Private cloud computing is on the rise, and it’s for a good reason. Data security is a major problem for countless businesses, and in the wake of growing concerns over privacy and security threats, it has urged organizations to take it more seriously than ever before. Putting together a comprehensive private cloud system has its fair share of challenges, but if done properly, it can solve the data security problem as well.
Costs
The cloud has been available to businesses for a long time, even if they haven’t known about it. It just wasn’t as widespread or well-known as it has been since Software as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service became popular. The biggest contributing factor that affected how useful cloud computing was to businesses at the time was the cost. The cost decreased as the services became more popular making it more accessible than ever before. Of course, there is always that inherent risk of security when hosting data on someone else’s infrastructure, and these risks can make the return on investment of a cloud solution less appealing.
These risks make it more enticing for businesses to implement a private cloud strategy. While it might be far more complicated due to calculating both fixed and recurring costs, it stands to reason that it could be a valuable investment. A private cloud requires that your organization be responsible for hardware costs, management, control, and so much more, meaning that there is a lot more that could go wrong compared to having someone else host your cloud-based services and data.
When implementing something as important as a cloud solution, it’s critical that you look at all of the small details to ensure a private cloud is what your business needs. Consider the costs of migration and operation, but remember that it might be necessary to improve part of your business’ operations.
Integration
It’s likely that your organization already uses public cloud applications, and it’s perfectly likely that they will work better or are more efficient if you leave them where they are. Using public cloud resources for non-critical infrastructure or applications can give your business the computing environment it needs. This would mean that your private cloud and public cloud resources would be integrated seamlessly.
Your hybrid cloud platform would take some setup, but it would be well worth the implementation due to its ease of access. Essentially, you create a cloud system that is accessed through one single access portal. You can add security provisions and configurations that allow you to keep data as safe as possible, but it will require more effort to include.
Time
There is another major hurdle that must be cleared by businesses that want to move their IT into a private cloud, and that’s the sheer amount of time it takes. Dedicated virtual environments for your business’ assets are more feature-rich and robust than public cloud-based applications, but on the other hand, issues related to hardware and other on-premise technology can eat up a lot of time and expenses. Your IT department would be responsible for configuring and migrating any and all relevant data to the virtual machines, as well as addressing any issues regarding maintenance and management.
This is where we come in. Machado Consulting can help your business implement a private cloud model without a comprehensive on-site IT department. To learn more, reach out to us at (508) 453-4700.
