can impact or even hinder employee performance..but believe us it does. 

Research conducted by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University indicates that employees who use cloud computing more frequently are less loyal to their company. Other than this, the employees highly rely on cloud-based technology that they often lose the zeal to complete their tasks offline. 

Here in this blog, we are sharing the opinions of leading industry experts, computing professionals, and HR managers to explain the ways to overcome these challenges.

Top Cloud Computing Challenges For Companies

The  nine top cloud computing challenges are:

• Inadequate Key Management
• Room for Error in Free-for-all File Changes
• Lack of Training
• Internet Speed
• Cloud Server Outages
• Unstable Cloud Interfaces
• Misconfiguration of Control
• Paperless Learning Curve
• VPN Requirements

1. Inadequate Key Management

Insufficient technology management can lead to a less secure virtual environment causing security breaches. Subsequently, lowering the morale of the employees.

Jacob Dayan, CEO, and Founder of Community Tax, the company which uses cloud services for its day to day of tax filing said

“Not having a secure hold on your employee's identity, credentials, and other essential information can lead to security breaches which can impact employee performance by causing important data to be stolen, modified, and lost.

 This happens when a company doesn't take advantage of credential management systems, multi-factor authentication for passwords, and other preventative security measures. Combatting this is simple, however - a company may start utilizing such management systems and two-factor authentication, diversify passwords, and integrate stricter identity and access controls for cloud systems.”

2. Cloud Server Outages 

Susanne Tedrick, the infrastructure Specialist, Azure for Sports Microsoft termed cloud server outages as one of the main challenges. However, she also pointed out that companies should have backups to minimize the effects of outages.

“One of the downsides of cloud computing is that when a provider's platform goes down, customers are unable to access cloud resources until they are back up and running again. Most cloud service level agreements operate with a 99.9999995 - 99.9999999% service availability, which means an outage (planned or unplanned) is inevitable. Additionally, outages can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, which can wipe out any hopes of employees being productive for the day.

To minimize the effects of outages, ensure that back-ups of applications, data, etc. are made often and that means are provided to make them accessible in case of emergencies. This should be a part of an organization's larger business continuity and disaster recovery plan.”

3. Room for Error in Free-for-all File Changes

Cloud computing no doubt has promoted inclusion. But on the downside, it has created challenges like a hindrance in productivity, etc. As Micheal Alexis founder of TeamBuilding, which helps organizations in improving employee happiness, engagement, and retention says

“One challenge in cloud computing is that a wide range of employees can access and alter original documents or programs, which can result in important files getting changed or deleted and being inaccessible to staff that needs them. Making key files view-only so that team members must create a copy of them in order to make changes or automatically storing backups to make it simple to roll back to the most recent version of the resource are two ways to prevent this problem. You could also customize permissions so that core files are inalterable by non-admins.”

4. Lack of Training

The founder of a famous  SaaS company PeopleFinderFree, Eden Cheng says lack of training in cloud computing also hinders employee performance. She says

“Not knowing what to do and how to do it through cloud computing can hinder your employees' performance for sure. Cloud computing is still emerging, and your employees might or might not be well-versed in it. Depending upon the age, skill set, need for using technology, and exposure to it, your team may face problems in working on and with Cloud on different fronts. So, it is essential that you deliver cloud computing usage training as per your adopted cloud infrastructure to your employees.
Also, if your cloud deployment is upgrading significantly and may require re-training, do not neglect it. Proper training for using cloud setup can improve your productivity and save you against cybersecurity threats.”

5. Internet Speed

Sarah Pirrie associated with the field of marketing at Healist Naturals declares the high dependence of employees on the cloud also as a threat. As she says

“Problems with the internet connection and speed could definitely hinder employee performance. High dependence on the network can be an issue. An outage could pose a major problem. Limited bandwidth could as well. “These problems can be avoided by making the extra investment to ensure that the company's internet bandwidth is high.”

6. Paperless Learning Curve

Adam Goulston associated with marketing group Scize Group laid stress on employees to learn new tools.

“Cloud computing demands that conventional paper-based processes, such as invoicing and provision of support documentation. Once and for all. This is still a hard transition not just for the companies themselves but also for the vendors they deal with. In traditional sectors such as shipping, documents are the lifeblood of communication. Maintaining those relationships while leveraging the cloud in order to move paperless means not only your own staff but also the vendors' staff have to get over a learning curve. And employees have to spend extra time on their own education on new digitization tools, while also spending time on educating their vendors. That can be an added burden. It's a minor tradeoff that gives rapid results, but something that nonetheless needs to be accounted for.”

7. Unstable Cloud Interfaces

The unstable cloud interfaces can also affect the productivity of employees as Krista Haws from Dripped Coffee said

“The instability of a freshly set up cloud infrastructure or one that has been set up without following the recommended protocol can adversely affect the functioning of work interfaces. An unstable cloud interface directly affects an employee’s ability to carry out tasks. The entire cloud programming process must be carried out diligently to avoid this instability. This will ensure that associated interfaces work smoothly without employees experiencing any abnormalities in their work interfaces.”

8. Misconfiguration of Control

Problems in Cloud security affect employee control and management skills. Jerry Ford, 4WD Life, which provides reviews on car care. And has a large proportion of customers and experts associated with cloud computing says

“Cloud security loopholes directly affect employee control and management. These include disabled security systems, inaccurate or misappropriated credentials, and misconfiguration of basic settings. In the absence of effective configuration management, data exposure and glitches in automation and adoption prove to be malicious but common occurrences. A cloud infrastructure must be set up using optimal configuration protocol despite its complexities. This proves to be vital when eliminating the risks associated with misconfiguration of control.”

9. VPN Requirements 

Jonathan Baillie Strong, from Spotlight Podcasting,  terms dwindling VPN connections as a major challenge. He declares this as one of the important reasons for the decrease in employee morale.

“One challenge in cloud computing that could hinder employee performance is the requirement to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to connect remotely. The need to constantly re-connect VPN connections can cause significant performance problems, leading to frustrations for employees and declining productivity.

One way to avoid this is to configure a VPN client that can establish a persistent connection to the company network. This reduces the burden of working remotely, and ensures that employees can benefit from the performance and security advantages of a VPN.”

Final Thoughts:

The cloud’s importance cannot be underestimated. As companies around the globe are incorporating these technologies into their business model. But the challenges presented by this technology, especially in terms of employee engagement and productivity cannot be avoided too.

What companies can do to keep these challenges abreast is to train their employees in order to equip them with the basic know-how of cloud technology.