Clouds in the sky appear, block the sun for a while, only to disappear again. But that is the exact opposite of cloud computing, which is a safe place to store all your business information and to access it from anywhere. Using a cloud means that you use a network of remote servers instead of local ones or PCs to store and manage your own company data. Since the establishment of cloud computing in the 1990s, there have been popular cloud models such as Private Cloud, Public Cloud, Hybrid Cloud and Multi-cloud.

Working in a bespoke software development company with experience in developing software solutions for clients in leading industries from healthcare, banking and transportation, I know the value of a private cloud implementation. With business intelligence being one of the most crucial business assets in our digital age, private clouds come with numerous advantages such as secure containment of customer data and higher server protection. Furthermore, private clouds play a crucial role in providing business continuity and service availability. 

Before we go into deeper details of the private cloud solutions, let’s elaborate on the differences between the various cloud technologies. First, we have the public cloud, which is a multi-tenant virtual data pool coming from hardware capacities of third-party vendors. Although businesses share computing power with many other users, public cloud solutions ensure that the different customers’ data are managed securely and separately from each other. Plus, since several customers share the infrastructure, the services are usually more cost-effective than in a private cloud. 

Speaking of private clouds, this is a term that encompasses the operation of IT resources with exclusive access for a group of users (e.g. a whole company, a franchise group or a business department). The idea is to make the company’s virtual resources (documents, code, all private data) available on-demand and flexible for access from anywhere. Hybrid clouds, on the other hand, are a mixture of one public cloud and one private one as a united entity used to eliminate workload migration, enhance stability and reduce operational complexity. Finally, multi-clouds refer to a cloud model when a company used multiple clouds to manage its data, operations and services.

The technical basis of the private cloud is lightweight data virtualization. Thankfully, today’s virtualization capabilities make it possible to decouple IT services and resources from physical hardware devices. As a consequence, business applications and services no longer require local end-devices or internal servers to operate but run virtually in a cloud. The performance and bandwidth of the private cloud are exclusively available to authorised users, eliminating the restrictions due to the simultaneous use of third parties. 

A private cloud is an optimal solution, especially for companies that have to adhere to strict data security and compliance regulations, for example, in the healthcare sector or within the banking industry. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with lower budgets can effectively benefit from private cloud solutions without the need to hand over the control of their business-related data and IT infrastructure to another external provider. Plus, private cloud capacities can easily be adjusted as the company grows, which gives it additional scalability and flexibility. 

5 Reasons to Invest in Private Cloud Implementation Services:

In comparison to the public cloud, a private cloud provides a significantly higher security level and control. It is also characterised by its flexible application, as the services are scaled according to the company’s individual requirements, which means a more efficient way of working is achieved.

Once authorised, company members can effortlessly access data on the private cloud via the company’s own internal network or by using Virtual Private Networks (VPN). For this to happen, individual users are given the necessary rights to authenticate themselves to the cloud services. As a rule, external access to a private cloud is secured by a firewall, which protects individual computers or an entire computer network from illegitimate access from outsiders or malicious attack attempts.

One of the most obvious reasons why companies research their options on private cloud implementation is cost reduction. If done in-house, building a private cloud requires extensive technical know-how and often costs companies a lot of time and money. 

However, in most SMEs, such resources are either very limited or practically nonexistent, which can make building a private cloud a real challenge. In such cases, the managed or hosted private cloud is the most affordable option for businesses.

With a private cloud, your company can individually choose the cloud server model. That means that if you only need pure cloud hardware, you can purchase Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Here you have full control at the basic level and can set up your operating systems there independently. 

In case you want to simulate local, fully set-up workstation computers for your employees in the cloud, you have the option of Platform as a Service (PaaS). However, it is also possible to provide only the software you need via your cloud provider, which is called Software as a Service (SaaS).

Another essential advantage of private cloud solutions is that they come with permanent automated data storage. To prepare for emergency situations and avoid losing critical business data, every company should have a backup strategy in place. Cloud backup creates a backup of all the files kept by the company, which are then saved in a remote location where you can conveniently access them using only an Internet connection.

Plus, using a private cloud lets you plan automated data backups while storing and processing service apps data without any disruption of everyday business operations. This helps make the tedious chore of manually backing up data on a daily basis much easier. You choose what you want to backup and when you want it to run, and the cloud handles the rest.

Generally, the utilisation of a private cloud also brings great advantages for the entire IT structure of a company as it enables far more efficient and connected workflows. Above all, if your business uses a private cloud, this automatically accelerates IT processes, making your company much more competitive. Let’s take the software development industry as an example.

Cloud platforms such as AWS, initially only offered data storage and computing power, began with the introduction of a broader ecosystem of services - from managed database and analytics services to container runtimes and serverless functions. This standardization became possible because a cloud environment mitigates the risks associated with differences between hardware and operating systems. By standardizing software development and giving colleagues direct access to a cloud environment that is currently being worked in, team members can split up tasks, check each other’s work and collaborate more efficiently. 

According to https://www.globalscape.com/solutions/what-cloud-integration, companies that use cloud data integration operate more effectively and nimbly.

Aleksandrina is a Content Creator at Dreamix, a custom software development company, and is keen оn innovative technological solutions with a positive impact on our world. Her teaching background, mixed with interests in psychology, drives her to share knowledge. She is an avid reader and an enthusiastic blogger, always looking for the next inspiration.