Last Friday, we kicked off our series about software deployment models with a brief introduction to the three main deployment models you’ll find in use today: the public cloud, on-premise, and managed service.
Although we provided an introduction to each, there’s a lot more that could be said about the three software deployment models we mentioned. To go into more detail, today, we’re going to explain some specifics of deploying software via the public cloud, explaining why the cloud makes the most sense for most of our clients.
To start, though, we can ask: What is the public cloud?
The public cloud provides services to many tenants or clients, all within the same infrastructure. While data is not physically separated, it is logically separated so that different clients’ data stays separate from one another. Because it uses a shared infrastructure, the cloud is highly scalable to each individual client’s needs, and as a deployment model, software ‘installed’ on the cloud is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection—making it ideal for clients who need flexibility, performance, and accessibility.
As you might have guessed, the public cloud has a number of distinct advantages.
The advantages of the cloud are many. We could go on and on, but here are a few of the big advantages that we think of when discussing deploying software via the public cloud:
- Low cost: The cloud is a low-cost solution. Because it pools resources on a ‘public’ server, it’s much cheaper than on-prem deployment, and its cost is within reach for most organizations.
- Fast deployment time: Software can be deployed very quickly—in a matter of minutes—via the cloud. There’s no configuring servers, no network maintenance, and no security management necessary on the client’s end—it’s just plug and play.
- High performance: As we hinted at when discussing the cost of the cloud, the public cloud is a high-performance venue. Resources are pooled together, increasing performance for all clients. With a shared infrastructure, there’s no need to worry about speed or storage—the cloud is scalable and adaptable to all performance needs.
- Great accessibility: Unlike on-prem software, which requires over-complicated solutions in order to be accessible outside of the firewall, software on the cloud is accessible anywhere, at any time. It doesn’t matter where you are—as long as you have an internet connection, you can access your software via the cloud.
- Ease of use: In large part because of all of the factors we mentioned above, ease of use for software in the cloud is very high. There’s practically no learning curve, unlike on-prem deployment, so no matter how well-versed (or not) you are in software, you’ll be ready to go with software on the cloud in no time flat.
By its very nature, the cloud is one of the most efficient, cost-effective solutions out there for deploying software.
But what about the downsides?
These days, with the right provider, there aren’t many downsides to the public cloud.
A good public cloud provider will take proper precautions to ensure that security and performance don’t take a hit. When the proper steps aren’t taken, there’s the (rare) possibility of performance issues. Because you’re sharing resources, there’s the rare possibility that another customer’s usage may impact your performance. Here at App47, we over-provision our infrastructure to mitigate this concern.
On the security front, because your data is stored on a multi-tenant environment, there is again a very small possibility of data leakage—a possibility that can be all but eliminated with the proper provider.
We take every precaution here at App47 to make sure that your data is secure and that your performance is stable, no matter what your usage may be. We mitigate these potential downsides by providing you access to software via a secure, stable public cloud—something that not all software companies can provide. Again, stability and performance are only downsides if your provider doesn’t take the proper precautions—with the right provider, the public cloud should be all upsides for you.
The public cloud: A great option for most clients
It’s easy to see why deployment via the cloud is the best option for most of our clients. The benefits—low cost, fast deployment, global accessibility, etc.—far outweigh the few potential downsides mentioned here. The public cloud is still very secure, so for organizations looking for a low-cost, common-sense solution to deploying our software, it really is a great option.
For organizations deeply rooted in on-prem software deployment, making the transition to the cloud can be difficult. But today, when software can be deployed in minutes via the cloud, it’s also very, very easy to get started. We have the technology—so why not use it to our advantage?
Next week, we’ll continue our series about software deployment models, and we’ll go into detail about the advantages (and disadvantages) of deploying software on-premise. In the mean time, if you have any questions about deploying software via the cloud, let us know here in the comments—we’d love to help answer any questions that you may have!
