The first thing that comes to anybody's mind when one hears about Cloud Computing is that it is a very cost effective solution for the hardware infrastructure. Also another advantage of the Cloud Computing is that it is easy to setup, maintain and scale. These are very attractive offerings that Cloud brings on table, but before we jump to any conclusion we need to know a few basic things about Cloud Computing. There are two major categories in which Cloud computing is offered. One is the Public Cloud and other is the Private Cloud. What is available easily online and ready to use kind of Cloud infrastructure is categorized as Public Cloud computing. The main difference between public Cloud and private Cloud is that the public Cloud infrastructure is shared between many and all can access it, whereas private Cloud is not shared and can only be accessed by you. Following are few things to be remembered when you think about Cloud computing as your solution.
Public Cloud Computing:
In simple words, Public Cloud computing is nothing but computing infrastructure that is shared by many as per their requirement over the public network (Internet). This similar to food court in a shopping mall where basic seating infrastructure is shared by many stall vendors. Basic infrastructure is laid down by one service provider and used by many stall vendors who want to run their food outlets. Since the infrastructure is shared by many each one has to pay much less for the infrastructure cost than if they had gone for exclusive infrastructure. Since the infrastructure is laid down considering multiple users and scalability, it is very easy for any one of the users to grow bigger for a short period of time. The only scenario of food court that we can’t relate with Public Cloud infrastructure is that full capacity infrastructure in used and the stall vendor can’t accommodate a new guest. Primary reason for this is that Cloud service providers keep almost 90% of their resources idle to handle such peaks, so that no one runs out of resources at any point of time. As these are few advantages of Public Cloud Computing it also has a few disadvantages. Public Cloud computing comes with fixed set of configurations and you need to choose between those.
If you have different requirements than the predefined set then nothing much can be done. This similar to the stall vendors in food court. For eg, if they need a table for 6 people, but tables are available only of 2, 4 or 8 people seating then they cannot rearrange the seating as per their needs. You have to compromise on Reliability and security if you go for Public Cloud instance. Since the infrastructure is shared among many and it is on same network and physical hardware, you are under serious security threat. Also no Public Cloud service providers take responsibility of keeping the instance up and running. They only guarantee they take is making sure that infrastructure is available. This means that if your instance crashes because of virus attack then you will loose all your data unless you keep updated backups. In Public Cloud computing you need to have a good administrator to manage the instances as the complete responsibility of managing Public Cloud instance is on the end user. To use many features of Public Cloud you need to use their SDK to activate those features. This may go against the utility of Public Cloud. So is Public Cloud Computing really useful is debatable. Yes, there are few areas where Public Cloud is best suited. Public Cloud Computing is best suited to do feasibility and performance study of your new application in various environments. It is also best suited for POC kind of projects where you are not sure about the success of project and don’t want to invest a lot in the infrastructure.
Private Cloud Computing:
Technology wise there is no difference at all in Public and Private Cloud Computing. The only and big difference is that Private Cloud is not shared by many and it is accessible only to you. Security point of view Private Cloud is more secure than Public Cloud. Also they are more reliable than Public Cloud as the service provider offers support services including backup for Private Cloud. Private Cloud Computing can be configured as per your requirements and can be customized based on your needs. Since it is customized to your needs it is not all that cost effective as it is a case with Public Cloud. So you will me ask me what is
difference between outright purchase of hardware and Private Cloud. Major advantage of Private Cloud is the scalability that it offers. There is a risk always in buying hardware outright because you invariably end up over or under estimating hardware needs. And once procured the hardware you cannot change it easily. But in Private Cloud it is easy to scale up or down. All the advantages of Public Cloud may not be fully applicable for Private Cloud. Similarly problems faced in Public Cloud such as security, reliability, etc are taken care of in Private Cloud. Private Cloud Computing is best suited for start-ups who are not sure about their requirements to begin with. They may also not be able to project their future growth. Private Cloud helps any start-up as you can start at a very small level and can grow big in small time without much of hassle. It may not be as cost effective as Public Cloud but it surely lightens your burden on the financial front.
PS: In the food court example is written from stall vendor prospective and not as end user.
Gadgetdost Verdict:If you are looking for a platform to test your new IT innovations, Public Cloud is for you… And you’re ready with your solution and want to unleash it in the market but not sure about response then Private Cloud will help your cause.
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