Buzz, hype and popularity are often followed by tons of information. Some of that information could be plain wrong, baseless or myth-ridden. Cloud computing is here to stay and is already a huge reality. Yet, we know that you might have lots of unanswered questions. We know that for small business owners, these unanswered questions lead to apprehension, needless worry, and uncertainty, which will hurt business sooner or later. Consider these common myths you should be wary of along with corresponding truth:

Myth 1: “Cloud computing is insecure”

It’s a good thing to be worried about security because it tells us that you care about your business. For some businesses, security could mean everything their core business rests on. Yet, cloud computing is just as secure as your resident systems, networks, software, applications, Wi-Fi Hot spots and data centers. Just like online shopping is now perceived to be much safer than offline shopping today (http://www.clicknewz.com/950/consumers-feel-safer-buying-online-than-offline/), cloud solutions are much safer than trusting the future of business on desktops, laptops, pen drives and external hard disks.

Myth 2: You know how technology is – it comes and it goes. Don’t mind cloud computing

It’s true that technology evolves. It evolves faster than we care to admit. Cloud computing – when it first came about – was perceived to be hype. Today, it’s a reality. According to Richard L. Brandt who wrote One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com, Amazon’s Web Services alone brings in a revenue of half a billion dollars annually for Amazon with customers such as Netflix tugging at Amazon’s servers for “pennies a minute”.

In an earlier post “Cloud Computing, BI & SaaS: Your Questions Answered”, we mentioned a Cisco Study Index  that predicted that over 50% of all business related workloads will shift to the cloud. Another Aberdeen Group study now proves that over 64% of businesses surveyed have implemented SaaS for their businesses. Needless to say, you have the likes of Amazon (as mentioned above), eBay, Google, Salesforce.com, and many more businesses already securing a “Cloud Footprint”.

In a nutshell, Cloud computing is big business. You just can’t avoid something that big.

Myth 3: Cloud Computing is expensive

Absolutely not! If there’s one thing that cloud computing can truly boast of, it’s the reduction in the total cost of ownership. The cloud also greatly reduces the maintenance costs (in most cases, it’s maintenance free). Apart from that, there are no upgrades, no data center costs, no hardware or software maintenance, and you can just use the cloud as much as you like, while paying for your use – nothing more, nothing less.

Myth 4: Going into the cloud would mean giving away control

Today’s business environment skirts and plays the delicate game of allowing for open collaboration while ensuring secure or restricted access to business property, IP assets, proprietary technology, data security, etc. The cloud intervenes as the best technology to facilitate this data exchange, information sharing and collaboration while allowing granular or restricted access to confidential information. According to David Bergstein, Strategic Relations Director for CCH, portal technology makes collaboration a breeze while keeping it secure.

Don't let myths keep you from taking advantage of the resources available to grow your business.

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Julie Bodine is the marketing manager at Sererra (www.sererra.com), a Technology and Management Consulting firm that delivers "turnkey" business solutions to businesses.