I will be completely sympathetic and will 100% understand if you say that all you have heard about private Cloud until now is good, and no matter what happens, you will never see a disadvantage to it. I could not agree more. Private Cloud is excellent, a great framework, but just like a vacation to Hawaii, it has its goods and bad. All said and done, here is some food for thought that looks at Private Cloud from a different angle. I see these as disadvantages from a certain perspective and while I hold ground for the Public Cloud, I am not in any way discounting any of these frameworks. Here we go;
Costs
Private Cloud is like caviar. You want to have it just because it's what everyone's having, though it may not suite everyone's palette. Some people just absolutely hate it. Some others may like it, but have access to other things they prefer. Bottom line, just like expensive caviar, Private Cloud has a price tag that commands. It also has aspects that are very specific to it. For organizations that find a benefit and overall value from investing in their Cloud deployments, going private is a great thing. For others that have a smaller footprint, and whose choices may not consists of private computing from the outset, do consider public cloud, (since you are already using consumer grade applications like drop box, Google drive, and so on) to host your non critical data. Public cloud can offer a great alternative, and will take you to your first step in your journey to the Cloud.
Complexity
Private Cloud is complex. The complexity mainly consists of potentially the deployment of a solution, connecting to databases, creating virtualized environments, connecting everything together, managing storage and more. This complexity arises purely from the fact that anything managed on a Private Cloud is essentially more complex than a public Cloud format. Consider the fact that if you ask your favorite bakery to bake you a custom cake, there just might be the fact that you want some customer stuff done and customization costs. You are also looking at engaging with multiple vendors, licensing needs and so on.
Quickness
Private Cloud deployments can take significantly more time than a public Cloud. This could be a step backwards for your organization if you are trying to move faster to a cloud framework, but complexity is making you two steps backwards. Private Cloud computing is also (most of the times dependent on a customized specification for hardware and solution stacks that are compatible. These are juts anther way for unnecessary paperwork to creep up in your project and sit there until not addressed 100%.
What Now?
If you have been handed down the orders for finding the next best thing for your organization and all windows open to the Cloud, you are bound to be confronted with all the terminologies and options the Cloud may offer. In many of my conversations, people often refer to as Private Cloud as the Holy Grail and public Cloud being some unnecessary evil. While blowing the toot for Private Cloud is not an issue for me, I do get irritated by people not knowing everything that needs to be known about all types of Cloud deployments before they star speaking like Charles Babbage himself.
In order to make the right decision, you have to evaluate your needs, look at options available and then make an informed decision. A term we frequently use in the discipline of project management is gold plating, which is when you over deliver the expectations and deliverables from a project. Gold plating is an unnecessary waste of time and resources, and while your business may never even need Private Cloud, deploying just because you have the budget to afford it is unnecessary and a sign of lack of knowledge and expertise.
Look for options that suit your needs better, even if they lie on public Cloud. With the right set of questions to ask your Cloud vendor, you never know and your public cloud may work out to be a much better and suitable option than you would have thought.
Author of Cloud Wars, The Internet of Things & the Future of Innovation, Make Me Like You, 21 Steps, I am a Technology Influencer, Author & Speaker, I help people and businesses simplify their understanding of technology and how it can help derive more value for the betterment of humanity. I work with organizations of all sizes, evangelizing technologies such as Cloud Computing & Internet of Things. Reach out to me to learn more about Cloud computing technologies, IoT and beyond. More than anything else I am a mentor, a business coach and a friend to many people, all of who bring enormous joy to my life.