No modern company can do without hosting. Placing information on the Internet is essential for businesses of all sizes. But how to choose a service that meets the needs of a particular company? There are many offers on the market. Some are focused on speed and adaptability, others on control and independence. Cloud technologies are especially popular nowadays. 60% of business data is stored in them. The market offers clouds in different models: public, private, or hybrid. Dedicated servers are also still in demand.
Private cloud vs Public cloud
Before deciding, it is necessary to understand what service delivery models are and how they differ from each other. It is worth noting that companies often combine the use of different clouds. For example, they store non-confidential data, such as corporate photos or blog posts, in the public cloud, and financial reports in the private cloud.
Public cloud is the most popular hosting solution on the market. 96% of companies use this type of cloud infrastructure. In this case, the provider manages servers, data storage, as well as hardware and software. It is obliged to keep its finger on the pulse by updating equipment and providing licensed network components. But the name “public cloud” was given for a reason, as it functions on a multi-user basis: one IT infrastructure is used by several independent customers.
The public cloud is not the best solution for storing confidential information. It’s the lack of hardware isolation that makes it so. An important note: do not assume that the provider has any access to your data. Usually, they have no idea where it is, unless they have been provided with separate hardware for it. It’s like living in a high-rise building – different residents share the same infrastructure (pipes, for example), but each has their own apartment. In our case, the data “lives” on servers in different “cells” without access to neighboring “apartments”.
A significant advantage of the public cloud over other solutions is flexibility in all its forms. Easy switching between data centers or changing the number of resources, such as processor cores, is what makes the public cloud attractive to companies that are seasonally oriented with a large influx of customers. After all, the principle of “pay for what you use” will work here;
Advantages of the public cloud
- Easy to start and operate;
- Flexibility and scalability (you pay only for the resource you use);
- High level of security within the internal cybersecurity perimeter;
- Savings on hardware, software and some IT specialists.
Disadvantages of the public cloud
- The most expensive solution on the hosting market;
- Full control over the cloud infrastructure by the provider;
- Lack of hardware isolation.
Private cloud – repeats all the qualitative characteristics of the public cloud with certain, but significant, exceptions. First of all, the entire private cloud infrastructure provided is customized for only one customer. No third-party user will be able to use the services guaranteed by the platform. But higher control means higher responsibility on the part of the client. Administrators of the customer’s company can access physical servers to create or remove items, if they are not located in different countries. The exclusivity of the platform also affects the production capacity of the system. This is especially important when resources are used for powerful analytical needs, graphs, and mathematical modeling.
84% of companies worldwide use private cloud infrastructure in addition to public cloud. Its key advantage over the public cloud is the level of security and individuality. Before launching a platform for a specific customer, you should take into account all possible technical needs of the enterprise. To set up a private cloud, you can either use your own infrastructure or rent it from a cloud provider. However, it is worth remembering that this technology should be managed by your IT team. That is, you will have a higher responsibility for the operation of the infrastructure, because you will need to keep track of updates, monitoring, and proper virtualization settings.
Renting hardware frees up your hands considerably. In addition, it increases flexibility: the virtual cloud can be hosted in a data center abroad (which will be more reliable) or in Ukraine (which will be cheaper). Expected volumes of data storage are calculated in advance (memory, number of processor cores, backup, snapshots, desired transfer speed). However, this is only true for simple linear structures. A more complex architecture requires a detailed audit and the formation of the final cloud scheme, which is formed according to the requests of a particular user;
Advantages of a private cloud
- Guaranteed and specialized resources for one customer;
- Customer access to the hypervisor;
- Cost optimization is possible when you need a minimum pool of resources (for example, from 1 TB of RAM);
- High speed of work with resource-intensive systems.
Disadvantages of a private cloud
- The responsibility of the administrators of the customer company;
- Less flexibility compared to the public cloud in terms of resource utilization;
- Qualified staff;
- IT infrastructure costs;
Dedicated server
It is a separate physical powerful computer that is rented to customers. Customers get full control over the equipment and technology, meaning that the provider’s involvement is minimized to almost zero. In terms of administrative control, a dedicated server is second only to a stationary server based on the company’s own infrastructure. Leased hosting allows you to customize the operating system, monitor network activity, test the system’s capacity, etc.
The server characteristics are customized at the discretion of the company. It is possible to install any operating system and software. In fact, software costs will be the only burden for the client, as a dedicated server is a significant saving on hardware;
An own leased dedicated server is considered a stable solution, i.e., it is focused on companies with constant resource-intensive loads. There are a few caveats to this, as the company’s server needs may grow over time, and it is not easy to expand capabilities. First of all, it requires additional costs, as well as interference with the server, which will affect the functioning of the virtual infrastructure up to the point of stopping processes for “technical work.”
Advantages of a dedicated server
- The cheapest solution on the hosting market;
- Full control over the infrastructure;
- One entry point means higher data security;
- High production capacity of the system.
Disadvantages of a dedicated server
- The need for qualified specialists who know both the software level of the system and the hardware;
- Less opportunities for scaling and hardware upgrades;
- Installation and configuration time;
- High need for investment at the initial stage;
- Low fault tolerance of the solution.
What to choose?
The choice of hosting model directly depends on the needs and size of the company. If the company is small, there is no need for a private cloud. This solution requires highly qualified IT specialists, investments, and sometimes space for stationary infrastructure. Private cloud is an option for medium and large businesses. They often resort to hybrid formats, i.e., part of the services are provided on public and part on private cloud infrastructure.
The best option for small businesses is the public cloud, where technical control and support is entirely in the hands of the provider. In turn, clouds are flexible and allow you to migrate between infrastructures. If the company expands, it will not be a problem to move services from a public cloud to a private one.
“Clouds are capable of rapid scaling, i.e., rapid expansion of traffic and services. They are better adapted for seasonal businesses, when the influx of customers is not constant. A dedicated server, on the other hand, is a stable solution that is better suited for predictable processes.
© Danil Belov, Director of Business Development at UCloud
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