Using the Cloud: Public vs Private Cloud

There is no doubt that cloud computing has revolutionized the world of information technology. Moving to the cloud is a choice that every business that is serious about scaling up must face. A critical step is understanding the right cloud computing model; for example- the difference between public cloud and private cloud. If the next step for your small business is to move your IT infrastructure to the cloud, this blog will explain the choices available to you and what they entail.

First, what is a ‘Cloud’?

Many businesses are still not quite sure what the ‘cloud’ is and how important it is for a modern business. ‘Clouds’ are virtualized data centres that are made available or shared to meet the dynamic demands of any business application that wishes to plug into it. As everything here is entirely virtualized, cloud computing can be more efficient and valuable in terms of cost than regular, physical data centers.

What are common reasons that companies use the ‘Cloud’ for?

To set up and manage;

◈ Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools

◈ Human Resource Management Tools

◈ Collaboration across different geographies

◈ Business Analytics, etc.

Businesses do this in 3 main ways:

1. Through the ‘Public’ version of the ‘Cloud’- also known as ‘Public Cloud’:

In a ‘Public Cloud’ model, services are rented out by the Cloud provider over the internet to the public on a pay-as-you-go model. In other words, if you, as a small business, require cloud computing services, you can partner with a cloud service provider that will be responsible for the set up, upkeep and management of the data center and services for you, freeing you from having to purchase, manage and maintain all the infrastructure yourself. As you can gather, most companies who favour a public cloud do so to save deployment time and management complexities. Unlike the popular opinion of public cloud services, security breaches are in fact quite rare.

Who are the top Cloud providers in the industry right now?

◈ Amazon Web Services

◈ Google Cloud

◈ Microsoft Azure

All 3 offer a 1 year free trial of services.

Other notable providers include OpenStack, IBM, Oracle and Cisco.

2. Private Cloud/Enterprise Cloud/Virtual Private Cloud:

Unlike a public cloud which is available over the internet, services through a private cloud will be made available only behind a firewall to your employees. You can think of it as a highly virtualized cloud data centre provisioned inside a company’s firewall that you can control and customize to fit your needs.

Exclusivity is the defining characteristic of the Private Cloud set-up. The services are for the dedicated use of a single organisation. As you can guess, however, this model will need to be managed with your own internal resources. Servers, storage and related infrastructure will be owned and paid for by your organisation.

How do you benefit with a Private Cloud?

◈ Private Clouds are best suited for organisations that have unpredictable computing needs such as government and security organisations. Private Clouds are preferred for their robust security and greater flexibility compared to a public cloud set-up.

◈ Since you have the infrastructure, you have greater control than in a public cloud and can control how you deploy applications on the infrastructure.

◈ You can also expect lower latency  as services are used only within the organisation