Whether you are creating an app for a large enterprise—such as a finance, healthcare, or telecom company—you will need to perform extensive testing to ensure its security, usability, and function. Testing in the cloud, whether public vs. private vs. hybrid, is a convenient and secure way to automate testing while accessing a broad range of devices, browsers, and operating systems in one convenient location.
Depending on the specific needs of your application, you may be debating using a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud. To determine whether to use a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud for testing, you will need to consider several factors, as well as understand the benefits and best uses of public vs. private vs. hybrid cloud environments.
In this blog, we will explore the benefits of utilizing a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud, the differences between them, and how to go about choosing the best test environment for your needs.
Public Cloud vs. Private Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud: What’s the Difference?
The primary difference between public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud lies in their accessibility. Private clouds are only accessible to one designated organization, while public clouds are generally accessible to multiple entities. Hybrid clouds are a mixture of both public and private clouds and offer the benefits of both.
Related Reading: The Benefits of Cloud Testing
Comparing Public Cloud vs. Private Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud
As opposed to utilizing on-premise hardware, which can be a cumbersome and costly option that limits the scope of your testing capabilities, testing on the cloud is a seamless and modern option for testing teams.
There are advantages to using any type of cloud testing. Determining whether to use a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud will depend on your desired level of privacy, your budget, and many other factors.
Here is a breakdown of the key points of comparison between a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud, as well as the benefits and potential drawbacks of each.
Public Cloud
A public cloud is a versatile option that allows companies to store their applications, data, and other features in a virtual location managed by a service provider. This option allows teams to access a host of different devices, browsers, and more while saving time, money, and increasing security and flexibility.
Some of the benefits of utilizing a public cloud include:
- Cost Savings – Public clouds are a cost-effective option for testing teams as opposed to on-premise testing. With the right testing platform, companies can scale their testing based on their needs and only pay for the services they require. They will also save money on costs that would otherwise go towards maintaining and updating on-premises hardware.
- Enhanced Agility & Scalability – Compared to traditional on-premise testing, a public cloud enables businesses to easily access the latest software and hardware updates, and to quickly deploy new applications with minimal effort and without added cost to them.
- Heightened Security – Public clouds are more secure than on-premise solutions. Enhanced security protocols, including two-factor authentication and more, ensure that the public cloud remains secure to protect sensitive data.
- Reduced Maintenance – Public clouds are managed by a testing solution that handles maintenance, software and hardware updates, and all other aspects of routine maintenance, freeing up time for testing teams to focus on their business goals.
Related Reading: Why Every Company Needs a Digital Lab
Private Cloud
While a public cloud is an ideal option for many, some companies opt for a private cloud. A private cloud is used by only one organization and offers an extra layer of privacy and security. Private clouds are operated by an organization within their own data center, or by a trusted third-party solution.
Some of the benefits of a private cloud include:
- Advanced Security & Privacy – A private cloud is not accessible to outside organizations, adding an extra layer of security and privacy.
- Greater Control – Private clouds allow companies to have full control over who can access their data and how it is utilized or shared with external parties. Of course, public clouds offer this element of control over data as well, but private clouds ensure that only your organization can access the cloud, which adds peace of mind.
- Regulatory Compliance – With a private cloud, companies can implement specific security and regulatory protocols tailored to their application, ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Customization – A private cloud enables companies to customize the infrastructure and services and tailor them to their specific needs.
Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid clouds are an innovative way to combine the benefits of both a public and private cloud. Hybrid cloud automation enables companies to utilize the resources available through a public cloud while maintaining the privacy and control of a private cloud. Hybrid clouds use an infrastructure in which the cloud manager is hosted by a third-party service provider while some servers and devices are hosted on-premise with the customer.
Some of the benefits of a hybrid cloud include:
- Greater Flexibility – With a hybrid cloud, organizations can easily scale their resources based on demand and workload at a given time.
- Easier Disaster Recovery – Because a hybrid cloud allows teams access to both on-premise resources as well as off-site backups through the public cloud, it is easier to implement disaster recovery plans.
- Increased Coverage & Availability – With a hybrid cloud, critical application services will remain accessible even in the event of a disaster or cyber-attack. Organizations can also spread their workloads across multiple locations to reduce downtime and ensure that their applications are always available in the event of an outage.
- Cost Savings – By utilizing hybrid clouds, companies can reduce their costs by avoiding investments in hardware and software and instead purchasing only what they need from the public cloud servicer, while maintain their control and privacy through the private cloud and their own on-premise hardware, as needed.
Related Reading: What Is In An App? Web App vs. Native App vs. Hybrid App
Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid: Which Is Right for You?
Now that we have covered the differences and benefits between a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud, how do you go about choosing the right option for you? The answer is that it depends on your company’s individual needs—including your level of security, budget, flexibility, and more.
When considering public vs. private vs. hybrid, it is important to choose a cloud provider that is versatile enough to offer all three options to ensure the best possible quality testing for your application.
Fortunately, Perfecto supports public, private, and hybrid cloud testing environments, making it a uniquely versatile application testing platform. In addition, Perfecto’s Cloud Testing Device Lab houses thousands of real and virtual devices that users can access and test on from any browser. For enterprise teams looking for a flexible solution to accelerate their delivery of mobile and web apps, Perfecto’s cloud support is unparalleled.
Bottom Line
Whether you are testing on a public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud, Perfecto is the ideal solution. Our smart, AI-driven cloud testing lab is fast, elastic, and secure—and is the most-trusted cloud-based continuous testing platform in the industry, trusted by over half of the Fortune 500 companies.
With Perfecto’s mobile testing cloud lab, organizations can solve the following challenges head-on:
- The open API helps integrate the Perfecto lab into your existing DevOps toolchain.
- Get instant access to over 3000 real devices.
- Test real-world conditions, including network, battery level, and device orientation.
- Get instant support for any new mobile device, platform, and web OS permutation.
- And more!
Experience the power of Perfecto’s cloud testing by signing up for a free 14-day trial today.