Once a novelty, cloud networks now personify the modern workspace. Businesses leveraging cloud deployments typically enjoy enhanced flexibility and productivity. Moreover, with the rise of remote work, the cloud has become crucial in attracting and retaining valuable talent. However, maximizing the benefits of your cloud network depends on selecting a deployment model that aligns with your organization鈥檚 goals. If you鈥檙e considering the cloud for your agency, you鈥檒l need to choose between public, private, and hybrid options. Let鈥檚 explore the differences to help you determine the best route for your business.

Public Cloud Deployments

Public cloud networks rely on the infrastructure provided by third-party cloud service providers. In this setup, companies utilize shared resources and are often charged based on a pay-as-you-go model. Let鈥檚 delve into the pros and cons of this deployment model.

Pros:

• Greater accessibility:聽Public cloud providers often have a large service area, meaning agents can access vital tools and data from any location.
• Easier scalability: Public cloud providers typically offer flexible pricing models, which can be ideal for agencies seeking to scale their infrastructure up and down depending on business demand.
• Better focus on core business goals: Migrating to the public cloud offloads IT management to a third party, which empowers agencies to focus more on their transactions and customer relations.聽

Cons:

• Security concerns:聽Despite their robust features, the fact that resources are shared on a public cloud may trigger potential security and privacy concerns.
• Third-party dependence:聽Using the public cloud means your IT setup becomes largely dependent on a third-party provider. 聽
• Cost overruns:聽Public cloud is rightly celebrated for its flexible pricing, but without careful due diligence, it can also lead to cost-overruns.

Private Cloud Deployments

Private cloud networks are designed for the exclusive use of a single organization and are managed either by the network鈥檚 owner or third-party. Here are a few of the benefits and potential drawbacks.

Pros:

• Customized security:聽Private networks enable administrators to create customized security controls and exercise greater data sovereignty, which greatly assists with compliance in regulated industries like title insurance.
• Performance gains:聽Plus, with private networks being designed for exclusive use, companies can potentially gain more consistent network performance.
• Effective resource allocation:聽Private clouds permit more effective control over digital resources, which optimizes an organization鈥檚 productivity and cost-effectiveness.

Cons:

• Up-front investment:聽Private clouds can involve sizable up-front costs, as businesses will need to invest in infrastructure like servers and networking equipment.
• Rigid structure:聽Relying on private clouds can pose problems for agencies if they want to make changes to their deployment setup. Investing in additional infrastructure may be required to support higher-intensity workloads.
• Higher maintenance costs:聽Maintaining a private cloud necessitates that agencies continually invest in sufficient resources like specialized IT knowledge, which can potentially strain budgets that could go toward other revenue-producing activities.

Hybrid Cloud Deployments

Aside from these two options, there is also the hybrid cloud deployment model, which combines elements of both public and private clouds. Hybrid-cloud organizations will typically host some resources, data and workloads within a private cloud while also utilizing third-party providers like AWS or Microsoft Azure. Check out the pros and cons of this approach.

Pros:

• A fluid model:聽Hybrid deployments can easily scale to meet fluctuating demand within the real estate industry and ensure optimal resource allocation. 聽
• 颁辞蝉迟-别蹿蹿别肠迟颈惫别:听Hybrid clouds afford agencies flexibility in how they use their cloud infrastructure. Agencies can leverage the public cloud during peak worktimes and avoid overprovisioning their private network.
• Customizable security:聽Hybrid cloud businesses can create customizable security measures regarding where they house critical data or workloads. Agencies deal with highly sensitive information. With hybrid cloud, this data can be kept out of a public network and managed on-premises for greater peace of mind.

Cons:

• Complex management:聽Managing a hybrid cloud can be complex. Agencies must be adept at navigating diverse environments and integrating various systems into a cohesive whole.
• Cost control:聽Using multiple cloud networks can cause billing headaches, as users sometimes find it difficult to track resource allocation, transfer data and reduce waste.
• Regulatory compliance roadblocks:聽Finally, hybrid clouds can create security and compliance risks with data that is moving between environments. Agencies will need to implement stringent controls to secure data that is 鈥渋n-transit鈥� between networks as well as data 鈥渁t rest鈥� within a single network.

Final Thoughts

As with any critical IT decision, all cloud deployments have their pros and cons. Before pulling the trigger, spend time talking critically about your business and what will work well for your team. Some considerations to mull over include your security requirements, budgets, current IT capabilities and future business projections. After having these important conversations, you can reference our list of pros and cons to select a network that will take your business to the next level.

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Can you spot when you鈥檙e being phished? One of the first steps is fully understanding what phishing is. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 not as fun as heading to the stream with your waders. Phishing can take place via phone call, text, or email, but the latter is the most common place. The attacker will pose as a legitimate institution in an attempt to get secure information from their target. Some examples include those spam calls you receive from the 鈥淚RS鈥� robot asking for your social security number.

Over email, things can get a little bit more malicious. It鈥檚 common sense to know that an unsolicited robotic voice asking for your social security number isn鈥檛 legitimate. However, what happens when you receive an email with a link that you wouldn鈥檛 usually give a second glance to? Cyber attackers rely on that lack of attention to target vulnerable users. Here are some ways to tell if the email you鈥檝e received is a phishing email:

• Remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Those flashy designs advertising expensive items for free could (and in all likelihood will) result in identity theft.
• Be mindful of emails from unknown senders insisting that you act urgently. The attacker is trying to pressure you into acting without thinking.
• Watch out for unknown hyperlinks and attachments. They鈥檝e gained popularity over recent years. They avoid giving you all the details in the email to avoid looking immediately suspicious and urge you to click on the link for more information. Never click on a link from an unknown or untrustworthy sender.

All of that might seem like a lot, but knowing what to look out for is the first step in protecting yourself from cyber-attacks. After a while it will all become like second nature. There are also plenty of other preventative steps that you can take to ensure that you and your inbox are protected.

Spam filters can go a long way toward stopping malicious content from getting to your inbox at all, and you can update your browser鈥檚 security settings to block fraudulent websites from opening at all. Setting up two-factor authentication with your financial institutions and any website where your bank data may be stored can help protect you as well.

Jigsaw and Google have partnered to keep an up-to-date phishing quiz to see if you鈥檙e ready to identify phishing attempts that may come your way. You can take it .

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