How to Choose the Best Cloud Architecture for Your Company?
Today, it seems most companies have moved to the cloud in some way. In fact, around 50% of all corporate data was stored in the cloud as of 2021. From data management to customer service, teams around the world are leveraging the power of cloud services to get more done in less time.
But with so many types of cloud architectures to choose from, the move can seem daunting at first. To help you navigate this complex landscape, here are a few useful tips for choosing the best cloud architecture for your company
What are cloud services?
The concept of the cloud can seem abstract, but its definition is clearer than you might expect. As Microsoft explains, “the cloud is a vast network of remote servers around the globe which are linked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem”.
This means businesses, individuals, and public sector organizations can all store information, run applications, and more through the cloud. Cloud services include:
- Infrastructure-as-a-service
- Platform-as-a-service
- Software-as-a-service
- Data-as-a-service
Cloud architecture, then, refers to the components and technologies that create these clouds and how those components interact.
Why adopt cloud architecture? The benefits.
The exact benefits for your business will depend on what you are looking for. But cloud architecture is essentially an extension of your in-house IT. It can help companies stay scalable, reduce costs, and provide better disaster recovery
As the technology and use cases develop, so do the advantages of the cloud, such as:
1. Saving time and costs on hardware
Not having a large on-premises data center minimizes maintenance and saves employees time, who can instead focus on other important tasks. What is more, businesses avoid depreciation and costly replacements over time.
2. Encouraging collaboration
Sharing files internally is not always a streamlined process. Cloud services allow easy, shared access to data and can allow for online collaboration within your organization.
3. Staying scalable
Cloud services maximize scalability for small and large companies alike. You are no longer reliant on set, on-premise resources, instead taking advantage of the flexibility the cloud offers.
4. Improving disaster recovery
If all your data is stored in one physical place, the risk of downtime is high. Many cloud providers (such as Oracle Cloud) offer storage across multiple geographic regions, with isolated availability domains and multiple fault domains. This increases protection and means a better chance of a quick recovery time.
Find out more about disaster recovery in our recent article.
Types of cloud architectures
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to cloud architecture. However, the type of cloud computing you choose will usually fall into one of three categories:
Public cloud
This is the most common type of cloud computing, where a third-party provider owns and manages the datacenter. Users (or tenants) share the cloud and its resources with each other.
Private cloud
In a private cloud, resources are only used by one organization. Often, this is hosted on premise but could also be run through a separate provider.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud combines the two, with on-premise infrastructure and public cloud elements.
There are many forms of cloud computing and not all are created equal, so it’s important to choose cloud architecture that suits your business. If you are not sure where to start, our experts can help.
What are cloud architecture best practice frameworks?
Cloud architecture needs to be reliable and safe. It should make business operations easier. Taking a look at the best practices of different providers can help us see what to look for when choosing cloud architecture.
For example, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure best practice framework is organized under four goals:
- Security and compliance
- Reliability and resilience
- Performance and cost optimization
- Operational efficiency
Similarly, Amazon’s AWS and similarly Microsoft Azure have developed main principles (which they refer to as pillars) for their cloud architecture:
| Operational Excellence Pillar | Performance Efficiency Pillar |
| Security Pillar | Cost Optimization Pillar |
| Reliability Pillar | Sustainability Pillar |
Meanwhile, Snowflake’s data architecture principles web page mentions best practices in:
- Considering data a shared resource
- Ensuring security and control access
- Reducing or eliminating data movement and replication
Implementing the right cloud architecture for your business is crucial. At InspireIT, our experts know how to help.
Simply get in touch for more information or read our latest technical articles for more insights.
