There is a growing need for IT departments to maximize the value of technology while simultaneously minimizing the operating costs of the underlying infrastructure. This is further complicated by ever-increasing levels of scrutiny against business cybersecurity practices, in the form of stringent data protection regulations.
To manage these growing demands, IT teams are turning to modern solutions like cloud data centers, which offer on-demand computing resources and built-in security adherence managed by the service provider.
Some popular public cloud providers and partners with Trianz include:
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Oracle Cloud
With the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasting that spending on cloud computing will exceed $270 billion by 2021, it’s clear that the cloud is the platform of choice for most businesses. Despite this fact, you should still err on the side of caution and perform a full assessment of your needs so that you can choose the right platform and implementation for your business.
The Two Main Types of Cloud
There are two main types of cloud to be aware of, with each suiting a different kind of business:
The Public Cloud – An external third -party service provider manages this type of cloud provision. The computing hardware is contained within the service provider's data center, where they perform maintenance on systems and handle overall network security. These service providers can offer great value for money through the sharing of pooled computing resources.
For example, a single server in the data center could host services for multiple customers at once. Each customer will request a specific number of virtual processing cores (vCores), along with memory and storage capacities, depending on their needs. Any residual processing power on the same server will be assigned to other customers, maximizing utilization and minimizing costs for the provider, which is then passed down to you in the form of savings.
For highly sensitive computing tasks, this can pose a problem. Shared computing resources have the potential to leak information between end-users on the service, meaning extra consideration should be taken before storing highly confidential customer data on this type of server instance.
The Private Cloud – This is where the private cloud comes in. Instead of using a shared cloud server, you’ll have access to your own private server in the cloud. This provides an extra level of protection, as your server is essentially placed in a Faraday cage, separate from every other user on the service.
You will have a dedicated server, which you can utilize as much or as little as required. This lack of resource sharing means private services are typically more expensive than public cloud provisions, but the extra investment can be justified if you’re handling sensitive customer information in the cloud. The service provider will also segregate your network traffic, creating your own virtual private network.
Simply put, the private cloud can be viewed as a more individually dedicated, security-conscious version of the public cloud, albeit with a bigger price tag.
Assessing Your Cloud Requirements
When prospecting for the ideal infrastructure solution, you must first determine both your computational and security requirements. You should also compare your current running costs to the estimates shown by your service provider of choice, to see whether the move makes economic sense.
Computing Resources - All our partnered providers offer something called auto-scaling, which monitors your current utilization against the maximum available resources in your current plan. This allows you to increase the availability of computing resources during instances of peak traffic, before scaling back down during quieter periods to minimize financial waste.
Cloud Security - They also provide various security tools, including user access controls, disk and network traffic encryption, and comprehensive security monitoring suites. You should invest time researching offerings from individual providers to find a cloud solution suited to your business security needs.
Cost Assessment - All service providers will offer an upfront estimate of both monthly and annual costs based on your resource demands. Many providers also incentivize their service with free trials or trial credits, so you can test your new infrastructure and get an idea of the running costs before you commit to a purchase.
Your First Step Towards a Cloud-Based Future with Trianz
Trianz is a leading cloud consultancy firm, with decades of experience helping our clients to assess, test, and migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud.
We thoroughly assess every attribute of your current infrastructure, identifying potential hurdles you may encounter so you can confidently migrate your existing services. Our expert team of consultants can recommend the ideal combination of software and hardware packages for your business, to incorporate and innovate upon your existing corporate IT strategy.
Follow in the footsteps of thousands of our other successful clients by getting in touch with the cloud consulting team at Trianz today!
