Cloud platforms are no longer a choice for business, they are a must. If your business hasn’t got some form of cloud computing or is considering moving to the cloud, the decision can be daunting. There is a myriad of options out there which makes it easier to find the right one to suit your business needs.
Covered in this article:
Assess your cloud needs
The first step is deciding whether your business needs to use the public, private or hybrid cloud. Ask yourself the following questions to determine the answer.
What type of data do you need to store on Cloud Platforms?
The information you collect for your business largely determines the type of cloud you need. Private clouds are mainly for sensitive information.
What software will be on the cloud platforms?
Depending on your industry and business, your software will also need to be stored in the cloud. As with the data you collect, the security of this software will drive your decision.
How many people and devices will be connected?
Just like the game “Broken Telephone”, the more people connected, the less secure your “conversation” will be. Make sure your cloud platform can fulfil the needs of the scalability of your business.
Budget
There are free options out there, but the assessment of your data largely will determine which solution works for you. Private clouds come at a cost but are worth the investment in the long run.
Assess your Cloud Platform options
Now that you have had a look at your needs you must decide whether public, private or hybrid is for you.
Public Clouds
These standard offerings provide storage of computer resources, such as applications, that are accessible via the internet. There are some free cloud service options, as well as pay-per-use ones. Public clouds use a shared infrastructure to provide services to multiple clients. They work well for non-sensitive data storage, collaboration, or email. Some examples of public clouds are SaaS (software as a service), IaaS (infrastructure as a service), and PaaS (platform as a service).
Public clouds are flexible and scalable. The cost comes down to use, and the location is a non-issue. You can pool high levels of resources with a public cloud, meaning you benefit from larger economies. One big plus for those who aren’t cloud-tech savvy: Your business doesn’t have to manage it. Being compliant with PoPI and in certain industries like health care is an issue with public clouds. Security is a massive threat as well with this solution being more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Private Clouds
Private clouds aren’t all that different in functionality in comparison to public clouds. Instead of serving many clients, private cloud services just one company. These work best for businesses with unpredictable needs.
They are ideal for tight security demands, uptime needs and mission-critical workloads. Private clouds are scalable. They are also self-service and offer multi-capacity uses. They are crucial for companies that leverage lots of big data. Most important, however, they are more secure as private clouds provide hosted services situated behind a firewall to a limited number of people. The two downsides of private clouds are management and money. Businesses’ own IT teams must manage private clouds. That means having to budget for staffing, maintenance, and capital. Virtualization, cloud software, and management tools are added costs as well.
Hybrid Cloud
As the name suggests, a hybrid cloud solution combines a business’ on-premise private cloud with public cloud services. Companies can shift workloads between their private and public cloud services as their business demands change. For instance, a company may use an on-premises private cloud for sensitive data, and a public cloud, like Google Compute Engine, for less sensitive material.
For highly changeable workloads, hybrids are the ideal solution. They offer the key to scalable and flexible business solutions.
