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Although the private cloud has many of the same perks as the public cloud, one of these cloud types is quickly becoming the big favorite among IT heads. As cloud management costs balloon for many organizations, the private cloud could be a welcomed solution.

Here are five ways private cloud platforms are surpassing public clouds in growth:

1. Private Cloud: The Premier Choice for International Organizations

Just how widespread is private cloud usage? According to online statistics portalStatista, 72% of organizations around the world utilize an on-premise private cloud. The highest levels of private cloud usage are in Latin America (84%) and Western Europe (80%). North America is slightly below average at 70%, though this figure has the potential to grow.

2. Manufacturers, Vendors Working to Lower Costs

Although private cloud options may be priced higher than public cloud choices, manufacturers of equipment built for private clouds as well as vendors are progressing toward reduced costs. Specifically, they are working with companies and IT professionals to decrease the costs of equipment and hardware as one way to bring down the price of private clouds.

3. Private Clouds Becoming More Popular Among IT Staff

With the various benefits of the private cloud, it’s no secret that IT heads are considering switching from the public cloud. The 2016 State of the Cloud Survey published by RightScale found private cloud usage among IT professionals has jumped to 77% (from 63% last year).

In addition to respondents increasingly adopting private clouds, 31% of companies said they are running more than 1,000 virtual machines in the private cloud. This outpaces the 17% of enterprises that said they have more than 1,000 virtual machines in the public cloud.

4. Automation Makes Platforms More Efficient

If IT professionals are unable to work with manufacturers and vendors to lower equipment or hardware costs, they also have the option of decreasing labor costs to control expenses. To do this, IT staff will have to focus on automated processes that reduce the need for additional labor and support. With many IT professionals citing cloud management and its associated costs as a major challenge, private clouds are increasingly being sought after as a solution.

5. All Providers Reveal Private Cloud Adoption Increasing

The RightScale study also revealed a surprising fact: All providers of the private cloud said they saw greater instances of this type of cloud in 2016 compared to the previous year. Some providers even reported double digit increases in adoption rates of private cloud technology. Not only are organizations more likely to adopt a private cloud environment, but they are also setting their sights on hybrid clouds. This combination of private and public clouds ensures the private cloud market is on track for growth.

With these five factors accelerating the rise of private cloud adoption, IT heads should consider whether it’s time to make the switch from public cloud.

When operating a business, cost is always top of mind. As invoices, expense reports, telecommunications bills, and more pile up, expenses become increasingly hard to track. Whether overseeing a small or large business, managers should improve their processes for telecom expense management to reduce costs and boost efficiency.

Here are five ways to optimize telecom expense management:

1. Review all telecom expenses in a central dashboard.

Expenses can take on many forms, such as telecommunications or administrative costs and vendor bills. With the variety of expenses that managers have to monitor, using separate channels to do so could easily lead to confusion. Consider implementing telecom expense management programs that compile all telecom costs in one central dashboard. This enables managers to calculate or differentiate expenses and better oversee spending.

2. Automate processes and reports.

Using a telecom expense management platform can also be an effective tool to automate administrative processes that take up valuable time. Automating processes (receiving electronic invoices instead of paper ones, for example) can save time that managers can reallocate toward higher-level functions that enhance the business as a whole. Additionally, generating automated reports can reduce the time it takes to gather data and analyze information.

3. Leave the payment process to a third party.

Processing payments is often a pain point for employees and managers alike. Rather than devote in-house resources and man hours to doing this, determine whether it’s best to leave these tasks to a third party. Look into whether a vendor would be more suited to handling the payment process so payments are received in a timely manner, revenue is generated, and more resources are available to the business.

4. Reassess savings opportunities regularly.

Telecom expense management is a constantly evolving process, and there is always room for improvement. Managers should explore cost-saving measures and strategies on a regular basis. Perform audits of current telecom expense management systems and see whether the return on investment could be higher and the savings even greater.

5. Check client feedback of potential vendors.

As a step toward greater savings, explore options for potential vendors and review the feedback of their current and previous clients. A best practice is to get quotes from multiple vendors to leverage a better deal with current third-party service or product providers.

With the risk of costs getting out of hand quickly, it’s crucial to get a better handle on telecom expenses and know exactly how much is being spent and when. Optimizing telecom expense management is an important undertaking for businesses of all sizes.