Why private cloud adoption is set to grow in 2020

The benefits of adopting private cloud are numerous, explains Jon Lucas, co-founder at Hyve Managed Hosting

We’re currently navigating an era where digital transformation is no longer optional, but essential to business operations. The so-called ‘new normal’ is starting to take shape, and it looks like many businesses will be considering cloud-based solutions to facilitate agile and, where possible, remote working.

I expect those able to move from on premise to secondary locations – either permanently or as a short-term measure – to be extra concerned over data security. After all, the exchange of information outside of the company’s usual boundaries can pose a significant threat of data leakage. 

In this case, whilst any cloud environment requires robust anti-virus and firewall protection, private cloud solutions offer increased peace of mind to decision-makers. By utilising hardware solely dedicated to the needs of the organisation, sensitive information is kept safe and secure. 

This is possible by what the industry calls a single-tenant cloud architecture. Think of businesses as tenants. But, in this case, they are looking for hardware to house their data.

Public clouds, as the name suggests, typically host hundreds of different tenants at the same time. Data is kept completely separate, but hardware, power and cooling are all shared. Private clouds, on the other hand, offer completely independent databases, instances of software and the supporting infrastructure to individualised clients. 

The infrastructure is designed by Systems Architects based on each company’s individual requests, ensuring that it has sufficient resources to manage all applications and data required. The hardware is then ordered, and the cloud platform is pre-configured and built in the testing area before being shipped to the data centre, where the equipment is installed and finally tested.

Such personalised configuration allows for direct control of the infrastructure, whose management in turn lies with the cloud hosting provider. In the event of a physical server or operating system failure, company managers can rest assured that a specialised IT team will be dedicated to solving any issues. 

Cloud access is also more secure with a private cloud environment, because it is accessed through private and secure network links, rather than the public internet. Additionally, instead of a pay-as-you-go approach, private clouds offer a fixed billing model, which ultimately allows businesses to plan growth and budget more effectively in the long run. 

Such benefits are particularly interesting for companies who are able to predict workloads or those with specific customisation requirements, as well as businesses in regulated industries that need to adhere to compliance, governance and security conditions. Finance and Government, for instance, are most likely to adopt a private cloud solution, as the dedicated infrastructure allows for complete control over data and applications.

But, of course, the main benefit companies would gain from adopting a private cloud solution would be the virtualisation of IT systems common to all cloud offerings. The flexibility provided enables different applications and operating systems to operate remotely on different connected devices. 

Ultimately, private clouds deliver similar advantages to public clouds, such as scalability, but with added security and control through a singular architecture. It is interesting, however, to notice a growing number of companies opting for hybrid cloud solutions.

Hybrid cloud uses a combination of IT solutions to make the most of the security and control of private cloud alongside the flexible and cost-saving elements of public cloud. Some parts of the data can be hosted in the public cloud, freeing up extra resources for more sensitive data that requires storage in a private cloud environment. 

Hybrid clouds are ideal for businesses that deal with fluctuating usage, where there’s no need for high resource levels to be available at all times. It is also a great solution for companies that need to easily migrate to and from different computing environments, as the different cloud solutions work in conjunction with each other, making business operations more streamlined. 

Of course, what works for each company depends on their preferences in terms of data and applications, existing legacy infrastructure, and security and compliance requirements. However, I predict a rapid growth in the adoption of hybrid and private cloud solutions, especially when technology has proven to be a powerful and I dare say crucial weapon for businesses to thrive in times of uncertainty.