How to choose the right cloud service

Deciding which cloud service is the right for your business is not necessarily easy, with all the different services available today. In order to choose the right cloud solution, it is critical to understand the impact the cloud solution might have on your IT operations. We provide you with a short guide on how to choose the right cloud platform that suits your company’s needs depending on the level of security your business requires, the different kind of applications you wish to access in the cloud and your business’ in-house IT expertise.

Cloud solutions for small and medium-sized businesses

Public clouds are especially well suited for small to medium-sized businesses that have limited IT expertise in-house and small IT budgets, but want to support profitable growth and be able to respond to business possibilities in the market with greater agility, and at the same time get access to modern up-to-date applications. Public clouds are cost-effective and flexible, and thereby convenient for fast growing small and medium-sized companies.

Small and medium-sized companies might also choose a hybrid cloud service for certain types of cloud-based applications. You might use a cloud-based CRM service but keep other business applications, like accounting, on your own network. This hybrid cloud model can be a secure way for smaller companies to ease into cloud computing, as you can choose what data is accessible through the cloud.

Cloud solutions for large enterprises

For larger companies, a private cloud might be a more beneficial solution, as they are privately built and operated for just one company. Private clouds are built and managed on the business’ own network by their internal IT staff which means that they require a high level of IT expertise in order to maintain and operate the IT infrastructure. Additionally, it is also possible to implement non-standard functionality in a private cloud, which can give a higher degree of flexibility for the users.

Private clouds are usually more expensive than public clouds and take longer to get up and running, but in return they offer more privacy resulting in more control over data and higher security. However, if your workload is predictable and static, it might be more cost effective to use a private cloud. With a static workload you will not need to set up servers for unpredictable amounts of data, and you do not need the ability to downsize during more quiet periods. Both are primary drivers for choosing a private cloud. Therefore, for highly predictable workloads, a private cloud might make more sense than a public cloud from a financial perspective.

When deciding whether to invest in a public, hybrid or private cloud, it is not just about being cost-effective here and now. It is about choosing the right solution that supports the specific needs of the business in the long run, in order to secure long term growth for the business. Because cloud computing is not just an efficient way of storing data, it is a central component of modern business strategy, affecting not just IT infrastructure, but the company’s overall business operations.

Related: Cloud hosting vs. Server hosting.