Moving to the cloud, is right for my business.

As virtualization, continues to make it easier for IT teams to move workloads to the cloud, many companies are now migrating to the cloud to reduce or even eliminate their data center footprint. With the goal of increasing efficiency and cutting costs, who wouldn’t want to. However C levels are discovering that is can be a complex choice with the multiple cloud offerings, and understanding that some workloads are better suited to on-premise.

Deciding to keep a specific workload on premise or to move it to the cloud requires a lot of planning.

You have made the decision to move to the cloud, but which cloud is best for my business?

There are three types of cloud: Public, Private and Hybrid.

Public cloud is defined as computing services offered by third party providers over the  public internet, making them available to anyone who wants to use or purchase. The third party is responsible to maintain and upkeep all resources. Public clouds can save companies from the expensive costs attached to purchasing, managing and maintaining on-premise hardware, and application infrastructures.

Public clouds can be deployed faster with an infinitely scalable platform.  

Private cloud is defined as computing services offered either over the internet or a private internal network and only to a select users group instead of the general public. Private cloud provides business with the benefits of public cloud, in addition to higher level of security, and privacy.

The main difference is that the company's own IT staff is responsible for the cost and accountability for managing the infrastructure.

A third alternative ( Not really a third) is called the Hybrid cloud, which allows companies to combine both public and private clouds.

Still not sure if the cloud is for you? Here are some key advantages to start moving to the cloud:

Cost savings and ease of use tend to be the main drivers of public clouds. It not only off-loads capital expenditures, but some operational ones too.

Scalability is another advantage. If you have an On-premise DC, the ability to scale on the flys requires, investment and IT resources, while in the cloud with the flick of a switch you are ready to deploy.

By moving workloads to the cloud, you can dramatically increase your IT’s agility to the changing needs of the business.

In the end,  whether on or off premise, the goal is to create an IT environment with significantly lower cost, while accessing more compute power.