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Cloud vs Data Center

By Priya PedamkarPriya Pedamkar

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Difference Between Cloud vs Data Center

When the data is stored online on the internet so that users can access it online whenever needed is called Cloud. There are different types of cloud such as private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud. These offer different modes of software and their security is different. we can call Cloud as an off-premise service. Data Center is otherwise called on-premise service where the software and applications are stored locally in the system. Resources are used within the organization and the security offered in the Data Center is more when compared to the cloud. Since the applications are present near the organization, it is called on-premise computing.

Head to Head Comparison Between Cloud vs Data Center (Infographics)

Below are the Top 19 comparison between Cloud vs Data Center:

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Key Difference Between Cloud vs Data Center

Some of the major key differences are mentioned below:

  • The major difference between the Data Center and Cloud is that the applications are offered locally and is accessible by users whenever needed without an internet connection. While in the cloud, the applications are online and a network connection is necessary to access the same.
  • Data is stored in a public repository in Cloud whereas data is stored in the local repository in Data Center. The repository is taken care of by service providers in the cloud and those are taken care of by developers in the Data Center.
  • Investment is needed in the Data Center to set up and maintain the repository. Small companies and startups may feel hard to find investment. No large investments are needed for clouds as it is a subscription and companies can easily find the money invested for cloud deployment.
  • Larger organizations go forth with Data Center. Small companies and startups go with cloud deployment. Less budget and resources force the companies to go with cloud services offered by third party services. Organizations find it easy to fund the repository and target the resources than to risk the security.
  • Organizations feel hard and remorseful while recovering the data or application from Data Center as it takes a long time and the data is not fully recovered. It is not hard to recover data from the Cloud if something goes wrong. Data is distributed in several remote servers and the data is easily recovered when called for once at least.
  • The infrastructure of the cloud can be extended whenever needed and hence extra storage is not a burden for companies using Cloud. However, when extra storage is needed in the Data Center, it means extending the local servers, which in turn results in huge investment, again.
  • Cloud is faster than the Data Center. This is because all the data is stored in different servers and it will not result in any cacophony while using the application. Data Center’s speed depends on the network of the organization and the amount of data stored in the servers.
  • Just as our application is being updated in the mobile phones or systems, cloud updates the software of the company. This does not happen automatically in Data Center and developers need to take care of the same.
  • Security is a concern for larger companies and hence they store the application in-house. This results in the Data Center. Since the applications are stored in Cloud (maybe in public), security cannot be offered as a benefit in Cloud though the service providers offer the same.

Comparison Table of Cloud vs Data Center

Let’s discuss the top comparison between Cloud vs Data Center:

Cloud Data Center
Cloud is easily scalable and it requires only a small amount of investment. Data Center is not scalable easily and it results in a huge investment of servers.
Cloud means a simple and easily understandable environment even by a nonprofessional. The architecture of the Data Center is not easy and the way it is maintained is understandable only by developers.
The cost is less. The cost is high.
Service providers in Cloud do maintenance. Developers who manage the database of the organization do maintenance.
Third-party providers control the computing environment of the organization. This poses a serious threat to the organization’s integrity. Developers or resources of the same organization control the computing environment of the organization and hence it will be always maintained.
Performance and reliability are very dependent on the Cloud provider. Performance and reliability are dependent on the organization.
It is not advisable to run critical projects in Cloud. Critical projects are better to be run in the Data Center.
Capacity can be extended according to the company’s need in Cloud. Capacity is limited in the Data Center.
Clouds are not easily customizable. Data Centers are easily customizable.
Data is accessible by anyone from anywhere with proper credentials through the internet. This poses a security threat to the data. Data is not accessible by anyone from anywhere. Only authorized personnel with proper credentials can access the service from the organization.
Cloud is not physically connected with the organization or its network. Data Center is physically connected with the organization or its network.
Cloud services are provided immediately after subscription. Data Centers will take time to set up and is not easily available after the subscription.
Data is collected from the internet. Data is collected from the organization’s network.
Cloud requires resources to store servers in their network. Servers are stored in Data Centers.
The resources are shared with other parties if the public cloud is used. The resources are not shared with third parties and are fully secure within the organization.
A large amount of data can be stored easily using the cloud. It is better to store a small amount of data in the Data Center as it takes time to store large amounts of data.
Cloud is a virtual infrastructure. The applications are run on any virtual servers and stored anywhere in the server. Data Center is physical infrastructure. The applications are run only on designated servers.
Cloud services are available only on demand. Data Centers are available always.
Clouds are fault-tolerant and are considered as a viable option. Data Centers are not fault-tolerant and there can be a dependent failure.

Conclusion

Cloud and Data Center can be combined to work together in an organization where the Cloud takes care of the less important and repetitive projects and Data Center takes care of the critical assignments. Organizations should weigh down both the options and benefits and consider the computing method in their company.

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This is a guide to Cloud vs Data Center. Here we discuss the Cloud vs Data Center key differences with infographics and comparison table. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more–

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