Do businesses really need Private Cloud?

The surge of businesses adopting Private Cloud solutions might seem a little strange, to those on the outside. All their hardware and computing power, off-site. All their data (trade secrets, even), in some intangible network of hard drives – and not under lock and key, in their own server room.

With third-party solutions, they don’t even own the hardware they’re using. So, where’s the value? Is Private Cloud just a trend – or is it really the way forward for data-reliant businesses?

It all becomes a little clearer when you look at how technology and working practices have evolved in the last few years. And when you look really closely, you’ll see that there actually comes a point where siloing your resources on-site becomes reckless.

Let’s explain.

The Cloud: you’re already there

Google Drive, Office 365, Dropbox, Adobe CC – your business is probably using at least one of these services in some capacity. Even if you’re using a laptop, desktop or mobile with natively installed apps, those products are essentially services. You don’t own the infrastructure that they run on, or the storage that the files you’ve created with them live on.

But these platforms have enabled the remote working revolution. They’ve freed up the need for complex, expensive on-site infrastructure. They’ve leveled the playing field of computing power and storage across every size of business. This is absolutely the right direction, and that’s why businesses are going for it now instead of waiting to get left behind.

And therein lies the beauty of the Cloud. Everything, everywhere – on any device. You’ll never run out of resources. You’ll never have to upgrade or modernise your data infrastructure. It’s all someone else’s problem.

You pay for what you need, and the service provider gets it for you, at a far lower rolling cost than you could ever achieve with your own hardware and infrastructure.

Except, there’s a catch. The services listed above are examples of Public Cloud; generic Cloud services, running on shared hardware that serves everyone equally. This can mean limited bandwidth and standard hardware. Which is fine for some applications, like personal Cloud storage, or non-critical Cloud backup services. But remember – if it goes offline for one person, it’s probably going offline for everyone. And if data gets lost, corrupted or stolen, it’s probably never coming back.

How is Private Cloud any better?

The difference between Public and Private Cloud

What is Private Cloud, and how is it different to Public Cloud?

Like the Public Cloud, a Private Cloud solution is an internet-connected storage and computing hub. It’s where you can run software or processes, store and share documents – and do all the usual collaborative and intensive things you’d do in the Cloud.

The difference is that Private Cloud solutions are used exclusively by one business.

You can own and manage the hardware yourself, but at the enterprise or government scale, it’s much more common to find Private Cloud solutions hosted in a data centre, managed by a third-party.

The exclusivity of Private Cloud means a few things;

• You can achieve specific IT requirements, on custom-designed hardware
• Your hardware, bandwidth and security are never compromised or shared
• You can scale at the same quality and service level, with (almost) no limits

But that’s just the start. The killer feature of a Private Cloud solution isn’t the speed, the ultra-low latency or the near-limitless scalability: it’s the iron-clad security and the near-indestructibility of it.

Resilience is Private Cloud’s killer feature

Maintenance is a 24/7 process. In world-class data centres running custom-made hardware, cooling, power and bandwidth are always available.

Always. Even in a catastrophe.

Double redundancies are built into network switches, mains power and backup generator power. Further to this, the Private Cloud installations we manage at the GS2 Data Centre and Volta (London’s premier data centres) are reinforced with uninterrupted power supplies and 24 hour refuelling contracts, to keep those generators running indefinitely.

Well, until there’s a permanent power fix, at least.

That’s not the kind of thing you can do in-house without building a world-class data centre for yourself. And Public Cloud services, while robust enough for general use, can’t match that kind of redundancy. Combined with hourly backups, within the data centre and in assured off-site locations, the resilience of Private Cloud is peerless.

Simply put – Private Cloud is way, way less risky than keeping your data and resources siloed in-house. It’s as good as indestructible; any scenario that would impact business continuity would probably also be the end of the world.

When you reach a certain organisational size, and have a level of dependency on your IT and remote service infrastructure, Private Cloud becomes the most viable, resilient and affordable option.

It also becomes the simplest.

Simple, secure and scalable

A third-party managed Private Cloud couldn’t be simpler. At deeserve, we offer an all-inclusive Private Cloud service, with solution design, hardware installation, upgrades, maintenance, licensing and renewals – you name it – all included.

That’s not the only thing that gets simplified. Security and confidentiality are tightened, too – far beyond the capabilities of an in-house or Public Cloud solution. First, there’s elite-level physical security on-site, eliminating unauthorized access to the data centre as a whole. Access to hardware is restricted further, with keycard entry systems – and permissions are completely user-defined by key decision makers in your business; not by the service provider.

So… Do businesses need Private Cloud?

It’s plain to see that Private Cloud is all but essential to high-demand services and enterprises. It’s the preferred platform for government agencies, financial institutions and large companies with business-critical data operations – because of its resilience, scalability and simplicity.

As a service, Private Cloud takes the responsibility of maintenance, upgrading and scaling out of your hands and puts them into someone else’s; so when you choose to migrate to a Private Cloud solution, you’d better make sure you choose the right partner.

Custom-designed Private Cloud solutions

At deeserve, we know how to build Private Cloud infrastructure – and our London data centres are highly regarded as some of the best in existence. Our expertise has made us the trusted Private Cloud partner to some of the biggest companies in the world.

Want to learn more about our Private Cloud solutions? Call us on 01509 808586 or send your message to [email protected].

Posted on: 4th November 2021.