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private cloud ; multi-cloud or hybrid cloud . Which is best ?
It ’ s all dependent on requirements . The IT has to fit the need – you might be using applications or handling data that needs to adhere to particularly stringent security policies . In which case , public cloud probably won ’ t be the answer for that element of your business and private cloud , on-prem or colocation would perhaps be the better choice . However , that ’ s not to say that you can ’ t then use public cloud solutions for your comms – of course you can . You might also , for example , be running a unique line of business application that is slightly old and clunky and just won ’ t work in the cloud . So that might sit on-prem . And there you have your blended IT solution , your hybrid platform .
Although , it ’ s best not to get too hung up on the terminology , or even be too precious about what type of solution you have . The better option would be to find a partner or provider that can really get to know and understand your business needs and offer a consultative approach to discovering the right IT infrastructure for you .
The term ‘ cloud provider ’ is far too general . All providers build their clouds differently with varying degrees of investment and built-in resilience – not to mention support and migration assistance . One size does not fit all .
It ’ s better to consider all the factors that are relevant to your business , look for providers that meet those needs and make sure you ask the right questions . And it ’ s not just technical or technology related factors that need to be considered . You also need to look at things like data sovereignty , security – both digital and physical – redundancy , energy efficiency – ask your provider where your data would physically be held ? How secure is the building ? How secure is the platform ? What accreditations are held by the providers you are looking at ? What is their approach to cyber and information security like ? What happens in an outage ? Can you go on a tour of the facility ? Can you take clients on tours of the facility ?
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