The cloud has become an increasingly popular method for businesses to access IT services. Cloud services enable businesses of all sizes to access computing resources, such as servers, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence, through the internet. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of cloud services that SMEs can use to streamline their operations and enhance their productivity.
Cloud-based services are IT resources that are delivered over the Internet, allowing users to access them from anywhere. These services are hosted on remote servers, and users can access them through web browsers or applications. Cloud computing can be divided into three main categories: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.
Public cloud solutions are operated by a third party, such as Microsoft, Amazon, or Google. These providers own and manage the cloud infrastructure and make it available to anyone who wants to use it. Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform are some of the popular public cloud providers. Public cloud solutions do not normally incur up-front costs and are scalable, making them an attractive option for SMEs. However, over the longer term, public cloud solutions are more expensive than utilising a private cloud.
Private cloud solutions are used by a single organization and are often located in the company’s data centre, which they manage themselves. Vantage IT acts as a Managed Service Provider to provide private cloud solutions to SMEs, ensuring maximum security and cost savings. Private clouds provide greater control and security over the IT infrastructure, making them a preferred option for many SMEs and particularly businesses that need to comply with strict regulations.
Hybrid cloud solutions combine both public and private cloud solutions, allowing businesses to leverage the benefits of both. In a hybrid cloud, the company uses its data centre to host applications more suited to being on-premise, whilst emails and specific cloud-hosted applications are held on a public cloud provider such as Microsoft Azure. Hybrid clouds offer greater flexibility and scalability than private clouds while maintaining the security of private clouds.
SME cloud solutions have become an essential part of modern business operations, and SMEs can leverage the benefits of the cloud to enhance their productivity and streamline their operations. Contact us to find out more about how working with an IT cloud service provider could benefit your business.
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