All About Cloud Computing and Data Quality

Written by: Jayant R Row • Edited by: Jean Scheid
Published Jul 1, 2010

Cloud computing uses remote servers for storage of data and all computing processes. Data quality, therefore, becomes a primary requirement and administrators should address this aspect before deciding on a cloud computing vendor. Learn the importance of cloud computing and effective data quality.

Data Quality Is Needed For Correct Processing

click to enlarge

Collected and dependable data is required for operations, decision making, and planning. It has to be consistent so that it can fit any purpose for which it is used and produce desired results. Data quality indicates the degree of excellence within the data, its state of completeness, validity, and accuracy that enables it to perform further functions. This in turn, enables the user to obtain the necessary information required for operational reasons or to assist in decision making and planning. Data of high quality produces results that need to be reliable and correct. In essence, if you choose cloud computing, data quality needs to be accurate and in reliable formats.

Image source: Wikipedia- Properties of Data

Cloud Computing and Data Quality

Cloud computing customers usually don't own the physical infrastructure they use. This greatly reduces capital expenditures and a third party provider offers servers and other resources required by the cloud computing customer. One of the questions that comes to mind for potential cloud computing customers is whether they will get back the information they have put into the cloud in a timely manner. Cloud computing customers also need assurance that the data uploaded will come back with the same degree of accuracy as it was upon input. Users expect the retrieval of data to be timely. For data, it is essential that cloud computing customers have a quality data management system in place, which ensures that the data uploaded is of the highest quality. It is only then that cloud computing users can expect to gain back the quality of data placed on the servers initially.

How Management Providers Enable Data Quality

Data quality during retrieval and storage has to be assured by the cloud computing service provider. Companies that offer cloud computing as a service have put safety and security measures at the top of their prime concerns. They set up servers with enough redundancy and security so that each client’s data is stored safely and is immediately available to them when they require it. There are also management providers that oversee the data in the cloud from an independent point of view. This enable data quality to be assured to the standards decided on with the management provider. Management providers such as G.ho.st also provide auto scaling of operations, automated recovery, backups of data, and allow data to be spread across cloud service providers to ensure that risks are reduced.

Cloud computing and data quality issues have to be considered, especially upon data input. If there is any change in usage, immaterial of whether the data retrieved from the cloud is authentic or not, the cloud computing customer may find it's not serving the intended purpose. Customers must evaluate all data intended to be placed on the cloud will serve its purpose and be kept in secure and original form for future retrieval, if needed. In cloud computing, all data uploaded to a cloud computing service provider must ensure it fits the requirements of the provider, therefore, cloud computing and data quality is of the utmost importance in this type of secure data storage.