PCSOFT Blog

Cloud computing gives businesses plenty of choices for how they want their assets managed. There are three different types of clouds: public, private, or hybrid. Some businesses have found that the public cloud is their preferred way of handling the management of their critical systems. We’ll investigate some of the finer details so that you can decide on the solution which suits your business best.

Here are three reasons why small businesses might prefer the public cloud over the other options.

The Cloud is Easy to Use
When your business hosts data in-house, you’re the one responsible for its upkeep and maintenance. Any major changes to your infrastructure would be your responsibility as well, which effectively means that any and all changes would have to be managed or supervised by either yourself or your internal IT department. Alternatively, utilizing the public cloud is easier and less time-consuming for your hosting needs. The public cloud makes it easy to make changes to your infrastructure, like adding new users or scaling up your resources. Just put in a support request to your cloud provider and you’re all set.

It should also be pointed out that it is possible to make use of a private cloud platform without having to manage every detail yourself. By outsourcing the responsibility of managing your private cloud to a managed service provider like PCSOFT, you can still enjoy the benefits of hosting your data in-house, as well as take advantage of PCSOFT’s infrastructure for your own use.

The Public Cloud is Secure Enough
One main point for you to take away here is that going through a public cloud provider gives you the opportunity to spend less on security while achieving a similar result to that of a private solution. While using a private cloud solution allows you to augment your cloud security with secondary solutions, we want you to remember that the public cloud is also a relatively secure experience. Public cloud providers have security experts which, if you’re a small business owner, can be preferable to hosting and managing your own in-house private cloud solution, as well as paying for full-time on-site IT technicians.

Still, even if the public cloud can provide passable security, you may require more. You should know that the best way to protect a company’s data is through a private cloud hosted internally, seeing as the private cloud allows you to implement external security features.

Less Focus on Technology Maintenance
If you don’t have the time or resources to maintain your cloud solution, you should at least be able to devote this time to managing your business’s operations. This is yet another main attraction of the public cloud. You’ll be able to spend less time managing your cloud solution, and more time on what matters most. A public cloud hosts your data on a service provider’s server, which handles the brunt of the work for you. Still, if you want to use a private cloud solution, PCSOFT can emulate the public cloud experience. We’ll focus on providing you with the best solution possible, while you focus on keeping your business functional.

Notice a pattern? PCSOFT can effectively help your business take advantage of the private cloud without any of the work. To learn more, reach out to us at 02 98730080.

Eventually, you’re going to have to upgrade your company’s technology. Sure, you could attempt to save money by holding out for as long as possible. In the end, this strategy may actually cost you money since you'll be stuck using outdated, inefficient equipment and software. How do you know, for sure, when it’s the ideal time to upgrade your business' technology?

The cloud grows more important for modern technology infrastructures by the day, and due to this, implementing the cloud isn’t simply a matter of when, but how. Some organizations still haven’t made the move to the cloud, but this is probably because they don’t understand the vast benefits that cloud computing can bring to the table.

In other words, while you know that the cloud can be a great chance to push your business to greater heights, you need to take a risk if you want to see a return on your investment. Many of the world’s most lucrative services, like Netflix and Amazon, have seen outrageous growth thanks to cloud computing. Your business can experience cloud-based growth as well, but you need to be willing to explore new opportunities in order to do so. Cloud computing, in particular, is a service that’s especially kind to growing businesses, and it’s flexible enough to allow your business to adapt to its current needs easily.

We don’t want you to rush head-first into the cloud, though. Instead, we want you to do your research and take a moment to better understand what your specific cloud computing needs are. We recommend that you consider each of these three unique cloud computing options.

The Public Cloud
SMBs of all kinds are looking to the public cloud for cloud computing, and it’s easy to see why. The public cloud has great functionality for the services that the typical SMB needs, and it doesn’t require the in-depth maintenance that an in-house infrastructure would need. Unfortunately, this often means that the business is missing out on the ability to implement secondary security features and customizations that would be available for a private cloud solution.

Keep in mind that public cloud solutions are dependable, but they are set up as a one-size-fits-all solution, supporting many different users who are all basically getting the same service. Limitations of a public cloud solution include: not having a choice of where specifically your data is hosted, what hardware it runs on, or how it’s protected.

The Private Cloud
Businesses that are more security-minded or just want more control over their data will usually opt for the private cloud. A private cloud is usually hosted either in-house on company hardware, or managed and hosted by a managed service provider. Compared to the public cloud, private clouds offer more control over the settings and configurations of your cloud infrastructure. This means that you essentially have more control over your cloud solution, which means you can also integrate additional security features for your cloud infrastructure. One example of this is integrating a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution to beef up your cloud’s data security.

The Hybrid Cloud
Businesses that want or need to utilize the efficiency of the public cloud, with the functionality of the private cloud, have another option for their cloud infrastructure: the hybrid cloud. Not only does your business get the ease-of-use of the public cloud, but it will also be able to fully leverage the security solutions and configurations that private cloud users boast about. It’s great for organizations that need to get the most out of their cloud infrastructure, without sacrificing functionality.

With so many options, you might have trouble gauging what kind of cloud solution you want. PCSOFT can help your business choose which cloud solution will benefit you most. Give us a call at 02 98730080 to learn more.