How to Determine Which Cloud Solutions Are Right for Your Business

When we talk about the cloud, what springs to your mind? The cloud might sound like a business buzzword, but in reality it’s one of the most important components of a technology infrastructure, especially in today’s online environment. Considering the ongoing pandemic and unpredictability that the situation brings, you don’t want to wait any longer; you should have started thinking about implementing the cloud yesterday.

What is Cloud Computing?

When we talk about the cloud, it’s mostly in the context of cloud computing. Most people utilize cloud computing on a day-to-day basis in at least some capacity, whether they realize it or not. Most email solutions these days are stored in the cloud, so anytime you access your Gmail account, you are using cloud computing. Cloud computing is essentially when data lives in an online environment. This makes the data available through some kind of account or portal, improving accessibility and flexibility in general. It’s a great way for businesses to keep operations going even while out of the office.

That being said, most businesses will have to ask themselves whether a public or private cloud is the ideal solution.

Public vs Private

When considering cloud computing, you will find that these services can be broken up into two major categories: public and private. Each of these have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s dive in.

Private Cloud

It’s perfectly fine for businesses to host their own private cloud infrastructure. In fact, many organizations already do this. They have servers on-premises that they manage and maintain, allowing their workers to access the data found on them through approved mobile devices. The private cloud allows for many benefits that the public cloud does not, including greater control over your data and the ability to customize every little piece of your infrastructure. On the other hand, it is saddled with the costs of building, managing, and maintaining a complex server infrastructure, as well as securing it from would-be hackers.

Public Cloud

For those who do not have the capabilities to store, manage, and maintain an entire infrastructure of cloud servers, we have the public cloud. The aforementioned online services that many consumers use run on the public cloud. The public cloud is online space that is partitioned off per user, meaning that you and only you have access to your data, despite it being located in the same place as other users’ data. While this makes the cloud infinitely more accessible and easier to utilize, it does come with some drawbacks. Since the space is managed by a cloud provider, you might not have as much control over your data as you would like. This also extends into security; you might want to implement more powerful data security measures (especially since it is the public cloud), but you’ll be unable to do so.

This presents a difficult position. Do you skimp on security and customization, or do you bite the bullet and build an infrastructure that is impossible to manage and maintain on your own? Well, neither. We do have one other option for you.

The Solution: A Hybrid Cloud

Small businesses are in a unique position regarding cloud computing. They might not have the capabilities to manage and maintain their own private infrastructure of cloud servers, but don’t want to compromise on their ability to protect their resources or implement a solution that only solves one of many issues they are experiencing. This is why a hybrid cloud solution is often ideal for small businesses.

The way it works is simple: you essentially “rent” server space in a data center, allowing you to do what you will with it. The space is managed and protected by the service provider so that you don’t have to. It’s a great compromise that makes services more accessible to small businesses without losing out on the imperative security that is inherently unavailable to those utilizing the public cloud.

Washington Works can help your business implement a quality cloud solution specific to your individual needs. To learn more, reach out to us at 301-571-5040.