Adopting cloud technology is beneficial for business success. But navigating through the technical details and picking the right cloud architecture is tricky.
There are many options to choose from, and you don’t want to select one with no long-term value.
While there’s no cookie-cutter approach to using cloud technology, the following tips will help you to harness its benefits for business growth.
1. Define Your Business IT Needs
Before you sign up for any cloud computing plan, take stock of your companies tech needs. Making a detailed requirements list will help you choose the most affordable plan that meets your short and long-term needs.
Your requirements list should include:
- Data security needs
- Regulatory compliance needs
- Data storage requirements
- Estimated number of users
- Remote or mobile capabilities
- Functional requirements
- Level of performance and uptime
You should also document the existing infrastructure, resources and state your budget or financial constraints. Also, note the benefits you want to derive from your new cloud platform.
2. Understand Cloud Architecture
A good understanding of IT clouds and cloud architecture can help you make informed decisions. Let’s take home construction, for example. The cloud architecture is your home’s blueprint, and the cloud consists of the materials and supplies for the building.
While the concept of cloud architecture is somewhat abstract, you can imagine it as how computing components (hardware and software) are connected to build an online platform for you to run applications and store data.
Today, we can classify cloud architecture into four different groups:
- Public cloud: A cloud service provider offers infrastructure and services to the public. All servers, network infrastructure, and applications are in the custody of the provider. Examples of public clouds are those offered by Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
- Private cloud: When a provider offers cloud infrastructure to one company exclusively for its staff and business units, it is known as a private cloud. The infrastructure may be deployed on-site, at the provider’s premises, or a data center. Some companies that are large enough to own their own cloud may allow a competent service provider to manage it for them.
- Hybrid cloud: When a company uses public and private clouds but links them together to support data transfer and applications for effective load balancing, it is called a hybrid cloud architecture.
- Multi-cloud: A complex arrangement of public, private, and hybrid clouds combined to give the optimum mix of pricing, computing capabilities, and performance over a large geographical area is called a multi-cloud architecture.
3. Select the Options that Meet Your Needs
Now that you know the different types of cloud architecture, which one should you adopt for your business?
Here are some tips that can help you make the right choice:
- Choose a public cloud service when your team needs to work on collaborative projects. You can easily test each project on the public cloud and deploy it to a private one later. You may also use the public cloud to store non-sensitive material.
- Use a public cloud when you need to store sensitive data. It is usually protected by a firewall, and access is limited to authorized users. However, you must note that this model will cost you far more than a public cloud service.
Choosing the right cloud architecture for your business can lead to cost savings, higher efficiency, improved productivity, and better security.
Discover How to Get the Best Service from Your Cloud Architecture
For expert advice on maximizing the use of your cloud service, contact Garden State Computing today. Call us now at 973-636-7350 to book a free consultation.
