By 2020, nearly 90 percent of the enterprises in the US will move to the cloud. That includes big corporations and multinational as well as small and midsized businesses. Cloud is the future.

Businesses are spending a major portion of their IT budget on the cloud. It gives them an edge. The benefits are infinite and have been discussed countless times. Any business that remains behind in this race to the cloud may lose the edge, and eventually, the race itself.

Now when you decide to take the ride to the cloud, there are a few critical considerations involved. But before you choose, you need to decide what kind of cloud computing environment you would choose. There are three options: Private, Public, and Hybrid.

These deployment models can impact the overall experience with the cloud. Each has its own set of pros and cons.

Public Cloud

On the public cloud, the services are delivered across the internet and are open to the public. Anyone can use the services depending on the authorization criteria. It can be a free service of a premium one. We have been using public clouds for ages. Our email apps utilize the public cloud. It is a low cost, low maintenance, and flexible option. The vendor is responsible for management and maintenance.

It is suitable when you have predictable needs. It is also preferred for software and test environment. Many enterprise service providers also use it as well. However, it isn’t always recommended due to a security lapse.

Pros

• Public cloud is widely used for many reasons:
• It is a low-cost option since there is deployment or maintenance cost is involved.
• It is easily scalable to cater to an unpredictable workload without excessive cost.
• It is least complicated and doesn’t require high-level IT expertise.

Cons

• Lack of visibility and control can cause compliance issues.
• Flexible cost can increase drastically with large-scale usage.
• Not suitable for security-sensitive applications and mission-critical workload.

Private Cloud

Private cloud is a dedicated solution that can only be utilized and accessed by a single enterprise. It may involve an on-premises data center or a dedicated data center at the vendor’s location. All the resources are isolated through a secure private network. Private cloud solutions are usually customized right according to the needs and demands of the business.

The private cloud offers security and peace of mind and is preferred by enterprises that deal with sensitive data. It is most suitable for industries that are highly regulated or are at higher risk of breach. There are many benefits, but some limitations are also present.

Pros

• You get a highly secure dedicated cloud environment.
• There are compliance-related risks as security can be fully customized.
• It offers scalability with compromising security or performance.
• It can deliver maximum availability and optimal performance.

Cons

• The higher cost is one of the major limitations.
• On-premise datacenters limit its scalability.
• Management and maintenance require high-level expertise.

Hybrid Cloud

Talk about the best of both worlds. Both private and public clouds have their limitations that can put you in a fix, especially if you have a limited budget. Hybrid cloud allows you to enjoy the security and control of a private cloud and the low-cost scalability of the private cloud, and much more.

It is an integrated infrastructure environment that is strategically designed and implemented. A private cloud can be used for critical apps and IT workload, while public cloud can be used to accommodate unpredictable spikes in the workload. This means you won’t have to invest extra cost and effort on additional capacity when needed.

The demand for hybrid cloud hosting has grown exponentially over the years. More and more businesses are moving towards a hybrid environment. The hybrid cloud market is expected to double by 2023, and rightly so.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of a hybrid cloud.

Pros

• It allows for policy-driven deployment and distribution across two different environments.
• Public cloud offers it immense scalability.
• Private cloud keeps it highly secure.
• It offers higher performance and maximum availability.
• Gives businesses more control over every aspect of cloud computing.

Cons

• Depending on the hybrid architecture in place, the cost can be too high for some enterprises.
• The infrastructure can be too complex, and higher-level resources are required to manage it.

Conclusion

Each of the options has its own benefits and limitations. What works for one business may not be the best option for another. Your choice should be based on your requirements, challenges, concerns, and goals. The right choice will help you make the most out of your cloud solution.