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18 Aug 2020

Public Vs Private Vs Hybrid; 3 cloud services your business can benefit from

Cloud computing is quickly becoming the norm and each come in many forms. Three to be precise;

  • Public clouds are offered over a regular internet connection
  • Private clouds are made from resources dedicated to one organisation
  • and Hybrid clouds are a combination of the two

They all have their pros and cons. Below we’ll cover each of them and outline which will be best suited to your business.

 

Public Clouds

The most common form of cloud computing.

This method means all the servers and technical resources are operated by Microsoft Azure. These resources will also be shared by other cloud users.

At the user end, everything is managed via a web browser. The first obvious benefit of this is the lack of commitment. With no investment in hardware required, a public cloud is ideal for a business with rapidly changing needs; no nimble start-up would want to fork out for on-premise servers. This will vary in relation to your on-premise alternative, but generally speaking they also tend to be more secure. With all your data handled by Azure you can be sure it’s subject to the best cyber security expertise, the latest technology and regular testing.

Lastly, with a “done for you” cloud service, that means your IT team can focus on other tasks. If your business requires the IT department’s brain on growth strategy or advice on operations, having their time eaten up with server maintenance is the last thing you need.

Public clouds are simply another weight off your shoulders. No maintenance, no stress, and 100% reliability. If those three are less of a priority though, Azure’s private cloud options have their advantages.

 

Private Clouds

Unlike with a public cloud, all the servers and technical resources are owned and managed by the business they serve.

The services are also always maintained on a private network. The servers can be physically located on site at the business’s data centre or by a third party offsite.

The main hook for private clouds is their customisation scope. For this reason, private clouds are typically utilised by larger sized organisations with specific and complex requirements. Government agencies, banks etc.

Some organisations will be using highly complex apps that would not perform well on a public cloud. An example would be an air traffic control system.

Although public clouds tend to be a better bet for your typical small business on the cyber security front, a private cloud with carefully crafted cyber security will always be more secure. A bank or a government is typically much more of a cyber crime target. Therefore, it needs an advanced, tailor made security solution that only a private cloud can provide.

Similarly, it’s illegal for some organisations to store sensitive data on a public cloud. Law firms, financial institutions etc. will have strict compliance requirements that public clouds are less likely to meet.

 

Hybrid Cloud

As the name might suggest, this solution spreads data across both public and private clouds. Data can move freely between the two and it allows a business to take advantage of both solutions. It can give a business the scalability and flexibility that a public cloud offers whilst simultaneously offering the security, customisation options, and legal compliance of a private cloud.

Many businesses might use a hybrid cloud if they are growing and developing rapidly but have sensitive data that’s only suitable for a private cloud. Another neat trick is something called “cloud bursting.” The term involves an application using the private cloud until usage demands require more from it, at which point it “bursts through” to the public cloud for extra support.

The hybrid cloud’s best of both options can also come in handy if you’re unsure what’s right for your business. You can migrate a portion of your data to each cloud, see how that works and then adjust accordingly.

 

The world of cloud computing may seem like a bit of a minefield. The right solution for your business may not be obvious at this stage. Thankfully, OryxAlign can offer guidance on everything your organisation might benefit from within the context of Microsoft Azure cloud services.

Get in contact here and take the first step in choosing the right cloud computing solution for your business.

By OryxAlign