Which Platform is Best for My Business? Private vs Public Cloud Benefits
As we move into a post-COVID era, many areas of our lives are beginning to slowly return to normal. Something that may remain forever altered by the impact of the pandemic, however, is the world of work. The facilitation of remote and hybrid working has brought a range of productivity and flexibility benefits that many businesses are reluctant to relinquish. In order to keep up with this new working environment, your organisation needs to embrace the power of Cloud technology. But with both public and private Cloud platforms available, which is most appropriate for your business?
What’s the Difference Between the Private Cloud and the Public Cloud?
To decide whether the public or private Cloud is right for your specific business needs, you first need to understand what exactly they are.
Public Cloud resources are owned and operated by third party Cloud providers and distributed to users as a service, usually via the internet. As the public Cloud infrastructure is owned by a third party provider, your use of it is shared amongst other tenants.
On the other hand, a private Cloud’s resources are owned and utilised solely by a single business or organisation, with the services and infrastructure maintained on your own private network.
The Benefits of Private vs Public Cloud
When weighing up the benefits of private vs public Clouds, there are many factors to consider. Each Cloud platform has its own unique advantages and challenges, and which you should select primarily depends on your specific business needs.
– Cost
The cost of public Cloud usage is typically lower than that of private Clouds. As public Clouds typically operate on a pay as you go model, you only ever pay for what you need. There is also no need to purchase infrastructure or hardware as they are owned by your Cloud provider, helping to minimise your overall costs. By contrast, when your business uses a private Cloud, you are required to buy the necessary infrastructure upfront which can be expensive. However, a private Cloud could be a sensible investment if your Cloud usage is high, as you can save on operating costs.
– Security
Despite popular belief that only private Clouds are fully secure, both private and public Clouds now offer stringent security measures. Public Clouds have the capability to isolate workloads within geographic regions and manage confidential data in line with regulations such as GDPR. This means that you can stay fully compliant, no matter whether you are using a public or a private Cloud.
However, private Clouds do offer more granular configuration controls, making it easier to meet strict data compliance requirements, which is especially important in industries which regularly handle a lot of sensitive information.
– Flexibility
While public Clouds offer on-demand scalability quickly and easily, in general private Clouds are more beneficial for their flexibility. As your business owns the infrastructure, you can tailor your Cloud environment as you like it. Everything can be customised to match your business needs. As resources are not shared with any external tenants, you not only have more privacy, but more control.
– Manageability
Public clouds require far less end user management than private Clouds, as your service provider will handle the ongoing maintenance for you via an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model. When you operate a private Cloud, set up and support can be time consuming and expensive, and the ongoing management and maintenance of Cloud infrastructure lies solely with you. The management of your private Cloud can even require a dedicated inhouse team.
Introducing the Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid Cloud combines the on-premises infrastructure of a private Cloud with a public Cloud, allowing your business to reap the benefits of both. With sensitive data stored in a private data centre, you can ensure that compliance regulations are adhered to, while reaping the benefits cost and management benefits of the public Cloud too.
To find out more about the advantages of the hybrid Cloud and discover how to implement its usage across your business, get in touch with BITS today. As Cloud specialists, we have a wealth of experience deploying, managing and maintaining hybrid Cloud environments for our customers, and we would be happy to talk through a strategy with you.