The adage ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t apply to cloud computing. To get the best value out of a Cloud solution, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of current solutions, identify the business objectives these solutions are failing to meet, and evaluate those results to define a Cloud solution that best suits your organization and its goals.
Here’s a quick look at the different types of available Cloud solutions and what may be the best fit for individual use cases:
- Public Cloud – IT services are maintained and hosted by an external provider. Delivered via the internet and shared across organizations. For instance, Microsoft Azure
- Private Cloud – Cloud computing dedicated for (use by) only one business or organization. Has a secure private network and is not accessible to outsiders.
- Hybrid Cloud – Type of cloud computing that uses both public and private Clouds
Many considerations go into managing different applications because of their requirements. It is critical to decide which Cloud solution - public or private - to deploy against this backdrop. Below is a comparison of these two types of Cloud solutions for a view of the associated benefits and limitations of each:
| S.no | Public Cloud | Private Cloud | |
| 1. | Cost | No need to purchase hardware or software Flexible pricing options allow you to payment for only used services |
Relatively pricier with a higher total cost of ownership (TCO) because of storage, maintenance and software license costs |
| 2. | Maintenance | Cloud service provider (of your choice) provides maintenance and manages infrastructure | Upgrading infrastructure without impacting business processes requires extensive planning, trained personnel and additional cost |
| 3. | Scalability | Highly flexible and scalable—capable of meeting fluctuating workload demands by increasing/ decreasing quantum of required resources | Restricted scalability may make it difficult to meet unanticipated needs; on-premises data centers’ capacity may limit resources |
| 4. | Reliability and Security | High degree of reliability; a vast network of servers ensures failures are prevented | Mobile users may have limited access because of high security measures |
Why should you choose Microsoft Azure as your Cloud solution instead of a private Cloud?
The image depicts the various reasons why Microsoft Azure is a Cloud leader. We’ve detailed each reason as follows:
High security: Microsoft is leading from the front, fighting against cyber crime. Its Digital Crimes Unit's security learnings are constantly being incorporated into its solutions, services and data centers.
Continuous evolution: Microsoft is known for its focus on constant innovation and evolution—with regular upgrades to its data to lessen security holes and provide customers with the best possible experience. The frequency of updates is impossible to replicate from a financial point-of-view for on-premises focused organizations and private Cloud managed IT providers.
Data residency: With Microsoft Azure, the physical/ geographic location of an organization's data or information is no longer a consideration. Over 60 Azure data center regions across the globe guarantee customers of data residency—that Microsoft will never replicate or move their data outside that geography.
Strict tenant isolation: Multi-tenancy is a common concern for hosting data on the public Cloud. Microsoft Azure, however, was engineered from the ground up to identify and counter a multi-tenant environment's inherent risks. Microsoft uses the Active Directory Plus functionality specifically developed for multi-tenant services to segregate data storage and processing among Azure consumers logically. This ensures that the data stored in an Azure data center is not compromised due to another tenant's activities, eliminating concerns around data integrity or the quality of service being provided.
Homogeneous environment: Microsoft's productivity tools are, by far, the most popular in terms of global usage (think Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, etc). Microsoft Azure, being a Microsoft service, is also seamlessly and securely integrated with other Microsoft software. All this, coupled with the prevalence of Microsoft products' in-house usage, makes Azure the logical public Cloud choice for most organizations worldwide.
If you are considering migrating your applications to the Cloud, the points mentioned above make a case for considering Microsoft Azure.
At Columbus, we have helped businesses of all sizes and different industries over the last three decades to make this choice and transition seamlessly to the Cloud. We can do the same for you too—we are here for you and happy to help. Contact us at us-marketing@columbusgloal.com.
