Posted on November 30, 2020
Cloud
Around the world, 85 percent of businesses have adopted the cloud. Different businesses use it for different things, such as data storage and more.
You may have already made the switch or you might be considering the cloud for the first time. Either way, you want to be sure you’re getting the right kind of cloud service. To that end, you might be wondering if you should go with public, private, or hybrid cloud services.
For most businesses, private cloud service is the best possible choice.
Why is that? As it turns out, there are plenty of benefits to using a private cloud. Here are five of the most important advantages.
One of the biggest benefits of a private cloud is the customizability of the service.
With public clouds, you often get what you get. That is, the cloud provider offers you what they offer to everyone else.
You may be able to choose from a few servers and other hardware options. You might even have a couple of choices about what software you’re running.
With a private cloud, you have more options. The vendor is building this cloud specifically for you. If you need particular hardware, you can be sure to specify it.
The vendor can still typically offer you guidance on what you might need. You won’t feel like you’re on your own when it comes to choosing servers. The vendor may also be able to offer you better pricing than you can get on your own, thanks to economies of scale.
The adoption of a private cloud also lets you configure your cloud the way you want or need to. You may want better security features or specific software. You may need to run a certain framework to support custom software in your business.
A public cloud provider may not be able to offer you that. By contrast, the private cloud provider can help you get exactly what you need. Then they’ll help you set it up too.
The end result is a cloud that actually meets your business’s needs.
Another benefit of using a private cloud versus a public cloud service is enhanced security and privacy.
Security and privacy in the private cloud are enhanced in a couple of different ways. First, you can customize both the hardware and software. That means you can adopt specific security protocols or specialized apps.
Public cloud providers want to offer great security to their clients, but they don’t offer this degree of customization. What they offer may be fine for some businesses. Still, every business can benefit from tighter security.
Next up, the private cloud uses hardware that’s dedicated to your business. A public cloud provider offers cloud services by setting up virtual servers within their hardware. In essence, what you’re getting is a privatized “slice” of a server that’s being used by other clients.
That means you’re not alone on your server. If hackers target one business on the server, they may actually be able to get at your data as well. If one business has lax security, it could compromise everyone else too.
With a private cloud, your server is your server. There’s no one else sharing it with you. That allows for improved security.
In addition to tighter security, a private cloud may help businesses meet compliance targets. The security offered by a public provider may not be enough.
When you set up a private cloud, you can customize it to reflect the needs of your business and your industry. That includes tightening security and privacy protocols to meet or exceed industry standards.
What else can a private cloud service do for your business? It actually offers increased flexibility and better resource management for your business.
Flexibility and scalability are two of the primary benefits of any cloud service. Even public clouds are configured to grow with you. Vendors allow you to add resources as you need them.
With a public cloud, though, server resources aren’t often utilized the right way. Virtualization, for example, isn’t always taken advantage of.
On the private cloud, these solutions can be used to greater effect. This means that you get efficiency at scale. You won’t need to add more physical machines until you’re really exceeding server capacity.
The private cloud also means there’s no competition on the server. When a request comes through, the server can respond to it. All your resources are dedicated.
That, in turn, means the server can use everything it has to serve your business effectively. Whether it’s managing requests for an app or backing up your data, the private cloud can handle these requests with ease.
Better resource management leads to faster servers, as well as better budget management.
One of the reasons business leaders have chosen to adopt the cloud is to provide business continuity. Often, this takes the form of data storage. The cloud may act as a backup for your internal servers.
This is excellent practice, as cloud storage can fulfill some of the requirements for good backups. First, they can offer an off-site storage method, which improves data security. If there’s a natural disaster in your area, your data will still be safe and available for you.
It’s also recommended to have at least three backups. The cloud can help you create a second or third location to safeguard data. Since the private cloud is also more secure, it offers even better protection than on-site storage for many businesses.
The availability of secure backups through the cloud can help improve business continuity in the face of challenges.
Another benefit of the cloud in ensuring business continuity. The cloud does this by improving the accessibility and integrity of data. The cloud can help to make data more accessible for your team.
If you only store your information locally, then you may not be able to access it when you need it. The cloud can also provide a backup should one of your internal servers go down.
The use of the cloud can also help to ensure data integrity. Since the data is stored off-site, it’s more difficult to tamper with. You can use the cloud’s data to double-check your own data, or to restore files that may have somehow been corrupted.
This allows your business to keep going, even if you experience a data breach or another event.
Finally, the private cloud can save you time and money.
Most business leaders choose the public cloud because it looks less expensive. Most public cloud providers have attractive pricing to get businesses to sign up.
What they fail to mention is the total cost of ownership, or TCO. TCO is often much higher than what you see advertised. If you sat down at the end of three years to compare public versus private cloud service, you might be surprised.
The public cloud might cost up to 10 times more!
How does that work? Once again, it has a lot to do with improved resource management. Public clouds can’t make use of the server resources the same way. A private cloud is better able to take advantage of virtualization to make the most of your server’s capabilities.
A public cloud provider will end up charging much more, because their infrastructure is inefficient. By switching to the private cloud, you can actually save yourself plenty of money. Given that almost 50 percent of business leaders say they’re putting money into the cloud, better cost control is good news.
You’ve seen how the private cloud can save you money, but how does the switch to private save time?
Using the cloud is much more efficient than maintaining your own servers. Using the private cloud can save you the hassle of investing into your own hardware.
It also delivers the benefits of customization, which the public cloud can’t do. That could end up costing you both time and money, as your servers can’t do exactly what you need them to do. You’ll waste resources and time as you look for workarounds.
Instead, skip the headache and opt for a private cloud service.
For business leaders, there’s no contest between public and private cloud service. The public cloud may look attractive, especially in terms of pricing. There’s no way it can compare to the benefits of the private cloud though.
Ready to get a better cloud service for your business? Get in touch with the team and discover how powerful a private cloud solution can be for your business.