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Cloud computing implies a scalable potential and can be quickly implemented into the organization considering the business needs. Cloud systems provide improved customer support and innovative services. The range of cloud providers is vast, and mostly they have similar services. The choice of cloud providers can be defined by the cloud strategy that is created according to your organization’s requirements.
Cloud strategy considers the workflow specifications, the applications your employees use, and other components that help you make the right choice of the provider. Does this approach suit my company? What cloud strategy is a perfect match for my business goals? What options should the cloud strategy include? Read about these and other things you are curious about in this article below.
Public cloud vs private cloud
Before entrusting your company data to a cloud, you need to clearly understand what types of cloud exist, what their differences are, and if they suit your company requirements. There are three types of clouds:
- public
- private
- hybrid
Let us describe the peculiarities of each cloud in more detail.
Public cloud
The main principle of the public cloud is sharing the data is managed by third-party providers. This type of cloud reduces the costs spent on storage maintenance and can be scaled to any sizes. It usually implies a pay-as-you-go model, so each client pays only for the used services, not for all existing in the cloud. However, public cloud storage has particular limitations:
- sharing the data are with limited configurations and the same infrastructure
- the security is managed only by the provider, customers don’t have additional guarantees about the data privacy
41% of all enterprise workloads are currently running in some type of public or private cloud.
Private Cloud
A private cloud is a service that is developed and integrated considering all business objectives of a specific company. It has a similar efficiency level compared to the public cloud but the cloud owner has full management and control over the data and its security. It mostly suits large-sized companies that care about privacy and law regulations a lot. As the cloud is private, it can be customized according to company applications and the entire network perfectly meeting the company needs. Nevertheless, the limitations are the following:
- it does no provide on-demand scalability as it is built specifically to the organization and its number of employees
- if you want to expand the cloud, it may take much costs and time
So here comes a question – which one is the best choice for my business? So here are a few more words about cloud types suitability.
The public cloud is a perfect match for complicated work processes that are happening in a high-performance environment. Why? These processes contain vast amounts of data and sometimes need to scale the borders. The pubic cloud is flexible and can cope with resource requirements so, in this case, will suit best.
Talking about the private cloud, it is great for data management, including databases and analytics services. When a company`s sensitive data is used in the workflow, a private cloud is also a better choice. It is worth marking the most popular private cloud providers, among them are Kubernetes, Swarm, VMware.
Cloud migration advantages
Despite many business company do not hurry to transit to a cloud system, it is a beneficial decision for the organization. We highlighted the main positive sides of cloud migration and explained why this tendency is so popular among modern business owners.
- Provides technological updates without interrupting the work of the entire system. Most companies imply system or application changes due to customers’ expectations, needs, and feedback. The cloud model lets employees upgrade particular applications and don’t wait for the system general updates.
- Today most business companies work remotely as the pandemic forces everyone to stay at their homes. Each organization looks for and implements cloud-based collaboration tools to provide real-time project management despite the location and time zones. The cloud model keeps all the data in one place and makes it accessible for all employees. Such tools also unite the company even if the workers don’t have the ability to work from offices. Among the most popular applications are Trello, Jira, Asana, and many others. All of them have similar options and suit various industries.
- Cloud-based services shorten the time of data recovery in case of natural disasters or outages. Compared to on-premise services, cloud systems recover the data 11% faster.
- Cloud systems usually have a pay-as-you-go model so you don’t have to spare money for investment. You pay only for the services you use but not for the whole infrastructure. As it is a cloud solution you have no problems with the server, configurations, and environment upgrades that save much work time.
Top cloud services providers
The number of cloud providers on the market is large. They offer particular ranges of services and cloud approaches. The choice of the cloud provider depends on the business goals and company specifications. Additionally, you’ll need to find and hire a team of developers who successfully transmit all your work process to the cloud.
Most often we choose AWS as the industry leader.
Altamira System admin
Amazon Web Services
Amazon web services count hundreds of customers all over the world. It provides services for companies of all sizes at a low cost. The yearly Amazon revenue is about $20.4 billion. Its popularity can be explained by numerous useful features as a cloud provider:
- scalability – option of auto-scale and load balance to a particular situation;
- low cost- pay-as-you-go model where you need to pay only if you use services;
- flexibility – you can choose a suitable solution considering the programming model, operating system.
IBM Cloud
IBM provides the full-stack cloud platform that operates in diverse environments – public, cloud, and hybrid. IBM cloud offers AI tools and advanced data to use your data and approach it to AI. Among the reasons to choose IBM cloud are:
- new users can choose the services from reusable service catalog created by other users for quick app deployment;
- as IBM cloud operates in different environments, the process of workload migration and managing is rather simple;
- IBM supports the DevOps approach. It offers a full range of services – from developing to maintaining the applications;
- IBM cloud provides building applications on different programming languages.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure counts the largest number of data centers, it is about 54 worldwide. Among the main benefits, we would like to highlight:
- it provides a hybrid environment that lets users develop and maintain applications on self-hosted as well as the cloud server;
- it boosts productivity in the way connecting applications, data, and devices with Azure logic apps;
- authorization specifically for each user that increases data security;
- Microsoft Azure strictly complies with international privacy regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, FeDAMP, and others.
Google Cloud
Google Cloud provides cloud computing services that include data storage and analytics, data security, open and multi-cloud, the same infrastructure as all Google apps use. Their also Google Cloud Blog where users can find the latest news and changes in Google. The benefits are the following:
- the global infrastructure that is used for all Google apps;
- you an learn the customer cases to see how Google Cloud is used for business;
- tracking and implementing the latest product updates.
Oracle Cloud
Oracle Cloud provides a smooth transition from on-premise to a cloud-based system. It suits companies of various sizes and industries. Oracle Cloud has the capacity to connect work operations in different locations, devices, and time zones. To mark the main benefits:
- fast cloud migration process due to numerous automation tools;
- provides a hybrid environment when you can easily manage your applications of on-premise and cloud services.
Criteria for cloud strategy selection
Cloud providers offer different cloud strategies that suit particular industries and organizations. The choice mostly depends on business objectives that should be reached with cloud migration. We advise you to consider the following points before implementing the cloud strategy:
Security
Security is the main priority in cloud computing. So before choosing the provider, you should property check its suitability to your industry, regulations, and use cases, etc. Data security demands scrupulous attention. You need to set clear security goals and compare them with the function that providers offer. There are diverse options that keep your applications and data safe and sound. Cloud providers usually divide the loads between several parties and entrust some responsibilities to them. Then, you need to consider the prices of the services and what exactly they include as the total amount can be much more than you expect.
Compliance
The next step in choosing the cloud strategy is its corresponding to your industry and company. A cloud platform should comply with all your requirements considering GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and others. As your apps and data are processed in a public cloud server, you need to understand to achieve compliance, and if the provider can give it to you.
Architecture
Cloud provider`s architecture should match the requirements of your work processes. Initially, you should choose the vendors that provide easy integration and correspondence. Storage features are also obvious to consider. There different types of storage that meet different demands. Generally, the storage can be hot or cool. All of them have diverse prices and particular limitations.
Manageability
Your business applications should be easily integrated into a cloud system or a cloud system should offer similar applications to replace the old ones. However, if the applications are essential for your workflow the choice of the cloud services depends on them. In case if you integrate new applications make sure that employee training wnt take much time, effort, and money.
Service Levels
This point is all about a legal contractual relationship with the cloud provider. As you trust a third-party your private company data, you need to ensure that it will be safe and regulated according to Cloud Service Level Agreements. It is vital to build an official agreement with the cloud provider due to GDPR and provide additional lawyer support in case of need.
Support
As you integrate a new system into your workflow, there are numerous questions that you will be concerned about. Thus, it is obvious to consider what kind of support your provider will offer to solve the issues. We recommend figuring out this point before you choose the right cloud provider for your organization.
Costs
Considering all components that we counted above, all of them influence the total sum for cloud use. It is important to check the price of the provider services as well as the cost of additional applications that this provider will offer to you.
Risks of cloud migration
Migration is a part of the cloud strategy you build. You expect this process to be smooth and accurate. However, there some issues that you need to consider during the migration phase. They are worth attention before you sign up for the contract with the cloud provider.
The cloud transition process seems to be complicated and long-lasting. It can take from several weeks up to 2-3 months. Therefore, the most important step is planning the cloud strategy to make it a perfect match for your workflow. It helps to reduce the challenges and fasten the migration.
What should cloud strategy include?
There are main components that cloud strategy should include we would like to highlight them for you to know what features you need to pay attention to more when it comes to the cloud provider choice.
- Scalability – the current company situation and the growth that is expected for the next several years.
- Business objectives – what goals should be reached and problems resolved with cloud implementation.
- Correspondence of capabilities and objectives – check if the provider offers the required application for the full-fledged workflow.
- Current and desired state of the organization – analyzing the company efficiency before the transiting and building plan for the next years.
- Dependencies – define what support the provider offers.
- Risks consideration – take into account internal and external risks of cloud migration.
- Organizational recommendations – think of creating specific standards and policies.
- Stakeholders – stakeholders’ involvement is obvious in the execution of the cloud strategy.
- Support documentation – supporting policies, strategies, and lawyers in case of violations from the provider`s side.
- Testing phase – before choosing and executing the cloud strategy, you have to be 100% sure that it suits your organization. The development team you hire should provide some tests to check what type of cloud your company requires and if any cloud strategy can fit you.
As software developers, we most often need: minimize costs at the development stage; be able to scale quickly when starting a project; minimize costs for technical support after launch. The public cloud is perfect for this.
Altamira System admin
Why do you need a cloud strategy?
Initially, we would like to bring a complete guide on how to choose and execute a suitable cloud strategy discussed with the experts to your attention.
There is a tendency in the cloud approach among modern organizations. However, not all stakeholders figure out the details and importance of choosing a cloud strategy. A cloud strategy meets all demands and objectives of your organization, considering the workflow specifications and existing applications used for work processes. The strategy builds a suitable path to cloud migration reducing risks for your business. Cloud strategy helps to avoid mistakes in choosing providers, implement the required applications, and also optimizes budget as this is vital to consider the cost you are going to spend for a cloud provider.
We also recommend downloading and checking out the doc we added below. It contains real examples of cloud strategy building and executing for different cases.
How to provide a migration process?
If you want to make the process of cloud migration smooth and fast, you need to hire a team of developers who have experience in this area. With this task, you can easily trust outsource services. Compared to an in-house company, it has a range of benefits like:
- you save many costs as you do not pay for office rent, recruitment, and other things; you are willing to pay only for the work time spent on your project;
- the implementing stage will start and consequently faster as developers are engaged particularly in your project;
- you can choose the level of skills and check the experience of developers before hiring.
FAQ
All in all
The key point is choosing the cloud strategy and the cloud provider is long-term thinking. Business companies tend to grow and expand their borders. Before the migration, you need to consider analyzing the current state of the organization and build a plan for future development. This will define what cloud strategy will be the most efficient for your company.