With a private cloud computing environment, you own your computing resources. They are always available when you need them, giving you complete control over how they are used and when. You won’t need to worry about other users taking up resources when you need them most.
Deploy your private cloud on-premises, in an off-site data center, or in a virtual environment to save on costs and maintenance time. When you own your computing environment, you can customize it to meet the unique needs of your growing business.
Private cloud environments add an extra level of security to your computing environment. If your organization handles sensitive data or needs to comply with strict data regulations, a private computing environment can help you ensure data is only accessible to the right people.
With complete control over your environment, you can even install your own security systems and protocols. Access your private cloud using secure network links or maintain your own data center to ensure your infrastructure is secure and directly accessible.
In a private cloud environment, you define the rules on how applications are deployed, ensuring maximum compliance with any relevant industry or international regulations. If you handle sensitive data, you can configure security in your private cloud to meet standards like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and more.
In a public cloud environment, there’s no need to purchase or maintain hardware or software. Simply access resources through a cloud service provider and pay only for the computing power you use.
This makes public cloud a highly cost-effective solution for companies that need computing resources but can’t deploy their own data centers. They can shift capital and operational expenses to their cloud provider and launch new projects faster with minimal upfront costs.
Public cloud computing environments are designed to be flexible and scalable. If you need additional computing resources for a short period, simply lease them from your cloud service provider. Scale your infrastructure up and down as you see fit.
If you represent a growing business, you can access the resources you need without the trouble of installing new servers or other computing resources. Public cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services have virtually limitless resources, so you’ll never run into barriers to your growth goals.
Most public cloud providers guarantee a certain amount of uptime. Even in the event of an outage, you won’t have to worry about fixing the problem yourself. Your provider will maintain their servers and data centers, so they’ll be responsible for getting your resources up and running as soon as possible.
Uvation’s team of skilled technicians are ready to help you design a computing environment that will serve the unique needs of your business. We can help you keep sensitive data secure and comply with relevant regulations without sacrificing any of the computing benefits of the cloud, whether you’re seeking a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment.
Contact us today to start building your ideal cloud infrastructure.
When an organization needed additional computing resources in the past, one of their only courses of action was to purchase and install new computing equipment (“hardware”) on-site or to expand their private data center with additional space and servers. This placed scalable computing out of reach for most businesses, as only the largest companies could afford those costs.
Cloud computing emerged as an industry in the early 2000s specifically to address this problem. Most industry experts credit Google CEO Eric Schmidt for coining the term “cloud computing” in 2006, but the concept has existed since the dawn of the computer age.
The central idea behind cloud computing is the availability of computer system resources on demand. This includes data storage capabilities as well as processing power without direct management from the user.
Cloud computing technologies include computing components like hardware (servers), software (often Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS), and infrastructure (often Infrastructure-as-a-Service, or IaaS) that enable users to access resources remotely.
Perhaps the most obvious example of cloud computing is the widespread use of consumer cloud-based storage solutions, such as Dropbox and Google Drive. Users can store files and data remotely for free or for a fee, thereby renting a small number of cloud computing resources on an interim basis.
The key difference between cloud computing and on-premises computing is that the hardware that makes computing possible is not located on-site. In other words, instead of relying on the desktop computer in your office or the server in your company’s server room, you leverage external hardware remotely—that is, over the internet—to process data, store data, or run applications. That means you don’t need to purchase hardware yourself to gain additional computing power, nor do you need to maintain a data center, which can be prohibitively expensive.
Most cloud computing technology uses virtualization to provide on-demand data storage and computing power as needed. But some businesses need a dedicated infrastructure due to their computing demands, the sensitive nature of their data, or the regulations that affect their industry. In some cases, businesses are better off maintaining their own data centers or renting dedicated resources from a cloud service provider.
Therefore, there are different types of cloud infrastructures that businesses can deploy. These are private clouds, public clouds, and hybrid clouds.
The public cloud refers to any computing resources that are offered by third-party cloud service providers over the public internet. As we mentioned, some virtual private clouds are built into existing public cloud networks. The key difference is that public cloud resources are available to anyone who wishes to purchase them, and they are often available temporarily when companies need to scale up during peak periods.
Public clouds allow companies to obtain a cloud infrastructure without needing to purchase, configure, and maintain on-premises hardware. Public clouds are also almost infinitely scalable.Employees can access computing resources over the public internet through the same application, and the entire infrastructure is managed by the provider.
Public cloud is the most popular type of cloud environment because it is more affordable and can be deployed very rapidly. Top public cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services are now important partners for any number of companies that needs computing power. As it stands, the worldwide public cloud market is expected to grow from $525.6 billion in 2023 to $881.9 billion in 2027, Statista reports.
The only drawbacks to the public cloud are that you must relinquish some control to the cloud service provider. They’ll manage the hardware and the data center, and they may have limits as to how you can configure your infrastructure.
Some companies believe the public cloud is more vulnerable from a security standpoint, but it can be just as secure as effectively managed private cloud environments. Many cloud service providers can offer security features, and you can partner with security experts like those at Uvation to ensure your environment is kept safe from attacks and breaches.
Put simply, a hybrid cloud environment combines private and public cloud environments to provide the benefits of both for a company. Any computing environment that combines a private cloud with one or more public cloud services could be considered a hybrid environment.
Generally, users can navigate between each cloud environment seamlessly. This type of uniform management is often preferable to managing each cloud environment separately, as it reduces the risk that there will be redundancies between each. Uniform management also keeps the entire cloud ecosystem more secure.
The key benefit of hybrid clouds is that they give businesses a certain level of control over part of their environment while providing them with the rapid scalability of the public cloud on top of it. Companies that house sensitive data but don’t want to be restricted by a fully private cloud often turn to a hybrid arrangement, as do companies that have long used a private cloud but are ready to scale up their computing power only incrementally by accessing limited public cloud resources.
Hybrid cloud environments are popular in the finance and healthcare industries. Both industries need scalable computing power, but they are also subject to strict privacy regulations. However, any company can reap the benefits of a hybrid cloud.
Building a successful cloud environment is easier than ever, but it still requires a cohesive strategy. You don’t want to pay for resources you aren’t going to use, nor do you want to lock yourself into a contract that doesn’t suit your needs.
Uvation provides companies with technical cloud expertise and strategic advice, so they can build a computing infrastructure that helps them grow.
Cloud environments are sustained by physical hardware like servers, network infrastructure, switches, and routers. But cloud services are delivered via multiple “as-a-Service” formats, which make up the key types of cloud computing technologies of which you should be aware.
IaaS is a model that proves your company with instant access to computing infrastructure via the internet. Through IaaS technology, you can leverage servers, networking firewalls, security features, and resources associated with the data center’s physical plant, such as power.
IaaS is the most basic delivery model for cloud computing resources, and each “as-a-Service” model is dependent upon it. You can use IaaS to quickly test applications, back up data, conduct data analysis, and more. But keep in mind that IaaS won’t provide you with an operating system or other types of management tools.
PaaS provides you with the same resources as IaaS, but it also includes an operating system and some types of development and database management tools. PaaS is a popular option for companies that don’t want to install their own operating systems, or who don’t have the technical experience to configure their environment.
SaaS provides you with the same types of resources as PaaS, but only to run a specific hosted software application. These types of services are usually provided under a subscription model through the company that makes the application itself.
For example, if your organization uses a contact relationship management (CRM) system, it is likely a cloud-based SaaS product. That means you are leveraging the providers’ computing power, but only to use the CRM.
Choosing the right cloud environment can sometimes be confusing, but we at Uvation can guide you through the process of transforming your computing infrastructure.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a critical measure for modern cybersecurity. This is especially true within highly sensitive industries such as finance, where the payoffs for criminal attacks are substantial—even from attacks on smaller firms.
