Choosing the Best Cloud Service Providers: Comparing Azure vs Private Cloud Hosting

It’s no secret that working with a cloud service provider can significantly increase the productivity and security of your business. It can be difficult, though, to choose the one that’s best for you.

Although there are a handful of options, Many people often find themselves deciding between Microsoft Azure and a private cloud service provider.

Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure where to start— we’ve got all the info you need to keep in mind.

Let’s explore the major differences between these two types of cloud service providers.

What Is Microsoft’s Azure?

Interestingly, Microsoft Azure is actually a handful of products as opposed to a single entity. These are specifically designed to help businesses overcome common obstacles while being notably easy to integrate.

Microsoft has also stated that approximately 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies utilize Azure for their cloud services. These include Epicor, Nokia, and Microsoft itself.

Since Azure consists of so many different products, it’s able to provide solutions for companies that operate within any industry. Despite the name, Azure also supports virtually every application across multiple different operating systems as opposed to only Windows.

How Is a Private Cloud Service Provider Defined?

As the name suggests, a private cloud service provider offers dedicated cloud services to a particular business. This directly contrasts public cloud services, which involve multiple businesses accessing the same pool of resources.

To elaborate, all of the information within a private cloud server is only accessible by a single business. Most companies prefer to use local data centers for this type of service, but some opt to use colocation centers instead.

Pros and Cons: Azure

In order to make the decision that’s best for your company, you’ll need to have a thorough understanding of where Azure excels and where it falls short.

While there aren’t many shortcomings between the two types of service, they’re essential to know so that you can gain insight into how they will impact your business.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of Azure.

The Pros

Azure is renowned for being unrestricted by geographic location. This makes access a much easier process than it would be with other service providers.

Business owners will also be pleased to know that they only need to pay for the resources that they use. This is particularly useful for smaller companies that don’t have a large amount of capital to work with.

As previously mentioned, you have a large amount of flexibility when it comes to what applications you can run. The same can be said about the operating systems that you use.

Since Azure is consistently monitored and developed by a team of experts at Microsoft, it boasts a notable level of data security.

The Cons

Azure only serves as an infrastructure— any application setup and deployment are solely up to the user. Smaller businesses may need to outsource to a different IT professional to handle this application.

But, there are ways that small businesses can handle the nuances that come with Azure.

Companies that use virtual machines will also need to monitor for certain increases in load, as they are not load-balanced by default. If your server is located in a different country, you may also need to navigate certain regulations regarding security and privacy that you normally wouldn’t.

Pros and Cons: Private Cloud Service

In some cases, private cloud service may be a more suitable option than Azure. But, you won’t be able to make an informed decision until you understand what it is and isn’t capable of.

Listed below are the most notable aspects of each category.

Pros

Since private cloud service is only accessible by a single business, it comes with a notable level of security. Since even a single data breach could result in millions of dollars lost revenue, it’s imperative that you keep your information as protected as possible.

You’ll also have a significant amount of control over your server, allowing you to tailor its operation to your needs. Under the right circumstances, a properly-configured private cloud server can be a highly cost-effective option when it comes to securing and managing your company’s data.

Cons

Infrastructure setup results in having to allocate more resources toward this obligation. This becomes even more significant for larger businesses, where costs quickly rise exponentially.

The cost of the service itself can also be an issue in some cases, especially if your company isn’t able to fully utilize it on a regular basis. If your budget for this service is particularly low, you’ll likely need a very specific configuration to make the most of it.

As companies scale, they’ll also need to integrate additional hardware— something that could make growing your business more difficult if you don’t have the extra resources required.

So, Which Is Right for You?

The right decision will depend entirely on the needs of your company. If you need more flexibility and want to be more involved in your server’s configuration, private cloud service is likely the best option.

If you have a larger company that needs premier cloud service, Azure is suitable in most cases. As long as the service you choose is able to satisfy your needs effectively (without stretching your budget), then it’s the correct decision for your business.

It Can Seem Complicated to Decide Between These Cloud Service Providers

But the above information will make the process far easier than you may have anticipated. From here, you’ll be able to make sure that you make the right decision out of the cloud service providers you’re considering.

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