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Why switch from private infrastructure to public cloud?

In 2022, 75% of French organizations reported using a private cloud or having plans to do so. Despite the historical success of these private infrastructures, the public cloud is booming: IDC predicts a 22% annual growth rate for this market by 2026.

To support this growth, cloud providers are expanding their global data centers, ensuring businesses benefit from faster response times, optimized latency, and regulatory alignment.

This shift is largely driven by the advantages of cloud computing, where shared infrastructure and on-demand access allow organizations to innovate faster and reduce time-to-market.

Among public cloud solutions, SaaS platforms stand out. The rise of remote work has been a turning point, driving their widespread adoption. Why such enthusiasm? Discover the 7 benefits of switching from a private cloud to a public cloud in SaaS mode!

1. Benefit from a ready-to-use cloud service

Companies using a private cloud must set up their own servers and configure their infrastructure. This step is costly, complex, and time-consuming.

In contrast, public cloud solutions are accessible directly via the web. Setting up a public cloud can be done quickly, with no software installation required. This is the case for SaaS platforms and their turnkey solutions: a simple internet connection is enough to access the service. At Leviia, we can provide data storage services in 30 seconds, stopwatch in hand. No hassle.

Unlike private infrastructure, public cloud environments rely on virtualization technology and virtual machines to enable on-demand access and rapid scalability, while operating on a multi-tenancy model that allows multiple customers to securely share the same shared infrastructure without interference.

2. Delegate the management and maintenance of your cloud to a third-party provider

Public cloud solutions handle the management of your hardware infrastructure. The cloud service provider ensures the performance of your cloud service. Likewise, you no longer need to perform regular maintenance, as is required with a private cloud.

Managed services and automation in cloud environments reduce the operational burden for IT teams.

Providers also manage underlying server management and networking resources, freeing companies from the burden of physical infrastructure.

With most providers offering IaaS and PaaS alongside SaaS, businesses can choose the right level of control and flexibility according to their needs.

Self-service provisioning and resource allocation help businesses scale without friction.

The time saved by entrusting these tasks to the provider allows the IT team to focus on more critical tasks. Small and medium-sized businesses opting for SaaS don’t need to hire technical expertise or rely on an IT consulting firm to use the cloud: no expertise is required.

3. Reduce your data storage costs

Using a public cloud solution involves no installation, setup, maintenance, or update fees. Additionally, SaaS platforms often offer a pay-as-you-go model, which aligns perfectly with variable workloads and reduces capital expenditure.

This cost efficiency is further enhanced by pay-per-usage pricing and continuous improvement processes applied by providers.

Concretely, SaaS offerings provide subscriptions—monthly or annual—tailored to the size and needs of businesses. This means no hidden costs for your company: all expenses are predictable. While hosted private clouds exist, their subscriptions are more expensive than those of public clouds.

In addition to predictable pricing, clear service level agreements define performance expectations, availability rates, and support conditions, reducing financial risk.

In any case, the costs of a public cloud service are lower than those of a private cloud, which charges for unused resources. The flexibility of SaaS platforms allows businesses to scale their expenses without prior hardware investment. Pricing aligns with your company’s usage needs.

4. Enhance the security of your data

Security is one of the main advantages of a private cloud. Company data is stored on hardware that no other company or individual can access. This isolation is a guarantee, particularly for the confidentiality of sensitive data.

However, companies using an internal private cloud must handle hardware maintenance and software updates themselves. To stay up to date and avoid security vulnerabilities, a dedicated team is needed to manage the private cloud.

In contrast, public cloud providers handle all maintenance and updates. These professionals, experts in data security, systematically perform updates to ensure the ongoing protection of their clients’ data.

Public cloud providers also incorporate robust disaster recovery mechanisms to ensure data availability even in the event of hardware failure or natural disasters.

A SaaS provider’s market reputation is closely tied to the protection of its clients’ data. Cloud service providers thus make it their duty to stay informed about new cyber threats to anticipate all attack scenarios and strengthen the security of their solutions.

At Leviia, our data storage platform offers military-grade encryption, triple data replication across three different French data centers to ensure availability in case of an incident or cyberattack, enhanced authentication, and advanced management of access rights and file sharing.

We also support companies in maintaining compliance with European data protection regulations such as the GDPR and data residency requirements.

However, be cautious to choose sovereign public cloud solutions with data hosted in France. US-based cloud services are subject to the Cloud Act and the Patriot Act, two laws that allow the transfer of your data to the United States without your prior consent. Additionally, the CNIL has already flagged several US solutions, such as Google Analytics, Zoom, and Teams, for illegally transferring European clients’ data to the United States.

5. Gain scalability

Another advantage of the public cloud is its scalability and flexibility. You can adjust your consumption and usage with just a few clicks, whether due to rapid growth or a limited budget. Storage space, the number of users, and more can be modified as needed. If necessary, you can always upgrade your subscription to unlock more advanced features.

Cloud bursting can also support temporary demand spikes without overprovisioning infrastructure.

Thus, the public cloud adapts perfectly to the economic and commercial realities of businesses. It contrasts with the private cloud: purchasing hardware and software offers much less flexibility. Additional purchases are often necessary to support a company’s growth.

6. Boost your company’s performance

In the public cloud, various SaaS platforms are easily interconnected. This ease of integration is due to the numerous APIs offered by providers. Without technical expertise, different data storage solutions can be linked: CRM, ERP, cloud services, and more.

The benefits of these interconnections are numerous. First, operational efficiency and performance are significantly enhanced. Extracting added value from your data becomes effortless. Additionally, these interconnections improve your capacity for innovation and enable you to offer new services to your clients.

This level of API integration also facilitates interconnection between cloud-native applications, accelerating workflows and minimizing manual intervention.

For example, machine learning in cloud platforms allows real-time insights and improved forecasting capabilities. Cloud-native applications further enhance responsiveness and agility.

7. Facilitate hybrid work

France has the highest demand for hybrid work: 62% of workers want to adopt this model, compared to a global average of 49%. SaaS solutions perfectly meet the needs of remote and hybrid workers: they make company data accessible from any workplace and any device.

There are countless collaborative solutions on the market that address all the needs of hybrid businesses. Leviia provides an essential component for hybrid companies: secure and accessible cloud storage for their files. Employees can create, edit, and share files, as well as collaborate synchronously or asynchronously on their work documents.

Hybrid cloud models also support data portability and edge computing solutions, ensuring high availability systems for distributed teams.

Furthermore, modern data center design now includes green energy sources, water-efficient cooling systems, and hardware recycling, which contributes to environmental sustainability goals.

Why choose a European public cloud provider?

For European companies, sovereignty is not a buzzword, t’s a requirement. Opting for a cloud provider subject to EU laws ensures full compliance with GDPR and local data protection frameworks.

By selecting a sovereign partner like Leviia, businesses not only protect their data but also support digital independence and foster a resilient European cloud ecosystem.