What Is A Private Cloud And What Can Be Its Advantages? | The Communication Blog

Saturday, January 7, 2012

What Is A Private Cloud And What Can Be Its Advantages?

By Julianne Cornelia Woodard


According to a recent survey, nearly half of all mid-level IT professionals could not describe cloud hosting accurately. However, these professionals will have to learn the terminology soon, as more and more businesses are switching over to cloud server hosting. In recent years, providers have worked hard to make cloud computing simpler, and the software, like windows cloud server, has dramatically improved.

The cloud host has changed the face of the industry. Web-based services called server clouds supply all of the applications and infrastructure that a business needs. Machines in a separate location process everything, from email to highly complex data analysis software. Instead of purchasing multiple software licenses, employees simply log into the web-based interface. When employees log into clouds, they have access to every software program that is used by the business.

Clouds provide multiple advantages to businesses. One advantage is that employees may access data at any time, wherever there is internet access, because data is not stored on private hard drives, or in the corporation's internal network. Another advantage is that clouds bring down hardware costs significantly. Instead of purchasing heavy-duty equipment for IT, businesses only have to purchase desktop computers with enough processing power to run the web-based interface.

Public clouds either charge a fee per use, or charge nothing. Most services are labeled using the - aaS suffix, to denote the level of service they provide. SaaS, for example, stands for Software as a Service, while IaaS symbolizes Infrastructure as a Service. After deciding the extent of their support needs, businesses may choose either public or private clouds. Private clouds are slightly different from public clouds. With private clouds, functionality is restricted to a limited number of users. Corporations either host their own private clouds within their IT department, or they utilize private clouds, which are firewalled, within public clouds. Private clouds are right for companies which want to reap the benefits of virtualization, while maintaining a larger degree of security and control.

Clouds may be better for small businesses than for larger businesses. Larger businesses do not realize a great deal of cost savings from converting to public clouds. In the case of a large business, purchasing in-house hardware may make more financial sense, especially if employees do not have the skill level to make the conversion. For a small business, however, clouds are extremely cost-effective, when savings on equipment and software purchases are taken into account. Any service provider should be viable, meaning that the provider has been in business for a while. Also, providers should offer service level agreements, and should make customer service a priority. Customers should be able to run their programs with nearly the same level of speed as they run from an internal network. Additionally, the company should offer top-notch security protocols, and should modify those protocols, based on the needs or regulatory requirements of the business.

Often, clouds are more available and reliable than internal networks, particularly in the event of high-volume usage. On the other hand, companies which run through terabytes of data in a day, may find a better value from purchasing their own in-house equipment, than they would find in outsourcing to clouds. Depending on a company's setup, a server cloud may prove cost-effective, as well as raising the productivity of any business.




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