Why Build A Private Cloud?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that more companies are moving their data to the cloud. The need for more secure and cost-effective data storage and processing has meant growing numbers of firms no longer store information at their premises. Instead, data gets uploaded to secure data centers in remote locations around the world.

And it’s not just companies that make use of the cloud. Millions of individuals use services such as Dropbox to store their files online. What’s more, the cost of doing so is often cheaper than buying and maintaining NAS drives, for example.

As a business leader, you will no doubt want to make sure your company’s data isn’t compromised by hackers. You’ll also wish to ensure that you can access that information at a moment’s notice. While some firms use the same public cloud services as individuals, companies are now looking at building exclusive “private” clouds. So, what are they all about, and why should your firm be creating its own private cloud?

The differences between public and private clouds

Okay, so you already have some idea about cloud data storage and processing. But, you’re not too sure what the difference is between public and private clouds. In a nutshell, public clouds are services used by more than one entity. Dropbox is a prime example, and there are more than 500 million users of the service.

With a private cloud, you are the only individual or organization using that cloud. It’s an exclusive option and offers you higher levels of security and flexibility. Nowadays, more businesses are setting up private clouds to lessen the risk of their data getting compromised by other users or hackers.

As you can see, it makes perfect sense to build a private cloud rather than use a public one. In case you aren’t convinced, here are some compelling reasons to make the move:

Private clouds aren’t as expensive as you might think

One of the big draws of public clouds is how cheap they are, even for businesses with multiple users. When you start to look at the cost of building a private cloud, your jaw will probably drop to the ground. But here’s the thing: once you’ve coughed up the initial costs, that’s it! Assuming you buy the right hardware and software for your cloud, you won’t need to worry about extra expenses.

With a public cloud, however, things are different. Once you’ve maxed out your storage or bandwidth, you have to pay additional costs on top of an ongoing premium subscription. If you compare the costs of building a private cloud versus “renting” a private one, the latter is far more cost-effective.

In short, you have to pay a lot of money upfront for a private cloud, but then you’re done. With a public cloud, the costs are continuous until you decide to cancel your subscription.

You can build your private cloud according to your requirements

One of the biggest draws to setting up a private cloud is the flexibility. You are no longer restricted to fitting your company into a particular “box” when it comes to cloud infrastructure design and features.

If you wish to build a small-scale private cloud with older equipment, it’s possible to do that. And if you wanted a mammoth solution that will cover your needs for years to come, that’s also feasible.

Your company can deploy its own technical team

A downside to public cloud services is that you have to rely on strangers to maintain and support your servers. As a result, you have little control over what happens to your data or even where it gets backed up to.

The good news is that things are different with private cloud infrastructures. You can deploy an array of technical personnel to manage all aspects of your online data storage and processing systems. Plus, you also have the option to work with vendor-approved teams to support your services. That means you can have a certified Juniper expert manage the networking architecture, for example,  while your in-house team deals with other hardware and software.

What does that all mean for your company at the end of the day? The answer is simple: you have complete control over what happens with your data and who manages it.

You have the power to make your data secure

Why should you trust a third party with your company’s sensitive data? After all; you don’t really know what they do with it or how they secure it, right? If you’re concerned about security vulnerabilities, it makes sense to deal with your data yourself.

With a private cloud, you can determine which security measures to put in place – and how many of them to use. Many businesses find they can use a unique blend of security systems that suit their needs precisely. That isn’t something an external company could guarantee if you have no say over how your data gets secured.

No worries about performance bottlenecks

As you can imagine, part of the appeal of private clouds is that you can build it to run at lightning speed. You’re not sharing your servers with millions of other users, so you don’t need to worry about them slowing you down. Plus, you can select how fast your cloud’s connection to the Internet needs to be.

Again, with a public cloud solution, you know little to nothing of their technical specifications. In fact, if you ask the providers how fast their cloud systems are, they probably won’t know either! That’s because many public cloud services are simply resellers of existing infrastructures, such as Amazon AWS.

Seamless integration with your existing IT systems

Last, but not least, you should consider that private clouds allow you to seamlessly integrate with your existing in-house data systems. It doesn’t matter whether you run a customized legacy application or a branded enterprise solution. What does matter is that private clouds allow you to “plug into” those systems without any major headaches!