There are many options for an enterprise looking to implement cloud solutions. In a previous post I explained the 4 types of cloud computing platforms and the difference between public cloud and private cloud solutions. Here is the excerpt regarding public vs private cloud:
Public/External Cloud
The public cloud is normally what people refer to when talking about cloud computing/cloud storage. This is when anybody in the general public connects opens an account with a cloud vendor and connects to the application hosted on the Internet. The application is hosted on the Internet, off-site from the customer location.
Private Cloud
The private cloud refers to an infrastructure that is closed off to a particular organization or environment. The infrastructure could be internal or hosted externally by a cloud vendor. In the case of an internal private cloud, there is usually more up-front costs as the organization will need to purchase the hardware that will host the systems.
Normally, internal private clouds utilize virtual machines to optimize hardware usage, so there is a long-term cost savings in that model. This may be a good solution for organizations that are highly concerned about security but still want the increase productivity and collaborative benefits of cloud computing. Normally open source software is a good choice when implementing an in-house private cloud. Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud is a good example and is totally free to use.
An external private cloud may sound just like a public cloud infrastructure; however, some vendors, such as Amazon, offer private sections of their public cloud services. Amazon has its Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) that lets the customer provision a private, isolated section of their Amazon Web Services (AWS) and use AWS resources in a virtual network.
Basically you are creating your own virtual network that is hosted on third party software. The customer has complete control of the virtual network as if it were an in-house infrastructure. Organizations can even create a virtual private network (VPN) so they can easily connect to the VPC as an extension of their in-house network.
You can also view public vs private as “sharing” server space with other customers as opposed to having separate, private, internally hosted server space (internal private cloud), or a virtual private “tunnel” to segregated server space hosted by a third party (external private cloud).
The main question for mid-size business to large enterprises is which way to go when implementing a cloud strategy. Key points to keep in mind are:
- Costs
- Security/Privacy
- Long-Term Strategy
- Expandability/Flexibility
- Control
- Uptime and accessibility
Depending on how much weight an organization puts on each of those points will determine the best cloud infrastructure strategy. Another point to keep in mind is that the choice doesn’t have to be either public or private cloud, but many implementations utilize both in a hybrid infrastructure.
When To Go With a Private Cloud Solution
If security, control, and accessibility are the main priorities, then going with a private cloud solution would most likely be the best choice. More security measures will be in place, access is locked down, and the organization will have more control of the overall infrastructure.
A private cloud solution also minimizes the risk of fallout from public cloud business models. Obviously, cloud providers are in the business to make money, which is fine. The problem is, will the cloud providers maintain proper security measures as demand for storage, speed, and efficiency grows? Will security take a back seat to network performance, expansion, and keeping costs as low as possible?
This survey reveals the sobering fact that the vast majority of IT managers will choose network performance over security.
A key excerpt:
“IT security personnel do not plan for the long term – The massive growth in data traffic demands, caused in part by the use of smartphones, tablets and other personal mobile devices to share multi-media, high-bandwidth content, is forcing IT personnel to anticipate their performance needs years in advance in order to build scalable and secure networks. Yet, survey results reveal a surprisingly low number of IT personnel at major corporations are thinking beyond the short term. Just over half (51 percent) report that they only evaluate their performance needs less than a year to 24 months in advance.”
When the question of profit comes into play, will cloud providers skimp on security to ensure expandability and low costs? Are they planning long-term with security in mind? If you choose a public cloud solution, you are at the mercy of the provider, plain and simple. Implementing an internal private cloud puts more control in the hands of the organization, who can then ensure proper security for their data. This, of course, may cost more, but is a key trade-off between public and private clouds.
On the other hand, If your organization has strong security and privacy concerns, but you don’t have the resources to build your own private cloud, then a virtual private cloud could be the way to go. Think of this as your own private, fenced-in real estate fortress within a larger community.
In this case a virtual private cloud is hosted by a third party provider, eliminating the cost of building an internal private cloud infrastructure. This solution does provide a better security option than a strictly public solution, but still has the drawback of being hosted by an external provider. Less cost, less control, but still fairly secure, may be the best choice for organizations who don’t have the budget or skilled personnel to properly build an internal cloud. United Capital Financial Partners went this route after Brandon Gage, senior vice president of technology, found that building an internal private cloud was too much for a firm their size.
“The level of expertise we would have needed in-house to make this happen doesn’t make sense for a company of our size, and it doesn’t even make sense for our road map for the next three to five years. What we really needed was a partner that’d already done all the heavy-lifting, had a SAS-70 data center audit, reference customers and could deliver the experience our users deserved….our cost-savings have been that incredible, in the 65% to 70% range, and we’re only in year one….Plus users report a much better experience getting at their data and, since we’re getting rid of servers, my IT guys aren’t running around all day logging in and making sure this or that got fixed.”
(Source)
Conclusion
The decision to implementing a Private Cloud solution or hybrid as opposed to using a strictly public cloud infrastructure depends on many variables. When it boils down to reality it’s a question of costs vs security, followed by accessibility, control, expansion, flexibility, and efficiency. The more security you need, the more you will have to pay for it; there’s really no way around that current industry reality. Taking that into consideration and factoring the risks will help guide your decision on implementing the best solution for your organization.
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