According to Microsoft, “The cloud is not a physical entity, but instead is a vast network of remote servers around the globe which are hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem. These servers are designed to either store and manage data, run applications, or deliver content or a service such as streaming videos, web mail, office productivity software, or social media.”

By way of further distinction, you might have seen terms like “public cloud,” “private cloud” or “hybrid cloud.” While utilizing a cloud may be something your company is considering, understanding the different types of cloud services available to an organization can be confusing. In this article, we will help define the concepts of public, private, and hybrid cloud services, so you can determine the configuration that is best for your organization.

What are the types of cloud?

For organizations, switching to cloud computing removes some IT costs and overhead: for instance, you no longer need to update and maintain your own servers, as the cloud vendor you are using will do that. This is impactful for small businesses that cannot afford their own internal infrastructure but can outsource their infrastructure needs affordably via the cloud. The cloud can also make it easier for companies to operate remotely because employees can access the same files and applications from any location.

Public

Public cloud is a shared set of resources used by many different businesses through the Internet. Some examples of this include Microsoft 365, Gmail and Amazon Web Service (AWS). A typical public cloud offering includes the infrastructure, applications, and security to which you subscribe for one monthly price. While some flexibility of settings is maintained in a public cloud service, there are rules put in place by each provider meant to ensure up-time guarantees, security, and scalability. As public clouds grow in popularity, occasionally their systems can be overloaded, causing an outage. In the last year, AWS has suffered two major outages that caused large disruptions for their clients.

Private

Private cloud, on the other hand, is typically not a shared resource, and might be accessed via the Internet or locally over a secure network connection. A private cloud deployment leaves greater flexibility to configure applications and security as you might require, while providing the benefit of highly redundant and scalable architecture not commonly afforded by an on-premise solution. As public clouds grow, so does the threat of a security breach. If your business has sensitive information or cannot afford to be down in an outage, a private cloud may be the best option.

Hybrid

Finally, hybrid cloud is just as it sounds, a mix of various types of cloud platforms and even a connection to your traditional on-premise equipment. A typical hybrid cloud deployment might include Microsoft 365 for email, Salesforce for CRM (customer relationship management), a series of server in a datacenter for a custom accounting application, and on-premise server replicating a series of file-shares.

When Should You Choose?

There may be times when you shouldn’t. What would it cost your business if your email, your line of business applications, or your server-hosted files were inaccessible for several hours? The businesses we serve often realize the value of a properly engineered IT infrastructure because they have lived a mini nightmare, like a ransomware attack, failed hardware in their server closet, or their Internet provider going down.

If your business relies on technology, the cloud provides a stable, cost-effective method of ensuring your systems will not go down, while always staying patched and secure. However, there are many applications that cannot simply be ported to the cloud and expected to work “like they used to,” and the ongoing cost of subscribing to cloud resources can quickly become cost-prohibitive.

When you consider how the cloud may serve your business, lean on a company with deep experience in all cloud and on-premise platforms, so you can be sure the right strategy is in place for many years to come.

How Anteris can help

Anteris can manage and protect any type of cloud deployment. We have partnerships with public cloud providers that allow us to manage your public and hybrid cloud services. We also have Anteris Cloud Solutions, a private cloud service. Your data would not be in a shared space, but rather in a private, redundant infrastructure. This would reduce your IT footprint, provide secure remote access to the infrastructure, and allow for affordable redundancy.

Let us work with you to determine the best cloud option for your business. Schedule an appointment today to find out how Anteris makes cloud services freeing, not frustrating.