Enterprises are pushing for cloud migration, and it may seem as if private cloud is being left behind for the faster-paced, more economical public cloud. According to the RightScale 2019 State of the Cloud Report produced by Flexera, 84% of enterprises are pursuing a multi-cloud strategy.

Among the enterprises included in that 84%, 9% indicate that they are using multiple private clouds, while 17% use multiple public clouds and 58% have implemented a hybrid cloud solution. Only 3% of respondents said that they were using a single private cloud.

With so many enterprises moving workloads to public clouds, private cloud solutions seem to be fading more into the background. But don’t look for private clouds to disappear anytime soon.

Private cloud solutions are undergoing a sort of evolution, changing to fit with the hybrid and multi-cloud environments enterprises are pursuing. Private cloud is still favored for its ability to handle secure data, as well as its potential for customization. Companies prioritizing digital transformation require the features of private cloud to store and analyze large volumes of data. 

Private Cloud Is Changing

First, it’s important to understand the definition of private cloud, because many enterprises misuse the term. A private cloud is one that the enterprise creates, maintains, and uses on-site. It requires a heavy investment of time and effort by the enterprise to keep it running, so it’s not always the first choice of enterprise IT.

When it comes to industries where security is critical or data is highly regulated through compliance rules, private cloud tends to be the go-to solution. And don’t forget the attraction of customizability. There’s an exclusivity benefit to private cloud solutions, with enterprises having a high level of control over the amount of computing resources they’re dedicating to the solution. This aspect can positively impact performance. 

Many organizations that believe they use private cloud aren’t really limiting their operations to a true private cloud. They may be using a customizable solution that’s being supported by a public cloud computing service. It’s rare to see a company that is using a private cloud solution exclusively.  

When it’s time for an enterprise to scale, they tend to migrate workloads with lesser security requirements out to the public cloud. As data volume grows exponentially across organizations, many find it impossible to maintain only a private cloud environment.

In fact, a private cloud-only environment may be a sign that an enterprise is a bit behind the curve in terms of maximizing productivity, cost-effectiveness, agility, and innovation.

Meanwhile, public cloud is also evolving to accommodate the demand for more secure, customizable solutions by offering some private cloud options.Is your cloud strategy creating the right mix of private and public solutions for optimized technology resource management? Contact us at Access Tech to evaluate your needs and leverage the best solution for workload optimization.