Public, Private or Hybrid Cloud… What’s right for you?

Over the past decade, cloud computing has become one of the biggest IT buzz words. In this time, there has been a notable change in how organisations feel and think about ‘the cloud’. When we began, convincing people that the cloud was the future was a challenge. Now, that has all changed.

Interested in finding out which cloud solution is for you?

Download our Are all Clouds the Same? White Paper

According to research, cloud adoption rates are growing continually. In fact. the IDC (International Data Corporation) predicted that by 2020, 67% of enterprise infrastructure and software will be for cloud-based offerings. Organisations are finding that on-site IT equipment is no longer worth the hassle and the expensive, one-off sunk costs so are looking to other options to help move their business forward.

When it comes to cloud computing, there are a number of cloud environments on offer. However, it can be difficult to know which is the best fit for your business. If you jump into a decision based on what you think is appropriate, you could negatively impact your business. It is important to know the difference and their benefits so you can make an informed choice before jumping into any decision.

Public

Public Cloud solutions are the most common and considered the simplest of the clouds. They are freely available to the public via large hosting partners. Classic examples of Public Cloud providers that you will be familiar with are Microsoft, Amazon and Google. All offer a range of environment, from those as simple as G suite to those as complex as Microsoft 365 Enterprise.

Public Cloud providers operate by making their resources readily available to the public via the Internet. You will use the same hardware, storage and network devices as other organisations using the service, as it is open to the public. This can create some security concerns. Research into multitenant IT environments has shown they are more at risk of cyber-attacks and are not compliant if you deal with sensitive information.

Some of the main benefits of a Public Cloud include:

  • Cost Savings – You only pay for what you use, on a pay per usage deal. Therefore, you have more financial flexibility.
  • Scalability – You can scale up at an infinite rate as resources are readily available to your business.
  • Reliability – As Public Cloud providers have a vast amount of servers across the globe, the chance of there being downtime or a disaster shutting them all off is next to none.

Private

A Private Cloud is a cloud service that is managed and hosted by a private organisation. As businesses can interact directly with the hosting partner, they have far more control over how their cloud solution is set up.

Organisations opting to use a Private Cloud have isolated access to their resources. It is normally maintained on a private network. The Serval Hosted Workspace is an example of a Private Cloud solution in which you are given complete control over deciding what resources are critical to your business, then the partner (Serval IT Systems) will build the environment around that.

Some of the main benefits of a Private Cloud include:

  • Security – Your resources are not shared with others and are exclusive to your business.
  • Control – You have greater control over your environment as you have direct contact with the hosting partner.
  • Flexibility – You can tailor the solution to fit the specific requirements of your business.

Hybrid

In simpler terms, a Hybrid Cloud is the combination of both Private and Public Cloud solutions. By forming one solution, organisations can take advantage of all the benefits. For example, your business could opt to use a privately produced cloud desktop environment, with offerings such as Microsoft’s Office 365 suite contained within it.

While every business moves to the cloud for their own reason and at their own pace, it is clear that cloud-based solutions are offering many benefits over traditional on-site IT environment. When it comes to making the decision of what cloud solution, you think largely about the requirements of your business, as that is what matters the most. Larger businesses may opt for the Private Cloud, whilst smaller businesses may opt for the Public Cloud.

Please get in touch for more information.

Recent Posts