What are the Pros and Cons of Hosting Your Own Cloud Storage?
Cloud computing has had a revolutionary impact on the way IT services are provided over the past decade, and today the ubiquity of third-party cloud solutions means that a lot of organizations do not even consider the option of creating a private cloud setup for storage purposes.
This is still a potentially appealing possibility and could benefit some businesses more than others. It’s just a case of weighing up the benefits and downsides to come to a decision, so let’s do just that!
Security & control
The primary perk of hosting your own cloud storage is retaining complete control over both the software and the hardware, rather than having to relinquish this to a vendor or run the risk of having to share resources with other users and open yourself up to cyber threats.
This might not be a selling point to some, but for companies that are keen to guarantee compliance with stringent industry regulations regarding data privacy, it could be crucial. For example, healthcare organizations that need a HIPAA-compliant cloud storage setup may prefer the private route over the public cloud.
Obviously, the added control means that you have more decisions to make, and more management responsibilities to take on board.
The good news is that you can hire third-party IT professionals, like the team at USWired in San Jose, to take the reins for you and provide support as needed.
Cost
The price of cloud computing is often reputed to be lower than the on-site equivalent setup, and this is certainly true if you opt for a public setup. However, if you take matters into your own hands by handling the hosting yourself, this will clearly be quite a bit more expensive.
Aside from the aforementioned maintenance considerations, there is also the cost of the hardware itself, as well as the price you’ll pay to power it, cool it, and generally keep it going without downtime arising.
There is a middle route, in the form of hosted private cloud storage. This type of package lets you essentially rent out hardware in a remote data center, providing you with sole access and complete control of its resources. Such solutions are more affordable than in-house setups, without sacrificing the benefits of govcloud hosting. For more information on govcloud hosting, you can visit GoToMyERP at https://www.gotomyerp.com/govcloud-hosting/.
Flexibility
With the choice and control you have in a private cloud storage context, you can also be incredibly flexible both in terms of how you set your infrastructure up, and what you use it to achieve.
Whether you are simply looking for a storage solution that will act as a backup and recovery repository for mission-critical data, or you need a place to house information that is accessed frequently throughout the day to keep an application or website up and running, you can mold your cloud storage to suit any requirements you have.
Furthermore, if you are worried about the compatibility and integrability of third-party cloud storage solutions, such concerns will not be present if you are the one calling the shots with your own setup.
Complexity
As a counterpoint to the appeal of flexibility, there is no getting away from the complexity of hosting your own cloud storage, whether in-house or at a remote data center.
It’s not just the maintenance concerns covered earlier, but also the fact that you will likely be faced with an overwhelming amount of choice with regards to how you configure all of the components of the software and hardware.
So as you can see, adopting cloud storage is not a decision to take lightly, and it pays to plan thoroughly and do your research to get it right.
