If you asked the average person about software-as-a-service (SaaS) in 2008, they'd probably look at you askance and stop inviting you to their dinner parties.

How times change. Nowadays, SaaS is as commonplace as seeded sourdough. Every application and its grandma operates on a cloud-based subscription model – from enterprise platforms like Salesforce to consumer software such as Microsoft Office and Dropbox.

You can add SimplyVideo to that list too. Our XR collaboration platform can be delivered on a subscription basis from our secure cloud environment.

For most users, this makes sense. Broadly speaking, the SaaS model is trusted – and our subscription service means that your data is safe from online crooks and shadowy hackers.

Bish, bash and – indeed – bosh. Choose the SimplyVideo cloud and you can start putting XR to work in your business right away.

Your frontline workers can enjoy instant access to remote expertise, from anywhere with an active internet connection. Your R&D team can collaborate on up-to-the-minute prototypes, even though half of them are in Scotland and the other half are stationed in Singapore.

And your IT experts might just send you a "Thank you" card. With no on-site software to install, troubleshoot or lose sleep over, they have time to focus on the other 43,104 items on their to-do lists.

That's the case for SimplyVideo as SaaS. It's simple, it's secure and it's effective.

But we recognise that the model doesn't suit everybody. That's why we give you the option to install SimplyVideo in a private cloud environment.

Is this the right route for you? Let's find out.

Who needs a private cloud?

OK – let's be honest. If you're a CTO and your heart's set on a private cloud deployment, you're probably already au fait with the differences between private and public clouds.

If so, feel free to skip ahead. This section is for everyone else: the big-picture strategisers; the budding entrepreneurs; the curious onlookers.

So, public clouds and private clouds.

Public clouds

Most clouds are public clouds. A public cloud is a type of cloud computing deployment where all the infrastructure – servers, storage, heat management systems and the like – is owned and managed by a third-party service provider.

SaaS is a type of public cloud. With SaaS, you never have to worry about hardware or keep an application up-to-date. Everything's handled for you in that nebulous in-between space called "the cloud".

Another type of public cloud is offered by hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. These cloud giants run gigantic data centres stacked with aisles of servers. In this type of public cloud, you run your own software but hire a slice of storage and computing power on a subscription basis.

Crucially, in a public cloud environment, hardware is shared. Your workloads run on a shared server – and your data is stored on a shared hard drive.

This might sound like a blatant risk. However, public cloud providers deploy layer upon layer of security to keep your data safe – including features like encryption and access controls.

For some organisations, however, this tight security isn't enough. They want complete control over the data they hold and the way it's governed, protected and used.

This idea – that an organisation should govern its own data – is known as "data sovereignty". And it's serious business for government departments, healthcare providers and other organisations where data integrity is a matter of life, death or national security.

This is where private clouds come into play.

Private clouds

A private cloud is yours and yours only. It runs your workloads and it stores your data. Other enterprises don't get a look in.

You might own the hardware too, in which case you'll probably host the cloud in one of your own facilities. Or you might rent the hardware and the associated infrastructure from a third party.

The key differentiator is that these are single-tenant environments. All the resources – hardware, hard drives and compute power – are only accessible to you. You're the single tenant in a detached house surrounded by barbed wire and snarling dogs.

An organisation may choose a private cloud environment simply because it wants to keep its data as protected as possible. Multi-tenant environments are a tiny risk in the grand scheme of cybersecurity. But even a tiny risk is too risky when you're dealing with hyper-sensitive data.

Or perhaps there are rules and regulations that make a private cloud the only reasonable option. Many organisations choose private clouds because it’s the only way they can meet their industry's compliance standards.

How to deploy SimplyVideo in a private cloud

Deploying SimplyVideo in a public cloud is easy. You sign up for a subscription and in a few clicks, you're ready to go.

Using a private cloud is a little more involved. The deployment needs to be carried out carefully and in phases – from designing the deployment to installing the software to testing its functionality.

The complexity of these phases will vary depending on your cloud environment and your specific needs. But, generally speaking, it's nothing that a skilled IT team couldn't handle.

This is thanks, in part, to Pexip – an enterprise video platform that's relatively easy to set up and is known and trusted for its security credentials.

Pexip is favoured by organisations that take data security very seriously. It's often used for remote government meetings, court appearances and health appointments – the kinds of situations where a data breach could have devastating real-world implications.

All SimplyVideo private cloud deployments run on top of Pexip. This means you benefit from Pexip's watertight security credentials while harnessing SimplyVideo's cutting-edge, XR-optimised collaboration tools.

If you want to deploy XR for video collaboration but can't compromise on data sovereignty, it's a no-brainer.

Are you considering deploying SimplyVideo in a private cloud? Our team is here to help. Get in touch to discuss how deployment could work for you.