For a company or organization, the decision about the type of Cloud perfect for their interests and business is critical. Depending on the type of Cloud we choose, we will have a series of specific characteristics, and we will have access to some levels of security or others. In addition, we will be opening or closing the range of potential users of the services we offer.
Basically, there are three types of Cloud or Cloud:
- Private Cloud.
- Public Cloud.
- Hybrid Cloud.
Each of them, as we will see, is indicated for specific uses that depend, above all, on who we offer the services to and what security requirements we demand. Let’s look at the different types of cloud in more detail one by one.
What is the Private Cloud?
By Private Cloud we mean that model of computing in the Cloud that provides a secure and differentiated environment in which only a specific client can operate.
Like all types of Cloud, it provides computing power as a service within a virtualized environment that relies on physical resources. Being Private, only one company, group or organization can access these resources exclusively, achieving levels of privacy and control superior to the rest of the options.
This privacy and control allows offering greater security than in any other type of Cloud model, and it is achieved by restricting access to physical resources, using dedicated lines or any other severe restrictive measure.
The control obtained by an organization that bets on the Private Cloud is such that it can configure it according to its exact needs, with total flexibility and providing added value in terms of reliability and reliability in the event of any failure in the physical systems.
Other benefits – shared, in a way, with the rest of the Cloud types – are its profitability and the energy efficiency that any organization can achieve by relying on the Cloud.
The first benefit derives from not needing physical equipment – or at least not so many – and reducing maintenance costs; the second benefit derives from not needing to dedicate an exclusive stay to provide the necessary servers and machines and, therefore, considerable savings are made in energy, refrigeration and other concepts.
An example of the use of the Private Cloud could be that of a financial institution that must store confidential customer data internally – something that imposes enormous security requirements, for example, to comply with the RGPD – and that needs a scalable, secure and reliable solution.
What is the Public Cloud?
The Public Cloud is the model under which services are provided in virtualized environments, built on shared physical resources that can be accessed through a Public network. For example, we access it through the Internet, as opposed to restricted, internal and private access to an organization, which is imposed on the Private Cloud.
The Public Cloud has a good level of security for information, but simply because it is publicly accessible and based on shared physical resources, it is incompatible with the level of demand for infrastructure and security of large companies.
Public Clouds typically offer services to private individuals, although companies can benefit from the Public Cloud to make some processes more efficient -and cheaper- such as the storage of non-sensitive content, webmail or to use collaborative office tools.
Typical examples of services based on the Public Cloud are cloud storage services such as Dropbox, for example, even services such as WeTransfer, online software applications, some hosting services or even online development platforms.
What is the Hybrid Cloud?
The Hybrid Cloud is an integration of Private and Public Cloud services that is used in some organizations to offer different types and levels of services.
For example, it is possible to offer a financial institution a Hybrid Cloud service that allows the secure storage of sensitive customer data -in the Private part of the Cloud-, while offering a collaborative editing service of planning documents -accessible from the Public Cloud.
A Hybrid Cloud can be reached through three approaches:
- Or by contracting the services of two different providers, one for Private Cloud and the other for Public Cloud, and integrating the solutions;
- Or hiring a single provider that offers both services;
- Or implementing an in-house Private Cloud service, and integrating a Public Cloud service into their systems.
So what kind of Cloud do I choose for my business?
We come to the key part of this article, which is to answer the initial question. The answer is that it depends. It depends on the needs of our organization, the level of security and reliability we demand, and the resources we have.
Private Clouds are expensive, so it is essential to pay attention to the cost-benefit analysis. Large companies that need to store sensitive data from millions of clients will opt for a Private Cloud system for these uses, even though it is an expensive a priori solution, and difficult and costly to maintain when involving physical equipment at home.
The Public Cloud can be the first option when it comes to speeding up processes at low cost and with good security -but without extreme requirements-, making it a very interesting option. We have to remember that security in the Cloud is flawless -no matter how Public it is-, as we describe in this article.