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PUBLIC CLOUD VS PRIVATE CLOUD

PUBLIC CLOUD VS PRIVATE CLOUD

Do you want to use a cloud solution for your business but you don’t know how to choose?

In this article we’ll talk about the main cloud computing solutions, underlying the differences among them.
Cloud computing services are primarily divided in public cloud, private cloud and another mixed solution, hybrid cloud.
What are the benefits and the disadvantages of each solution? What service could be the best for your company?

Let’s see now the main cloud solutions in the detail.

Public cloud

Public cloud is supplied by an external provider that makes available IT resources needed to sustain a business through the network. It is a cloud infrastructure shared by multiple users, in which the provider handles the configuration and the management too.

Benefits:

  • Reduction of costs
    One of the main advantages of public cloud is the reduction of costs, resulting from the disposal of IT infrastructure maintenance and IT management staff costs.
  • High scalability
    Resources are provided “on demand”, so is easier to change the level of their use.
  • High availability
    Using public resources, a greater availability is ensured: if a data center suffers a disruption, the loads will be redistributed to the remaining data centers, guaranteeing a continuous access to the resources.

Among the disadvantages, you can find a low level of data security, because the access is not reserved to the single organization. At the same time, data are not inside the company, but are stored in a shared infrastructure, which doesn’t ensure a high security.

Private cloud

Private cloud has the same basic features of public cloud, with the difference that is a solution dedicated to a single company: the cloud infrastructure is owned by the organization, which has the exclusive and total control of data and resources. Usually this kind of service is managed by the IT staff of the company, therefore IT infrastructure and specialized personnel costs are not eliminated.

So the main difference between public and private cloud solutions is related to the data positioning, that could be allocated in places owned by the company or in a data center, and especially to the higher security, useful for businesses that handle sensitive data.

 

Benefits:

  • Data security and higher control on them
    As we just said, the main benefit of private cloud compared to the public cloud is the greater security of data. Companies that handle sensitive information, like financial institutes or banks, need to protect their environment and through the private cloud they can do it in total safety, having the complete control of the infrastructure.

Disadvantages:

  • Higher costs
    Private cloud is a more expensive solution, both for the fact that is a dedicated infrastructure, and because expenditure about IT architecture and specialized staff are not reduced, as happens with public cloud. However, many providers offer “fully managed” private cloud services that include the infrastructure management, by allowing companies who don’t have IT staff to take advantage of this solution’s benefits.
 

And what about hybrid cloud?
Hybrid cloud can be described as a mix of the two previous solutions: it provides for an integrated use of the two systems, combining private and public cloud in order to fulfill the company’s needs. Manage hybrid cloud is more complex, but it is a very versatile solution capable to offer tailored cloud services.

Now that we have seen the difference between these cloud solutions, what are you waiting for to choose the best one for your business?
Fill the form below and contact us, our team is always available for a free consulting!

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CLOUD DESKTOP BENEFITS

CLOUD DESKTOP BENEFITS

Do you know the benefits of Cloud Desktop?

Last week we talked about the Cloud Desktop, also called Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and we saw what kind of solution is. In a few words, the Cloud Desktop is a technology that allows to access remotely to the desktop environment from any device or place, using the potential of virtualization.
But why is Cloud desktop so useful? What are its advantages? Does your business need it?
Today we are going to answer to all these questions and we’ll see all the specific advantages of Cloud Desktop’s usage in companies.

Here’s the main benefits of this virtualization solution:

– Mobility
The most important benefit is surely the possibility of access from anywhere and any kind of device. This means that will be easy and cushy working at home, during holiday, travelling or during business journeys. Not only, it’s useful also for business or clients meetings, by allowing a rapid access to all the information needed.

– Security
The Cloud desktop is a good solution also to protect data and information, always available that way. For instance, if a device is broken or lost, no data will be compromised. All the information is saved on the data center’s servers, ensuring a better security than a traditional desktop.

– Optimization
Desktop virtualization ensures another relevant benefit: the workstation environment’s optimization.
Do you have temporary collaborators or projects? After the initial configuration, you can create a new workspace easily, in few click, and save your time. Moreover, updates installation and maintenance are easier to manage and control.

– Just one system to troubleshoot
The Cloud Desktop is very useful for system administrators too. Problems can be solved from whithin the data center and there’s no need to run to the actual workstations anytime.lavoro.

Next time we will talk about Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC): stay tuned and keep update with cloud computing news!

 

 

Do you think that Cloud Desktop could be good for your business?
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WHAT IS A CLOUD DESKTOP?

WHAT IS A CLOUD DESKTOP?

Cloud Desktop or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: what is it?

With this article we came to the description of the last virtualization solution mentioned in the last posts.

As often happens, there are several ways to name the same kind of technology: a Cloud Desktop, named also Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or Virtual Desktop, is a machine accessible remotely from any browser. With a Cloud Desktop you can get a workstation always ready and access to all your data and information wherever you are.

This means that in each workstation instead of having a personal computer, you will find a less expensive hardware device, with the only function of connecting monitor, mouse and keyboard to the remote desktop.

Through virtualization of all desktop’s elements, the system will be more flexible and safer compared to a traditional desktop model. Indeed the Cloud desktop supports a better disaster recovery plan because all data are saved in the data center and, therefore, backups are more secure thanks to the completely redundant infrastructure.

You may be wondering, what is a Cloud Desktop for?
It’s a functional technology from many points of view: mobility, security, optimization. We’ll see all the benefits in detail next time, so keep following us!

Do you think that Cloud Desktop could be the right solution for your business?
Don’t hesitate to contact us: you will be immediately call back by our experts for a free consulting!

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VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVER VS CLOUD SERVER

VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVER VS CLOUD SERVER

What is the difference between Virtual Private Server (VPS) and Cloud Server?

As promised, we are going to give a deeper look into the virtualization solutions that we saw in the previous post. Today we are talking about Virtual Private Server (VPS) and in particular we are examining the difference between VPS and Cloud Server, two kinds of infrastructures on which there’s often a bit of confusion.

Let’s start from the beginning: what is a VPS and what are its features?
Virtual Private Server is a machine with its own RAM, storage, processor and applications, able to share its resources through the virtualization technique.

From the technical point of view a cloud server is the same of a VPS, but there are some fine distinctions that we are going to see now in the next lines.
We can define a cloud server as an evolution of the traditional VPSwhich is able to offer more benefits for companies.
But what kind of differences are we talking about?

The cloud server  offers the so-called scalability, that means you can change your cloud server’s hardware resources in real time with a few simple clicks, and pay-as-you-go.
It’s just at the economic level the further distinction with VPS: they are generally payed with monthly or annual plans, according to the profile type chose in the activation’s phase. With a cloud server you can pay-as-you-go with a hourly fee, so you pay only resources you really need for the time you actually use them.

Scalability and pay-as-you-go are the main differences between the two infrastructures, but let’s see the other benefits of a cloud server compared to a VPS.

  • Flexibility
    Thanks to scalability the cloud server has the advantage of being more flexible, because the amount of resources used can be changed whenever you want according to your needs, quickly and simply.
  • Cost reduction
    Equally, paying only resources actually employed, you save a lot of money compared to a VPS. Accordingly, a cloud server allows users to take advantage of dedicated resources at a very low price.
 
    • Reliability and security
      Resources are allocated to several machines, ensuring a lower risk of downtime and therefore a higher reliability. A cloud server is more reliable than a VPS also in terms of security: data are redundant on different machines and sometimes also in different geographical areas. On the contrary, with VPS data are redundant on one machine and, in case of malfunction, the risk of suffering damage is surely higher.

    Now that we have clear ideas about the difference between VPS and Cloud Server, we can go on to the next virtualization solution: next time we’ll talk about the Virtual Data Center (VDC) and its features.

    Do you think that your business needs a Cloud Server but you don’t know how to start? Just contact us for a free consulting: our experts will help you to find the right solution for your company!

     
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HYBRID CLOUD

HYBRID CLOUD

Today we talk about the third type of cloud: the Hybrid cloud.

Hybrid cloud is a cloud computing environment which uses a mix of private cloud and third-party public cloud services with orchestration between the two platforms. By allowing workloads to move between private and public clouds as computing needs and costs change, hybrid cloud gives businesses greater flexibility and more data deployment options.

Cloud Computing: Hybrid Cloud

Cloud computing type: Hybrid Cloud

An enterprise can deploy a private cloud to host sensitive or critical services, but use a third-party public cloud provider to host less-critical resources, such as test and development environment. Some example scenarios that would adapt well in a hybrid cloud are the following: Disaster Recovery and Remote Encrypted Backup.

Being able to access Public Cloud’s flexibility and scalability eliminates the need for a company to make big investments to cover short time limited needs. The public cloud provider supplies compute resources, and the company only pays for the resources it consumes. Despite its benefits, hybrid cloud can present some challenges. It must be possible to access and interact with public cloud providers from the private one, so the two cloud require a high level of compatibility depending on what level of automation wants to be achieved.

Adopting hybrid cloud enables customers to segregate the costs of using cloud services for specific tasks such as backup, archiving, and disaster recovery. It can be considered a step up on both private and public cloud, since it offers the security of private cloud and the cost benefits delivered by the public cloud. The private cloud elements allow enterprises to keep control of their critical data and applications without loosing the flexibility of the public one.

There are apparetly no downsides to adopt this type of cloud computing, but still there are some situation in which it is not possible or not recomendable to use this solution. Security concerns are by far the major reason why organizations are not using the hybrid cloud right away. If the data must be kept at all stages under strict control, then the public cloud can’t be considered. Another aspect that needs to be remembered is the fact that using both solutions requires a high level of expertises in the company’s IT team. The requirements and the needs might change from time to time so it would be impossible to relay on someone who is not expert in the field to decide weather or not using one or the other solution for a new project.

The benefits of the Hybrid Cloud:

  • All the benefits of the Public Cloud & Private Cloud

The disadvantages of the Hybrid Cloud:

  • Requires a high level of expertises

In conclusion we can say that the Hybrid Cloud is for sure the best solution that combines all the benefits of the previous two, but at the same time requires a high level of expertises in the company in order to maintain and manage current and future needs.

If you are interested in having more information about Hybrid Cloud take a look at CriticalCase’s cloud solutions or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

 
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PRIVATE CLOUD

PRIVATE CLOUD

Today we talk about the second type of cloud: the Private Cloud.

Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers similar advantages as the public cloud, but through a proprietary architecture. Unlike public clouds, which deliver services to multiple organizations, a private cloud is dedicated to a single organization. As a result, private cloud is best for businesses that require direct control over their environments.

Cloud Computing: Private Cloud

Cloud computing type: Private Cloud

A private cloud provides the same basic benefits of public cloud. These include self-service, scalability, multi-tenancy and the ability to change computing resources on-demand. It is of course possible to use tools to track computing usage, but in this specific scenario it is usually used for accounting reasons than for actually billing purpose since usually the hardware is already owned by the company.

Usually, if a private cloud is adopted, the company is responsible for managing it, so, as a result, private cloud deployments carry the same staffing, management, maintenance and capital expenses as traditional data center ownership. There are anyway many service providers that will offer you a complete private cloud solution keeping the maintenance of it.

If the cloud is hosted in the company’s datacenter, the provider is actually only outsourcing the resources needed to manage it, while if they keep the hardware and only give the customer access to it, you might want to make sure that they are actually using dedicated hardware to provide your service. Once again it is very important to check the terms and condition of the contract you are signing with your provider.

Assuming that the location might not be or not be in your private datacenter, the main difference from public cloud services is the security level. The private cloud is usually hosted behind a firewall even if accessible from the Internet, in order to minimize the security concerns and needs some organizations might have. Private cloud also gives companies direct control over their data. It works on the same principles of a public cloud, but with only you (or your organization) having access to it. The main benefit of choosing a private cloud is the greater level of security offered making it ideal for business users who need to store and/or process sensitive data. A good example is a company dealing with financial information such as bank who are required by law to use secure internal storage to store consumer information.

On the other hand, the downsides of private cloud services include a higher initial cost, although in the long term many business owners find that this balances out. It is also more difficult to access the data held in a private cloud from remote locations due to the increased security measures and it might be necessary to develop proprietary applications and software to allow the user to use the cloud resources since the public ones might not always be secure enough.

The benefits of the Private Cloud:

  • Easy scalability
  • Increased reliability
  • Improved security
  • Greater control over the server

The disadvantages of the Private Cloud:

  • A higher initial cost
  • More difficult to access the data

In conclusion, the initial cost of setting up private cloud services may prove to be cost prohibitive for a small businesses, although with long term use this soon evens out. It really depends on the nature of the business when deciding whether the additional cost is worthwhile. In some cases it might be mandatory for your business to adopt this type of cloud computing, but if it is not, our advice is to always consider very well how important the data you are storing in the cloud is.

If you feel that your needs are in between these two solutions, don’t miss our next article. We will be talking about the Hybrid Cloud.

If you are interested in having more information about Private Cloud take a look at CriticalCase’s cloud solutions or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

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PUBLIC CLOUD

PUBLIC CLOUD

In today’s article we analyze the first type of cloud: the Public Cloud.

Let’s start with a definition. A public cloud is one based on the standard cloud computing model, in which a service provider makes resources (VPS, IaaS, PaaS or SaaS) available to the public over the Internet. Public cloud services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage model.

Cloud Computing: Public Cloud

Type of  Cloud computing: Public Cloud

As you can see the accent is on where the data (VPS, Infrastructure, Platform or Service) is stored. In case of a public cloud the resources are stored on the service provider’s servers and storage. The customers will be able to use and reach them through the Internet. The services provided are offered to multiple clients who all share the same hardware. Some of the most common real world examples of public cloud services include services like cloud based server hosting, storage services, webmail and online office applications.

One of the main benefits that comes with using public cloud services is near unlimited scalability. The resources are offered ‘on demand’ so any changes in activity level can be handled very easily.

The vast network of servers, storage and datacenters involved in public cloud services means that it can benefit from greater reliability. Even if one datacenter fails entirely, the network simply redistributes the load among the remaining ones making it highly unlikely that the public cloud would ever fail.

The benefits of the Public Cloud:

  • Easy scalability
  • Cost effectiveness
  • Increased reliability

The disadvantages of the Public Cloud:

  • Security
  • Data location

As a conclusion we can say that the Public Cloud is ideal for you if you are not storing sensitive data and you don’t have the need to constantly control, secure and locate your data. In this scenario you depend completely on your provider. If for any reason he looses part of your data and you don’t have a backup of it out of the Public Cloud you are using, there is no way you can get it back or try to restore it, because you do not have access to the physical servers and storages.

How important is the service, data or infrastructure you are hosting on the Public Cloud?
Do you know what SLA your provider is offering you and what are the limits of its responsibilities?
These are questions you should ask yourself before you start using this type of cloud computing. In this scenario, more than in any of the following that we will talk about, it is absolutely important to trust the provider.

If you are interested in having more information about Public Cloud take a look at CriticalCase’s cloud solutions or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

 
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CLOUD COMPUTING: PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND HYBRID

CLOUD COMPUTING: PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND HYBRID

Now that we have talked about the different layers of cloud computing it’s time to understand a bit better the different types of cloud that are available out there.

Once you will have decided which level is the best fitting for you business (IaaS, PaaS or SaaS) the next choice you will have to make is between: Public Cloud, Private Cloud or Hybrid Cloud. All levels can be found in these different “flavors”, but there is a huge difference in how this option changes the way they are used and delivered to customers. It is though very important to understand the characteristics of each of them in order to make a conscious choice from the very beginning.

Cloud Computing: Public, Private and Hybrid

Types of Cloud Computing: Public Cloud, Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud

The differences between private cloud, public cloud and hybrid cloud for enterprise are as many as the types of data they store. Sometimes these differences narrow, but each type of cloud computing has different levels of security and varying degrees of management. One may be more flexible or scalable, while another might be more affordable.

There are of course a lot of factors to consider before choosing one or the other, but in my opinion the first ones should always be privacy and security. Once again it is very important to double check with your provider what are the boundaries of the contract you are signing so that you know from the very beginning what are the limits of the solution you are purchasing.

I will now give a very short definition of each of these different options and we will then discuss them more in details in the following articles.

  • Public Cloud: A public cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are provided off-site over the Internet by a Provider.
  • Private Cloud: A private cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network. They are usually inside a company’s datacenter, but can also be provided by a third party Provider over the Internet. The key feature is that no one else other than the company owning the private cloud has access to any layer of the cloud (from hardware up to the application level). Everything is dedicated to one specific customer.
  • Hybrid Cloud: Is a mix of Public and Private Cloud

It might seem at this point that the difference is only a matter of location of the cloud, but as we will discover better in the following articles, it’s not only that. Privacy and security are actually the two parameters involved when it comes down to draw a line between the three groups. This division is for sure more blurry that the one between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, but not less important. Our goal as usual is to try and give you a better understanding of what your options are in order to allow you making a more conscious decision.

If you are interested in having more information about Cloud Computing take a look at CriticalCase’s cloud solutions or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

 
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SAAS CLOUD COMPUTING – SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE

SAAS CLOUD COMPUTING – SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE

In this article we finally get to the higher level of Cloud Computing Services: SaaS or Software as a Service.

Cloud Computing Services: SaaS

Cloud Computing SaaS – Software as a Service

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. It is sometimes referred to as “on-demand software”. Software as a Service – SaaS has become a common delivery model for many business applications, including office and messaging software, payroll processing software, DBMS Software, management software, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), invoicing and much more. One of the biggest pluses of this type of solution is to reduce IT support costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance and support to the SaaS provider.

Software as a Service – SaaS removes the need for organisations to install and run applications on their own computers or in their own datacenters. This eliminates the expense of hardware and maintenance, as well as software licensing, installation and support.

As all the other Cloud Computing levels a SaaS model include the following advantages:

  • Flexible payments.
  • Scalable usage.
  • Automatic updates.
  • Accessibility and persistence.
  • Turnkey solution.

You can easily subscribe to a SaaS offering and pay for the service on a monthly basis using a pay-as-you-go model. As any other Cloud based system, Software as a Service – SaaS offer high scalability, which gives customers the option to access more, or fewer, services or features on-demand. The SaaS provider will automatically perform updates and patches, further reducing the burden on in-house IT staff. Since SaaS applications are delivered over the Internet, users can access them from any Internet-enabled device and location. A SaaS software is already installed and configured. In a couple hours you can have the application ready for use. This reduces the time spent to install and configure and completely removes any issues related to these aspects. Hardware, software license and support costs are included in the SaaS solution making it easier to estimate the overall cost in advance compared to the traditional model.

SaaS – Software as a Service is the perfect solution for your business if you don’t want to worry about any aspect of the internal IT processes, but only use the advantages of one or more specific softwares. You will just have to keep in mind that if you choose this type of service you rely almost completely on your provider. He will have keep that software up and running, track and report accurate billing and facilitate a secure environment for the business’ data . Providers that experience service disruptions, impose unwanted changes to service offerings, experience a security breach or any other issue can have a profound effect on you, so you should understand their service-level agreement, before adopting their solution especially if that software is a core element of your business.

If you are interested in having more information about SaaS take a look at CriticalCase’s Virtual Data Center or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

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PAAS CLOUD COMPUTING – PLATFORM AS A SERVICE

PAAS CLOUD COMPUTING – PLATFORM AS A SERVICE

Let’s move from the bottom layer of Cloud Computing to the middle layer. It is here that we find PaaS or Platform as a Service.

Cloud Computing Services: PaaS

Cloud Computing PaaS – Platform as a Service

PaaS Platform as a service is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining an infrastructure typically associated with it. We are therefore moving from the infrastructure level up to the development level. This layer is designed and thought for developers to help them develop and test apps without having to worry about the underlying levels. Developers don’t want to deal with provisioning servers, storage and backup. They want to write code and be able to make changes to it. All the back-end work about setting up servers should be done automatically and transparently in the background, and that’s exactly what Platform as a service (PaaS) aims to do.

Think about IaaS as the layer thought for System Administrators, while PaaS is the one thought for Developers. PaaS works on top of IaaS and will do all of the infrastructure configuration automatically. PaaS thus has all the features of a IaaS system, but in addition it adds a layer able to auto-configure the IaaS layer.

Let’s focus once again on what the provider is supposed to do. In a PaaS environment, the service provider not only is responsible for provisioning and managing the lower level infrastructure resources, but also for providing a fully managed application development and deployment platform. PaaS provides the developers with the appropriate flavours of operating systems, databases, middleware, software tools and managed services, usually in a multi-tenant environment. The biggest added value of PaaS is that developers are completely abstracted from the lower-level details of the environment, so they can fully focus on writing code without having to worry about scalability, security and availability.

PaaS helps businesses to minimise operational costs and increase productivity through a quicker time to market. There is tremendous cost and time savings with a PaaS approach, and with the right strategy, PaaS can be a real game changer.

How do you find out if PaaS is the right solution for your business? If the answer of one or more of the following question is yes, then you are probably a valid candidate to a PaaS solution.

  • Is your organization paying a lot in IT maintenance and software licensing?
  • Is your organization losing ground because it can’t new types of products or services out the door fast enough?
  • Is the IT department simply the “managers of things” instead of being focused on the services they are delivering?
  • Is it difficult to introduce new technologies in your IT department?
  • Is your IT department mainly focused on the development side rather than on the infrastructure side?

Hardware and software licenses are required for in-house platforms and these cost, need updates and refresh every couple of years. Whereas PaaS subscriptions can be tied to actual functioning projects or requirements and there are no hardware costs. Launching new initiatives is often subject to a long process of approvals and PaaS-based services provide a shortcut to quickly get the tools and infrastructure elements needed to make innovation happen. By moving to PaaS-based services, IT managers can focus more on improving, rather than worrying about hardware and software patches.

If you are interested in having more information about PaaS take a look at CriticalCase’s Virtual Data Center or contact us with the form below. One of our experts will help you finding the right solution for your need.

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