The Pros & Cons of Virtual Private Clouds: Finding the Right Fit for Your Business

Today’s field service businesses rely on a wide range of data to keep things running smoothly — customer information, service histories, payment and finance records, and more are all crucial to efficient operations. As that data piles up, businesses are faced with figuring out where to store it all for easy access as needed.

Fortunately, there are a variety of cloud hosting and storage options for businesses to choose from, each providing unique benefits, costs and drawbacks for users. Familiarizing yourself with these options is the critical first step toward making the right choice for your business.

What Is a Virtual Private Cloud?

In layman’s terms, a virtual private cloud (VPC) is a data hosting and storage option in which your data is hosted in a separate defined space within a public cloud. In many use cases, a VPC provides a great balance of cost and benefits, particularly when compared to other options — typically, these other options include public and private clouds.

To understand the most basic differences between these options, you can think of them in terms of different spaces. The public cloud is similar to a public library: while you can find your own place to sit, the space itself is shared by many occupants — and so are the resources. Examples of a public cloud include things many of us use every day, such as Google’s Gmail platform, where you have your own login and a set amount of storage, but the data you store is kept on shared servers that Google manages.

An on-premises private cloud refers to a fully independent system that is owned, operated and maintained by your business. Think of this space as a freestanding home: you have exclusive access to the space, the highest degree of privacy and you can customize the house to your exact needs — but you also need to consider that houses are expensive to buy and that maintenance falls on the homeowner.

In comparison, a virtual private cloud refers to a system that is owned, operated and maintained by a third party. Think of this space as a freestanding home in a planned development: you have exclusive access to the space, the highest degree of privacy, but the maintenance of your property is handled by the homeowners association. 

Benefits of a VPC

One of the most alluring benefits of a VPC when compared to public cloud storage is privacy and, as a result, security. By providing a dedicated, isolated environment within a public cloud infrastructure, VPCs afford businesses the chance to establish and manage their own virtual network with customizable security measures. Users can set permissions around access to the VPC, ensuring that sensitive data remains confidential; this is especially important for addressing compliance requirements, particularly when it comes to highly regulated information like payments.  For WorkWave VPC offerings, this is handled by experts directed by WorkWave.

VPCs also enable scalability, ensuring businesses can continue to adjust their computing resources to meet their needs. While a public cloud option simply can’t keep up and a private cloud might require significant — and costly — upgrades in infrastructure to accommodate rapid growth, VPCs are well suited to expand with a business’s needs. This can prove especially beneficial during rapid growth events, such as acquiring another business or opening a new branch.

A significant advantage of a VPC is that it is run and maintained by the provider. This means that while businesses using a VPC enjoy many of the perks of a private cloud, such as security and scalability, they simultaneously avoid the pitfalls that come with independently operating a private cloud. Consider that private clouds require dedicated space and facilities for servers, as well as specially trained staff to maintain and upgrade the hardware and software as needed. This can be particularly valuable for VPC users in the event of an outage; while VPC users benefit from the typically shorter downtimes that VPC providers can offer, private cloud users can only bounce back as quickly as their staff can allow.

It’s also worth considering that while both public cloud and VPC options generally have common user and security features included. Basic functions like logging in, user authentication, system navigation and so forth are built into public and VPC environments; when building a private cloud from the ground up, these essential features need to be accounted for independently.

Drawbacks of a VPC

While there are abundant reasons to choose a VPC environment for your business’s data hosting and storage needs, that doesn’t make it a one-size-fits-all solution. While many of them are use case dependent, there are drawbacks to consider before making the switch to VPC.

One of these is cost. Compared to public cloud, VPC can seem like a costly option; it likely isn’t the right choice if your business is just starting out or if you’re operating on a tight budget. However, also consider that a VPC is a much more affordable option when compared to the storage, hardware, maintenance and labor costs associated with operating your own private cloud.

One benefit that a private cloud provides over VPC is total isolation. Though VPCs provide significantly enhanced privacy and security through separated processing and data storage, some businesses or industries may require a high degree of isolation to ensure regulatory compliance. In this case, a private cloud may be required.

The fact that the hardware and environment of a VPC are maintained by a third party is often cited as a benefit, taking the onus and cost of upkeep off the user’s shoulders. However, businesses that are seeking fully customizable systems under their control may not view things that way. If your business has the need or preference for a system that can be modified at will, the customizability of a private cloud may prove worth the cost.

To learn more about the benefits of VPC hosting or to get started, visit pestpac.com and click “Get Started” to talk with an expert!