Monday 10 February 2014
A
Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is an isolated infrastructure of computing
resources within a public cloud environment that provides isolation for various
users of the cloud. A business can use the VPC technology to build a kind of an
intranet for its employees. When a public cloud is divided into multiple
Virtual Private Clouds, each VPC is assigned a unique private IP subnet and a
virtual communication channel that enables a user to use his VPC in complete
isolation from the public cloud.
Benefits
of a Virtual Private Cloud
·
Cost Effective: A Virtual Private Cloud ensures that the user can scale his technical
infrastructure as and when required. This is very helpful, especially to
startup companies who can save on the initial capital outlay.
·
Improved Security: VPCs offer a higher level of cloud network
securitythan a public cloud since the user has more tools at his disposal to
ensure that the data is safe. A private cloud is often secured under an organization’s
firewall and its security employees have full freedom in setting safety
protocols.
Factors
to Consider When Selecting A VPC Vendor
·
Hype or Truth: Some vendors may confuse you by claiming to provide private clouds
when infact you may be just a part of a public cloud. Make sure that you
thoroughly check to ensure that you are getting exactly what you asked for
·
Security Controls: Compare the security options provided by
VPC service providers. Higher the security controls, the better it is.
·
Reliability: Check the performance of the service provider and make sure that all
your data can be accessed by you whenever and wherever you want
·
Terms and Conditions: Scrupulously go through the Terms and
Conditions of the service to ensure that you and you alone will have total
control of your data
·
Cost: Finally, compare the costs against other factors mentioned above and
chose the best cost effective option without compromising on security and
reliability
Virtual
Private Cloud Providers
·
Amazon: It is one of the leading providers of cloud computing services.
Amazon allows free usage of its VPC services. Users are however charged for any
Virtual Private Network (VPN) they use
·
Rackspace: They offer a range of cloud computing services including a Virtual
Private Cloud. Rackspace powers its cloud environment with OpenStack- the
world’s fastest growing open source cloud management software
·
Other
vendors include IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco etc.
How
to communicate with your own network in a VPC
By
default, you can not communicate with a virtual private cloud, you can not
communicate with your own network. This access to your own network from you
virtual private cloud ca be enables by using
a VPC gateway, updating security group rules and
by creating a custom route table.
Business
organizations around the globe are steadily integrating private clouds into
their infrastructure while most of the startups opt for cloud technologies
since it gives them the power of scalability. The savings in capital
expenditure is also a strong reason for the growth of the cloud. However, there
remains a major hurdle - security. In fact, security is cited as the biggest
reasons why some businesses still opt not to join the cloud. As such, if cloud
service providers find a way to mitigate security concerns and guarantee
complete safety of data, then the growth of the cloud industry will be
explosive.
