The cloud has come here to stay, and as time progresses, more options in both public and private cloud storage systems become available. Both public and private cloud computing offers the ability to expand data servers quickly in addition to providing virtual resources and instant provisioning.
Private and Public Cloud Servers:
Public Trade-Offs:
By nature, public cloud options are less secure, but this allows for a large scope of activities and functions that would be unavailable in a private setting. The best way to describe this type of server is a multi-tenant situation. A person who buys into a shared cloud space rents the server room on a community server that is shared with other tenants. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to this system, or trade-offs:
• No contracts – For people that do not want to be tied down to a contract, public cloud options are ideal. People who are dissatisfied soon after logging onto the server can cancel at any time.
• Self managed – The self-managed aspect of most public cloud options is great for people who do not want someone else controlling important servers, but is less advantageous for someone who is not as tech savvy as an IT guru.
• Basic model – The type of server a person has access to in a public cloud is usually “pay-as-you-go.” This means that the more someone wants to invest, the better the performance. This is cost efficient for those that only want basic utilities and does not want to pay for all the bells and whistles.
• Shared machines – The reasons public options are more affordable is that many users share a single server. This saves money but means privacy is not guaranteed.
• No control over hardware – With this more affordable option there comes the significant downside of having no control over hardware performance. If an upgrade is needed, the user is dependent on the provider to make those upgrades.
Read: The Benefits of VPNs
Private Cloud Computing:
Although private servers perform the same basic functions as public options, the setup is completely different. According to ServerCentral, rather than sharing with many tenants, a private cloud server meets the needs of one user. Private servers also have their fare share of pros and cons:
• Privacy compliance – industry compliances are much easier to be granted through a private server since the data is being accessed by one client only.
• Control – Private users have much more control as to the hardware and software used on its server. This means the network is customizable to the needs of the user rather than the client needing to adjust to the provider.
• Hybrid options – In the private setting, it is possible to combine servers for a hybrid solution of both dedicated and virtual servers.
• Security – Perhaps the most notable and valuable advantage to private cloud settings is increased security. With only one client given access to a private cloud, the data is much more secure thanks to robust security features that would be impossible in a public setting.
A private server is not for every situation, but for large or mid-sized companies, a private virtual world may be just what they need to continue to do business efficiently. Companies and individuals should take these aspects of both public and private computing solutions into account when deciding what to do about their own server needs.
