
The Benefits of Storing Backup Data in a Private Cloud vs Public Cloud
By Chris BrunauAt a high level, cloud backup providers fall into a few different camps. On one hand, you have those that store data in public clouds such as Amazon or Microsoft. On the other, you’ve got providers that maintain their own private cloud servers. Finally, there are a handful of companies that give you the choice of storing data in a public or a private cloud. When it comes to backup, there are pros and cons to each approach.
Private Cloud Backup vs Public Cloud Backup
Public cloud providers allow businesses to use whatever cloud backup software they choose. This may be important to to some companies, especially larger companies, which have already made major investments in on-premises backup infrastructure. Additionally, public cloud providers offer pay-as-you go pricing that can scale up or down as necessary.
That flexibility is compelling, but when you are talking about SaaS data, compatibility with on-premises backup infrastructure isn’t really an issue. What really matters is how quickly you can perform restores. This is where backup providers that maintain their own private cloud shine. These solutions are built from the ground up for data protection, so they are optimized for restore.
Also, private cloud backup vendors typically offer tech support as a part of their service. In contrast, if you run into a problem restoring data from the private cloud, you will likely be on the hook for tech support costs. What’s worse, public cloud providers charge egress fees for transferring data in and out of their cloud. So, if you need to restore a large amount of data—say the contents of multiple users’ mailboxes—that restore can be an expensive proposition.
Finally, backups in a private cloud get single vendor solution, so there’s no possibility for finger pointing between backup and cloud vendors. Plus, you are billed on a monthly basis (typically per seat), so costs are predictable. And, there are no data egress fees for restores.