Cloud Connect 2011: Transitioning from Private to Public Cloud IT
15 March 2011
Microsoft, now a major player in the cloud services industry, recently announced that a shift to public cloud-based IT can both save money and provide consistency in security and compliance. These statements were a part of Microsoft’s presentation at the Cloud Connect conference this past week, as reported by Robert Mullins of Network World.
Most organizations are comfortable with the idea of a “private cloud”, where in-house IT staff has control over the servers housing their own cloud services. The comfort associated with this control is trumped however, by cost savings in ownership, compliance, and even security management according to Rolf Harms, Director of Corporate Strategy at Microsoft. He argues that the cost of utilizing a public cloud data center can save businesses up to 80% in TCO as compared to housing their own servers.
When it comes to security, Harms believes that public cloud providers will be ahead of the curve because of their ability to apply blanket updates to their multi-tenant data centers. This lowers costs applied to the end customer, and enables higher spend on security by the provider. Customers can even look to cloud providers to meet their compliance needs, which will have already been addressed by the provider to meet market demands.
Can moving to public cloud-based IT save your organization money? Yes. Is it the right move for your business? Due diligence by your IT staff or trusted adviser will lead you to the right decision.
-McAfee Cloud Security
