Why choosing a Cloud Solution is a lot like Buying a Suit

Cloud-based IT solutions have been a buzz word for over a decade now, and there are a number of business benefits for self-storage companies who move their IT to the cloud. But being ‘in the cloud’ can mean many different things, so how do you know which cloud to choose? If you think of it as buying a suit, you’re well on your way to finding the right fit for your business. 

Public Cloud The public cloud is like going in to a high street shop to look for your next suit. Your suit comes in standard sizes and colours, and after trying a number of them on, you choose one to take home with you. This is the suit equivalent of the public cloud. 

In the public cloud, it is your provider who dictates how the IT service is delivered to you, and you choose the package that you think will fit you best. Typically, your data will be stored alongside other companies’ data and you have little or no influence over how securely your data is held or who has access to it. That is why public clouds are best for information that doesn’t hold business critical or sensitive data. 

Your Private Cloud On the other end of the scale we have the tailored suit. You choose your fabric, the tailor measures you and after several fittings and trims, you have a suit that fits you like a glove. This is the suit equivalent of a private cloud environment. 

In a private cloud, you are in control. Your setup is based on your needs, and your needs alone. If your business changes, so does your IT setup. Your data is held separately to anyone else’s and since you are the one who defines what service levels, uptimes etc you want, a private cloud is just as flexible as you want it to be. 

Your Hybrid Cloud Sitting right in between the two, is the tailored version of our high street suit. This is the suit that you buy in a high street shop, but then take to a tailor to make adjustments where possible, in order to make the suit fit you even better than it did in the shop. This is the suit equivalent of a hybrid cloud. 

In most cases, a hybrid cloud is at its core a private cloud environment where certain systems or applications sit in the public cloud. There is a constant exchange between these systems, that is set up in a secure way. This can for example be with an access control system, a CRM system or other business systems that, for one reason or the other, are not ideal to place in a private cloud environment. 

So when is it not like buying a suit?

You’ll probably be pleased to hear that although choosing a cloud environment is a lot like buying a suit, paying for a cloud environment is not! Whereas your tailored suit will most definitely be more expensive than anything you can find on the high street, the same isn’t true for private cloud environments. 

Working with self-storage companies all over Europe, our experience is that oftentimes the gains from consolidating everything you do in one place, outweighs the extra cost of having dedicated technical resources that are yours and yours alone. 

How do we know all this? Hi-Tech was the first IT provider to the European self-storage industry who adopted cloud-based IT solutions, and 15 years on we are still the only one who can provide a one-stop-cloud-shop for self-storage in Europe. We have accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge about the technicalities and what works in the industry. So while we can’t tailor your suit for you, we are always happy to have a chat about which cloud solution might help take your business to the next level.