Public, Private, or Hybrid? Choosing the Best Cloud Solution for Your SMB

The cloud is a remarkable innovation that businesses of all industries and sizes can utilize to scale growth and operations. How you use the cloud, though, will change depending on your company's specific pain points and requirements. How can you invest in a cloud solution that ticks all your boxes? It starts with assessing whether you want to utilize a public, private, or hybrid cloud infrastructure.

For clarity’s sake, you can imagine the “cloud” as if your business is storing data, applications, or solutions on someone else’s computer. Where that computer is located depends on the type of cloud solution you implement. There are several differences between the three, so we want to make sure you can make the most informed decisions possible for your business.

Public Cloud

You likely utilize the public cloud in at least some capacity in your personal life. When you use the public cloud, you’re utilizing services available to the general public, and you are storing data, applications, or services on the same server as several other individuals or organizations. A specific portion of that server might be partitioned off for your use, and it is a secure alternative to hosting and managing your own internal private cloud. Benefits of the public cloud include accessibility, affordability, and ease of management. Generally speaking, you won’t manage your own public cloud; the provider will do that hard work for you. However, you won’t be able to customize the cloud solution to the exact degree that you might want or need, which can be a sticking point for some.

Examples of the Public Cloud:
Microsoft OneDrive/Office/Outlook Online
Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/Gmail

Private Cloud

A private cloud is hosted in-house on your business’ server infrastructure. This is important for two primary reasons. For one, you can secure it as you see fit, meaning that you are not relying solely on the provider’s means of protection. This can work in your favor, as you can secure it more powerfully, provided you have the means to do so. You also have the capability to customize it in a way that you might not otherwise, which means you get a solution built specifically for your business. The downside, of course, is that your in-house infrastructure is largely your responsibility. Unless you have an in-house team to take care of it, chances are that your private cloud could turn into a liability rather than an asset.

Examples of the Private Cloud:
Centralized file storage through Microsoft Azure or AWS
Cloud-based Application Hosting

Hybrid Cloud

With the hybrid cloud, you get the best of both the public and the private cloud. Not only do you get the assistance of professional technicians who can take care of your cloud for you, you also get the powerful customization options that are so great for the private cloud. Of course, you can also make your cloud more manageable by working with a managed service provider for all of your cloud-based needs.

Ultimately, the cloud solution you go with will depend on your business’ needs and priorities. You can get a free consultation to help you determine these by contacting Directive at 607.433.2200.