Do You Have Your Own Connection To The Public Cloud? If Not, Get One - Now

To say that the public cloud is growing would be something of an understatement. Recent research from the International Data Corporation’s public cloud spending report finds that global investment in the public cloud will reach $122.5 billion this year - that’s nearly seven times the rate of overall IT spending growth.

Today organisations and businesses in the public and private sectors are using the public cloud to reap significant benefits from their IT infrastructure: cost, ease of use, scalability to name just a few.

And many of them, perhaps like your company, is using the public cloud to do so. The public cloud - delivered by providers including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Vmware- is an obvious first choice for businesses:

• Some public cloud platforms (like Google Drive) are free

• Others cost money but can still offer significant cost savings  versus an on-site data centre

• Lots and lots of users can share the network, which is great for large organisations

Not to forget, the CapEx versus OpEx cloud computing model. Capital expenditure (CapEx) is a payment for an asset, like computer equipment. Operational expenditure (OpEx) means ongoing operational costs, such as monthly utility bills. When moving to the cloud, you will likely reduce both your CapEx and OpEx costs.

But there are also drawbacks to the public cloud. Chief among them is security concerns. Multi-user cloud platforms are great - they allow employees to collaborate and be productive, but multi-tenancy also poses a problem. Private data could be leaked to other, unrelated users, potentially spilling into the wrong hands.

There are also concerns about the safety of the public cloud - how vulnerable is it to attack? Reliability is an issue too - if your provider goes down, there’s not a lot you can do about it, you could be without cloud access for days, weeks.

And, as security expert Roger Grimes has pointed out in an article for InfoWorld, there is the question of data ownership. “Many public cloud providers, including the largest and best known, have clauses in their contracts that explicitly states that the data stored is the provider's - not the customer's.”

Another drawback is connectivity. With workforces becoming more and more mobile, how do you always enjoy access to the cloud wherever you - and your employees - are? And, as hybrid infrastructure grows in popularityl,  how do you integrate your public cloud to your on-premise solution without risking the security of your infrastructure and losing control of your cloud components?

The answer to all these cloud challenges is connecting your private WAN to public cloud with a private connection.

One such example of this model is hSo’s own Cloud Direct product, which provides direct connections to major cloud platforms including AWS, Azure and Office 365. This connection offers a number of benefits including:

• Reliable network - it bypasses the public internet so your applications will perform well and you can send high-volume data transfers with confidence

• Improved security - enjoy a private connection from your data centre direct to the cloud provider

• 24/7 support - if there’s a problem one of our experts will fix it, quickly

With businesses’ investment in the cloud only set to continue, those looking to keep costs down, be scalable and ensure their private data and financial information is protected should definitely consider making a private connection to the public cloud.