86% of enterprises employ a multi-cloud strategy, according to TechRepublic. Cloud technology has helped maximize the effectiveness of shared resources and improved the performance of many businesses. The cloud has not only transformed businesses but reshaped how they operate.
To keep up with customer expectations and stave off competition, you need to adopt cloud-based solutions. As a small business, you may be wondering what’s the best cloud solution for your company. To help you make the correct choice, you need to understand the difference between public and private cloud solutions. With the right information, you’ll make a more informed choice. Here’s what you should know.
Public Cloud Characteristics
Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party providers. They are hosted by the vendor’s facility. It’s a viable option for companies that don’t have complex infrastructure needs. Services are in the form of cloud-based server hosting, email, storage services, online office applications, web hosting, and so on. Companies that offer public cloud hosting include Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
Private Cloud Characteristics
A private cloud also called an enterprise cloud is built exclusively for an organization. All computing resources are dedicated to only one company. It’s owned, managed, and controlled by a single company. The infrastructure can be within the premise or in a service provider’s data center. It is considered to be a better option for companies that want tighter control of their resources and those who want to avoid the disadvantages of public cloud providers.
Here are some pro’s and con’s to having a private or a public cloud
Pros and Cons of Public Clouds
Public clouds have many advantages, and one of them is their cost-effectiveness. Since most small businesses don’t have the funds to purchase, set up, and maintain their own infrastructure, they opt to go for the public cloud. The public cloud also offers on-demand flexibility as there is ample room to scale. As a vast network of servers is involved in making a public cloud, it‘s location-independent. Thus it is unlikely that it can ever fail. This capability makes it more reliable.
There is a downside to using public clouds. First among them is the security of your data. Since an organization has to give up control of their data. It’s hard to tell if your information is being guarded, and what measures are being taken to protect it. Although providers implement a variety of security measures, public clouds are a popular target for hackers. Other cons are that spikes in use of the internet can affect performance, and the cost can be unpredictable if your use of particular service skyrockets.
Pros and Cons of Private Clouds
First, a private cloud provides you with an extra level of security. Since it is devoted to a single organization, you’ll have ultimate control, and you can easily track data, users, and information assets. Organizations can customize the hardware that will run their application and store data, and also scale depending on demand. Also, it guarantees better network performance and efficiency. They are inside the firewall of a company’s intranet.
Because organizations have to purchase, operate, maintain, and upgrade their own infrastructure, using a private cloud becomes costly. It may be difficult to optimize the utilization of all resources. Unlike public networks, agility is limited when you need extra resources, as noted in The Balance. Also, scalability becomes a challenge when demand exceeds what your private cloud can handle.
Wrapping Up
Cloud computing is fully ingrained in how business is currently conducted. Now’s the time to review your strategy and start the journey to the cloud, if you have been left behind. The cloud is still growing, and you have a lot to gain when you embrace this game-changing technology.