While selecting a mate may be wrought with emotions and heart throbs, choosing the right cloud platform for your enterprise need not be.
I think I heard your sigh of relief.
Most Relationships are complicated. And the ones that aren’t?
Well,
I have not found one yet.
Have you?
Nonetheless, I believe in love, marriage and romance all the time.
It’s that aged old theory at work –if it’s worth having, it is worth fighting for.
So fight on.
The right cloud is worth having. But make sure you have the pick of the litter.
Now, we all know or we should know that the pick of the litter is subjective.
I am sure your valentine will be also. You may fall head over heels for the one, but more than likely, your pick was dumped by someone else.
Your ‘one‘ was not the right type for that other.
Deciding which cloud platform is right for your enterprise must be consistent with the organization’s objective. So before you make your choice, it is important to evaluate what is available.
In cloud speak, here is what is available:
- The public cloud
- The private cloud
- The managed private cloud
- The hybrid cloud
What is your type?
The commitment phobe. The public cloud.
If you want to date with no strings attached, the public cloud is for you.
It is perfect for businesses that desire the advantages of being in the cloud without the commitment of more complex cloud services which are generally used to house more intricate solutions or sensitive data.
This decision is typically driven by the budget conscious and/or growing businesses who want to “pay as they go.” The public cloud allow businesses to leverage equipment that already exist without allocating valuable resources to buy temporary, depreciating equipment. It delivers true economies of scale and is ideal for businesses that need temporary added computing capacity at peak times for collaborative team projects, a spot to test and develop new applications, or a location to house such standardized apps as email.
The engagement. The hybrid cloud.
A hybrid solution delivers additional flexibility and scalability to businesses employing private clouds, but at times also require additional on-demand scalability in response to unexpected surges in workload or recurring times of peak usage.
It consists of technology managed both internally and externally, with businesses possibly housing less-sensitive data in a public cloud and proprietary information in-house, where such access control measures as authentication, encryption and data confidentiality can be more easily implemented and controlled for greater security.
The private cloud. The Marriage.
If security is important to you, then the private cloud is your type.
The private cloud boast an added measure of safety because its services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network. Additionally, it gives businesses total control over its data and applications.
While the private, on-site cloud solution requires the purchase and ongoing maintenance of software and infrastructure it is a strong choice for organizations large enough to run their own data centers and whose businesses are their data and applications. Furthermore it is prudent for companies that have to comply with stringent security and data privacy regulations, such as healthcare, government and insurance.
The outlier. The managed private cloud.
This option allows for growing businesses that required increased capacities but aren’t quite ready to purchase on-site equipment.
Unlike smaller third party cloud service provider, managed cloud specialists employ highly defined and large-scale tested processes, governance and controls integrated into businesses’ existing delivery environments.
So which cloud will be your valentine?
Source: HP Technology at work, October 2013
