Cloud computing is a growing trend that is impacting all organisations. Due to all the hype, there are many different types of cloud computing that you need to be aware of before you can make informed decisions that benefit your organisation.
There are the three types of cloud that your company could implement -
- Private cloud. Private is where an organisation sets up their own internal mini-cloud. An organisation will basically take their systems and move them into a data centre. This gives them their own dedicated cloud environment. Users consume and access all the systems and data using a web browser via virtual desktop technologies such as Citrix.
- Public cloud. This is similar to the types of services you probably already use. Salesforce and Gmail are examples of software applications that are hosted in the public cloud. You access the system via a web browser along with a number of other people, working off a shared platform. It's secured, but it's important to know that you’re sharing the platform with other users.
- Hybrid cloud. Hybrid is a combination of the cloud and a traditional local setup. One example of a hybrid cloud system is when companies use a local fileserver (at an office location) to store files and use Gmail for e-mail. A lot of organisations use the hybrid model as a way to test the waters with the cloud, eventually adopting more cloud solutions further down the track.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each, and give you the tools to make an informed decision about where your organisation should be looking strategically.
Private Cloud
This type of cloud essentially takes your existing internal server set up, boxes, communications and your existing business applications software, and moves it to a hosted, external location (such as a data centre).
The immediate upside to this is an increase in valuable office real estate, which can be substantial depending on the size of your organisation.
However, the bigger payoff is that access and mobility improve because there’s no longer a bottleneck with your head office. The private cloud allows fast, off-site access with minimal impact on system performance.
Private cloud means that your staff can continue to use the same legacy applications they currently use. This is particularly beneficial in larger organisations where change is harder to implement.
Your external hosting provider is charged with keeping your data working and safe, and provides support for you and hundreds of other customers. Oftentimes they have 24/7 phone and email support so you can reach them with any technical inquires. They also guarantee system up-times, giving you some surety of uninterrupted services.
The cost is comparable, but it can sometimes be cheaper. If your systems are running off a fully hosted environment, then hardware and operating system upgrades are generally managed by the IT service provider. These costs will be passed onto you.
Private cloud is an excellent choice for organisations that want more control over their data. You get the servers and their inherent requirement for maintenance out of your office and into a data centre. You pass on the responsibility for managing the hardware requirements to an IT service provider. However, unlike other cloud models, you’re the only organisation that can access this particular cloud. Therefore, a private cloud can maximise uptime, improve productivity and reduce costs, while ensuring greater control and privacy over your organisation’s information.
The real downside is in the scalability and upgrading of your business applications. Scaling up or upgrading infrastructure and software can be an expensive and time consuming exercise with a private cloud. This is why many organisations are now looking to cloud-based applications such as Gmail, Office365, Salesforce and Xero.
These applications run on...
Public Cloud
This environment is where all your business applications run on remote servers.
There are some brilliant solutions out there developed by Google, Microsoft and Oracle. There are also other public cloud applications such as Xero and Salesforce.
These solutions are cost effective, you pay a minimal charge per-user only, and they are almost infinitely scalable. Importantly, regular upgrades occur frequently, improving useability and functionality. These updates are delivered with no additional cost, which reduces the need for upfront capital.
There are plenty of support forums out there, and good help is relatively easy to come by. The downside is that you cease being a customer and instead, become just a number. So when things get rough, it’s often hard to get the support you need. In this case, I recommend you have an IT service provider managing your public cloud applications.
Also, you might find that you get stuck with the cloud meeting only 75% of your business process needs, with 25% requiring internal change to meet the functionality of the applications. This is absolutely fine if you’re an organisation starting from scratch. The scalability of the available applications makes this ideal for start-ups that need mobility and access to enterprise-level business applications.
However, if you have to implement change to suit the capability of new applications, this can create costly change management issues.
There is also the question of data integrity. Your data is secure, but it’s in an external server farm somewhere in the world, and you rely totally on the security of your cloud provider. Often, the unknown whereabouts of your data creates doubt. However, this fear is generally just a perception issue, as your data is completely safe provided you’ve chosen a reputable vendor.
Hybrid Cloud
Organisations wanting a more flexible, balanced approach should consider this model.
You may have legacy/custom applications that are specific to your industry or are completely embedded in your organisational processes and operations. Or maybe you have invested so much time and money into customising applications to your organisations’ very specific requirements that you don’t want the stress of replacing them. Your option is to move these to an externally hosted private cloud environment.
You can then dip your toes in the water and see which public cloud applications suit your organisation’s needs. Perhaps Gmail suits you instead of Outlook; perhaps Xero instead of MYOB, and so on. You can see what the new trends/standards are and try pieces on as you go.
Finally, you might have a local server that you want to keep on premise.
The hybrid cloud is a flexible solution that combines public, private and local aspects. It gives you all the benefits of moving to the cloud, and most importantly, gives the people in your organisation time to change in a controlled manner, rather than forcing everyone to transition at once.
However, the hybrid cloud is not without issues. A big challenge lies in getting cloud applications to tightly integrate with each other.
We can help ensure your legacy systems, data and new cloud applications are all talking to each other to streamline your IT systems. Call us on 1300 562 886 to learn more.