The public cloud doesn’t always have the best reputation. Just having the word public in the name is enough to turn some people away. With privacy being a real concern, not everyone is comfortable with anything remotely public. This feeling often extends to businesses.
They may wholeheartedly embrace a private cloud but run away the second a public model pops up in conversation. With that being said, we’re still navigating key public cloud uses. Who knows, one or more of these uses may be just what your organization needs.
Don’t Scoff at the Storage
Your business has data. There’s no getting around this. Even if you’re only collecting customer’s email addresses, you’ve got data! You need servers and the rest of the IT infrastructure to safely store and manage the data. This costs money, and it extends beyond simply purchasing the necessary components. Don’t forget about maintenance costs, these are going to add up pretty quickly.
A cloud storage provider takes care of these and a whole host of other concerns. You have essentially unlimited storage in the public cloud for a service fee. Your service provider even takes care of the maintenance so you can cross this expense off your list. If a disaster occurs, either natural or manmade, no worries. Your data is safely stored in the public cloud.
Unlimited Scalability
Very few words elicit as much interest as being told something’s unlimited. Whether it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet or unlimited public cloud storage, you’re probably interested and already halfway onboard.
Your data storage needs are going to change. The changes may not be often but they still happen. This means you’re going to need more storage at some point and less at others. Since paying for services you’re not using doesn’t make a ton of sense, scalability can be key.
Here’s a quick example. Maybe you need more storage during an annual holiday sale. You’re tracking a ton of metrics and need plenty of storage. When things start dying down, you can decrease your storage amount. This way, you’re never paying for something you’re not using.
Take Advantage of Generative AI
Generative AI may be running in the background, but it also means nothing is probably going on up front. Generative AI takes a huge amount of computing power. If you’re trying to do this onsite, it’s probably the only program running.
The public cloud has the networking, storage, and computing capabilities generative AI needs to process data in real time. The cloud uses multiple data centers so slow lag times aren’t an issue. So, go ahead and run a generative AI model in the public cloud and stay current with your other computing tasks.
Added Data Protection
Your industry doesn’t matter when it comes to data privacy regulations. If you’re storing just about any type of personally identifiable information (PII), data compliance standards come into play.
Security standards and the public cloud can have their ups and downs but things are changing. Public cloud service providers are in a fierce competition to see who can have the most robust security practices. This is good news for you. Added to your security protocols, the public cloud can actually help you stay in compliance. However, we do want to stress you must have rigid security protocols in place. You can’t rely solely on the public cloud service provider.
Great Testing Grounds
Do you have your team working on developing a new application? The public cloud makes a great testing ground. Not only do you have the computing power of a public cloud, and it’s impressive, but you also have a safe place to test your team’s latest developments.
Instead of taking hours to test a new app, your team can do it in minutes using the public cloud. When the test is done, taking the app down is a breeze.
Using a Multi-Cloud Strategy
Okay, this may not seem like you’re getting away from the public cloud. However, the opposite is actually true. You can easily integrate public and private cloud services, yep, even from the same provider.
With both a public and private cloud, you have plenty of options. You can keep especially sensitive data in the private cloud or other information in a public model. This way, teams have access to data when needed and you’re staying on top of your cyber security responsibilities.
Taking Advantage of the Public Cloud
Even though the public cloud may not be the best option for particularly sensitive data, it does have its best uses. From having essentially unlimited storage to a testing ground for your latest app, the public cloud has you covered.
