Organizations both large and small are quickly adopting and environments to complete daily business operations. The adoption of has become so pervasive that some 85% of businesses as of 2019 had some level of or services as a part of daily operations. More importantly, 68% of IT departments are currently using public infrastructures with countless more considering migration services to public . With so many businesses considering moving to an outside , it is vital that businesses stop and ask themselves one question: is it worth it?
What is a Public Cloud?
The public is a generic term that refers to the use of and data centers for via the public Internet to take advantage of third-party services. A public is available to anyone who wants to use it or purchase access to it. Some public platforms are free to use while others feature on-demand pricing for additional access, specific , and the use of on offsite .
A public enables a company to avoid the high costs of purchasing, managing, and maintaining on-premises hardware such as and network equipment to support business operations. The third-party provider is responsible for the work of buying, operating, and maintaining the in a public . A public can be quickly deployed with greater and access to more when needed with just a small uptick in monthly costs.
What is a Public Cloud Example?
There are countless examples of public solutions out there. Some of these such as the , are interacted with on a daily basis by billions around the globe. If you use Google Docs, Google Drive, or Gmail, just to mention some baseline options, you are participating in a public . However, there are some more specific that one can focus on when comparing to other vendor solutions. These include () and .
is a broad public that can be joined for free and in which users pay for only the services they use. includes more than 175 full-feature service operated on located in global data centers. Businesses ranging from startups to massive government agencies lean on the and power of .
is another public that offers a wide range of for organizations. Azure allows users the freedom to build, manage, and deploy applications across a global network using the tools and frameworks each user prefers, with the Azure and Microsoft resources to power that movement.
When Security is a Priority, is There a Place for a Public Cloud in Operations?
Every company should be concerned with the of its data and activities when using -based services. Whether you sell socks online or handle patient data in the healthcare industry, keeping that data safe is vital to the reputation of your brand and, in some cases, the very survival of your business. In fact, any company operating within banking, credit card processing, other financial fields, and the healthcare sector are required to protect identifying data for users. Additionally, any company hoping to work with any level of government in the United States must also have measures in place to protect data from nefarious actors.
This is where the popularity of should crumble slightly in the eyes of any business. is a major hurdle for many public environments. This is not to say that do not take seriously, but rather than the itself leaves data open to issues. First and foremost, when you entrust your to a public you are giving up control over access to that data. More importantly, when you use a for public , you are entrusting that the provider is going to devote immense resources to measures and provide 24/7 compliance and monitoring to ensure your data is safe.
However, even the best cannot ensure your information is going to be safe. For example, in 2015 experienced a devastating outage that took down Netflix and Reddit. Amazon did its best to get services back online as quickly as possible, but this pointed out another and safety flaw inherent in public environments.
You and all of the other users are sharing , , and other IT in a public . A hack doesn’t have to specifically target your business in the to put your information at risk. Once hackers are into one system on the network, your data could be at risk. Similarly, when outages take down services in a public , there is nothing you can do as a client to get your operations back online. In short, whether it is a breach or other hack that takes services offline, you have no power to act independently to secure your data and get your business back online.
This doesn’t necessarily mean there is no place in your business operations for a public , but it does mean that you need to take precautions and carefully consider what data and operations you entrust to a public .
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What are the Public Cloud’s Strongest Competitors?
Even though some 68% of businesses now use some form of public , that doesn’t mean there aren’t competitors out there that the remaining businesses who have not turned to the public are using as an alternative. In fact, there are at least three alternative options, including at least one that offers superior service, control, and to any public . The following is a brief breakdown of the strongest competitors of a public :
- Onsite/hosted : As many businesses originally did prior to the development of , you always have the option of building your own onsite, hosted . In this case, your business purchases and owns , manages a , and handles the maintenance and of all the IT involved in keeping your business online. The costs for such a solution can be prohibitive for many businesses.
- Hybrid : A hybrid a combination of the benefits of a public with the enhanced and dedicated resources of a . Most hybrid environments are still hosted by an outside third-party, so there’s no need to maintain a or buy your own . However, you get your own dedicated , , and customized and/or software setups that are isolated from other users working with those third-party providers.
- : A can be hosted offsite or onsite and ensures that all of your and IT elements are controlled by your brand, chosen by your brand upfront, and you have greater control in preventing breaches and recovering from disasters that could take the brand offline.
What is a Private Cloud?
A is a and , as well as software programs, , and other . These are offered either over the Internet or on a private internal network and are available only to select users. Private clouds can deliver some of the benefits of a public , such as self-service, scalability, and elasticity, while also delivering benefits a public cannot such as greater control and the ability to customize the resources and services allowed.
What are the Benefits of a Private Cloud?
Among the primary benefits of a is the ability for your business to run the IT systems in a private environment with flexibility, guaranteed resource availability, strong , and regulatory compliance. Perhaps most important in the context of the previous conversation on , private clouds offer higher levels of and privacy because the IT is protected by company-controlled firewalls and internal hosting to keep operations and sensitive data save.
Who Should Use a Private Cloud?
It is up to the individual company to determine whether or not a is ideal for them, however, most companies are likely to find that a is the best option. For any company that operates in some of the aforementioned industries (banking, finance, credit card processing, healthcare, governmental contracts, etc.), a is a must because it ensures that individual company has control over its data and can meet compliance and regulations that govern the handling and storage of sensitive data.
Is the Public Cloud Really More Convenient?
are promoted as being the most convenient and cost-effective means of launching a business online, using data to grow your business, and leveraging the latest software programs and other to run your business from day-to-day. While it is true that a public allows a business to quickly access more resources and share across located around the globe to ensure optimum uptime, are not as convenient as they appear.
As highlighted earlier, even the promoted uptime of a public is not always a given. Hackers have proven adept at targeting public environments to bring major brands like Netflix offline without even specifically targeting Netflix. In that instance, was it really more convenient for Netflix to be running its service on a public ? Netflix and its users were left to wait while a third-party provider took charge of getting the service back online.
Additionally, a public promises accessibility and performance to all users, but that can come with a cost for each user. While there are data centers and located around the globe in some of the largest public environments to carry the load of operations on the network, that doesn’t mean you always enjoy lightning-fast performance. Upticks in the usage of other customers on the same public can slow your company’s performance on the same network. Again, you are left to twiddle your thumbs because you have no direct ability to redirect to other when the bandwidth gets clogged in your public .
Which is Right for You?
The message should be clear by now: are not always worth it. Avatara CompleteCloud is a private IT platform that ensures you have all the you need in an IT that provides you with data centers, , ample storage, , software, and all of the services you need to get the job done on a daily basis. Our CompleteCloud IT platform is far more advanced than the average that ensures connectivity, provides , and flexes with the needs of your company alone. Forget sharing services and access with other users and enjoy the benefits of , managed services, managed , and even VOIP.
