Cloud computing has revolutionized the world of IT from a business perspective, according to experts on IT support in Atlanta. It offers businesses the ability to store their data and documents in a place where they are easily accessed. When a business is making the decision to use the cloud, they face a critical decision: public cloud or private?
In general, cloud computing refers to a shared pool of computer resources that are easily configured and provisioned as needed. The difference between the cloud being public or private comes down to how it’s provisioned and, sometimes, its physical location.
The Public Cloud
A public cloud resides on hardware in a data center, owned, managed, and hosted by a third-party provider. Everyone who uses this public cloud shares common infrastructure. That means, if you use a public cloud to store your data, you are using the same servers and storage devices as the cloud host’s other clients.
Public clouds allow you to pay only for the resources you use. You aren’t paying for its maintenance or energy costs. It has built-in redundancy and backups. It allows you to scale your resources.
The downside of using a public cloud is security risks. If a hacker gains access through another client’s mismanagement, your data is vulnerable. Also, if the physical servers are in another country, your rights to privacy and access are at that country’s mercy.
The Private Cloud
A private cloud has one major difference with a public one, according to experts on IT support in Atlanta. Instead of using common infrastructure, you use resources dedicated to your company or department. You can still use a third-party provider and an off-site data center, though hosting the cloud server on-site is a popular choice.
Because the infrastructure is exclusive to your organization, security is definitely better than on a public cloud. You can customize security as you need it to be. You will also see improved performance because you are not competing with other organizations for the same resources. Efficiency also tends to increase.
Private cloud services in Atlanta are more expensive than public ones since you have to pay for the hardware and other infrastructure pieces. You also need to hire someone to maintain and support the hardware once it’s setup and running. You will also cover energy costs for running the system.
Conclusion
Public or private? One or both? These are questions you need to answer based on your company, your industry, and your legal obligations. If you need assistance with cloud computing, contact us at MIS Solutions. We are the experts on IT support Atlanta companies trust with their cloud needs.