Overview of Private Cloud and Data Center Options for Enterprise Storage

Ability to shift highly complex compute workloads away from on-premise facilities to remote is one of the most sought after attributes of the cloud adoption. The sophisticated and ever evolving cloud technology makes it difficult to understand and choose myriad of cloud computing and other cloud-associated hosting options. 

To make things more complicated, there are many non-standard terms that are used by software professionals working in the domain of cloud computing. As a result, choosing the right kind of cloud solution can be overwhelming. In order to simplify the complex subject of cloud computing, one must get acquainted with terminologies that are related to data centers as well as private clouds. 

This knowledge can be subsequently used for simplifying the otherwise complicated process of choosing the right cloud solution to host mission critical data. The two important alternatives for hosting extremely important data are private cloud and data center. 

Private cloud and data centers 

If you are under the impression that a private cloud is designed to substitute a traditional data center, then you are grossly mistaken. Although, these two are supposed to leverage the technology of virtualization for isolation of workloads from a legacy technology, there are a number of other attributes that distinguish each other in terms of applications, resource provisioning, business continuity and dynamic scalability. 

Public clouds are generally referred to as data center facilities that can be procured from service providers’ data centers. These are designed to share compute and storage resources with other users. However, if you are in search of a dedicated infrastructure for managing more intense and mission critical workloads, then a private cloud can be the right choice. Unlike public cloud, a private cloud infrastructure can either be built within the premises or can be hosted in provider’s data center. 

Requirement of a dedicated resource of data center infrastructure due to security and compliance objectives is a major factor that governs the decision to adopt a private cloud environment. The most logical approach for deciding between private and public cloud solution is to understand the nature of workloads that can be managed by using colocation, public cloud, and on-premise data centers. 

The commonest considerations that can influence such decision are actual requirements of workloads in terms of elasticity, compliance, and security.  Understanding these factors can help you choose between private or public cloud solutions. 

Relevance of workloads

The importance of workloads in the entire decision making process must be understood in the context of compliance and costs. Depending on the nature, volume, or type of workloads, one can easily decide to go for a long term and large-scale storage resource.  In addition, one should also consider testing environments, presence of sensitive information, demand fluctuations in applications, and seasonal factors to name a few. 

Private cloud infrastructure is imperative is you are going to deal with predictable demand and need to access a high performance and secure platform. A private cloud setup is also required for maintenance of a sparingly used application. 

Understanding the right value of infrastructure

As mentioned earlier, your workloads are important deciding factors while selecting a private or public infrastructure. These will also drive your choices for settings for building infrastructures on-site or at provider’s data centers. Just like other processes of decision-making while evaluating the options for hosting, one should be very careful about selection of the right hosting service provider.

A private or on-premise hosting arrangement can also be governed by the physical distance between user segments and the location of business. The other factors including financial investment, real estate, redundancies, and control related aspects also play vital role in determining the most optimum data center options. 

Ability to handle load fluctuations

Unless you have acquired a thorough understanding of the pattern of workloads and their related demands, it would be difficult to accomplish a perfect cloud deployment. Ideally, you need to build the infrastructure that obviates excessive capital investments while dexterously managing peak-time workloads.

You should also understand that procurement of surplus dedicated resources is bound to impact cost calculations. This underlines the need for precise mapping of workload demands to make sure that peak time needs are met without any stress on costs. Necessity or need for a dedicated resource through cloud adoption can also be determined by correct mapping of workloads. 

In terms of actual deployment, a private cloud can be provisioned by adopting a variety of means. These include hired private cloud services, colocation services, and on-site deployments of private cloud solutions to name a few. Among these options, the on-site infrastructures can be considered as purely dedicated private cloud deployments. While contemplating to adopt private clouds, it is essential to analyze actual needs of compliance, costs, elasticity and workloads. 

In conclusion

There is a simultaneous and significant growth in number of options to store business critical data in direct response to the extensive adoption of virtualization technologies. This signifies the need to understand useful features of private cloud and data center infrastructure in relation with specific workloads in an organizational setup.