Should You Consider a Private Cloud?
If you haven’t already switched to the cloud, here is a quick and dirty rundown of why you should. Traditional data centers aren’t very flexible when it comes to change and can’t adapt as quickly as the cloud. Most traditional data centers are module-based, which requires them to be updated in chunks rather than the uniform, scalable approach that can be taken when using the cloud.
The cloud has the benefit of pulling resources, such as CPU and RAM, and using an on-demand model. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the cloud is that it could save you some serious money. Private clouds are managed and serviced by external providers, which frees your business to focus on what really matters—running your business.
So, why should you choose a private cloud over a public cloud? As Geekwire illustrates in this article about the private cloud debate, the major concerns about the public cloud are the level of security, loss of control, the grade of complexity, the degree of compliance, the lack of expertise, the cost, and the fear that the technology is still idle in an immature state.
These aren’t necessarily the cons of choosing a public cloud provider over a private one since concerns about public clouds can be unfounded. However, one concern that blows all the others out of the water is the perceived risk.
According to David Bennett, the chief information officer for the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, what is enticing users to switch from a public cloud to a private cloud is the amount of risk reduction with a private cloud. Bennett points out that a lot of private clouds are “highly secure, well-understood, [and] well-monitored environments.” The private cloud can help give you the peace of mind that your information is very secure and even offers increased control to better suit your business needs.
Even though this article has spent the last few hundred words explaining the benefits of the private cloud and why one should switch, the reality is that a business should switch to the platform that best fits its needs. For some companies, cost might be the only factor, or maybe their information isn’t all that sensitive. Some can find public clouds that outperform private clouds; others can come across private clouds that exceed the offerings of a public cloud option.
The important thing is to understand what your needs are and educate yourself about the options available to you and your business.
