Cloud Hosting

5Sep2014

If you read our last post on business continuity planning, you know that a failed server can have catastrophic effects on your business. But lets assume you already have a sound business continuity plan in place, and you know what youre going to do if that server fails. What should you consider when it comes to choosing the right server for your business in the first place?

The biggest decision is whether to have a cloud based or in house server infrastructure. While it may sound like a black-or-white selection, there are many things to consider. The first factor is how important uptime is to your business. Cloud solutions are usually more expensive than in house, but the benefits of being in the cloud can far outweigh the costs for some businesses. For example, an online business that is reliant on web-based transactions will consider uptime an extremely important factor; therefore, they will likely be willing to pay more for a cloud based solution that can guarantee a certain level of uptime. Other businesses not as dependent on uptime may be more suited to an in house set up.

Here are some pros and cons of cloud vs in house servers.

As you can see, there are many pros and cons under each setup. For this reason, SysGen often recommends a hybrid model to clients meaning a combination of both in house and cloud based solutions. Going hybrid gives clients the best of both worlds. Having some in house server hardware can be suitable for companies that do not want to rely on the Internet. And at the same time, businesses can reap the benefits of a cloud solution, such as Microsoft Exchange email, to allow users to connect from anywhere with a high degree of uptime. SysGen actually guarantees 99.99% uptime to its clients with cloud based email.

A hybrid server model also gives companies greater data security. For example, with a SysGen hybrid model, clients can back up their data to an onsite server as well as a cloud solution. SysGens backup solution partner, Datto, introduces next-gen backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions. Read more about backup solutions in our blog post, Five key questions to ask about your backup solution.

Heres an example of a SysGen hybrid model. As you can see, the client has an onsite server with local backup storage. Employees access their desktops, applications, files, printers, and email from the office using the local network. At the same time, data is backed up for redundancy to a cloud based solution, and email is entirely in the cloud with Hosted Microsoft Exchange. The cloud configuration also gives employees anywhere access to their desktops, applications, files, printers, and email. (Click the photo to enlarge it).

The hybrid model seems to be on trend with whats happening in the IT industry in general. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, techs future may lie in the fog rather than the cloud. In other words, cloud solutions are great, but businesses may not want to have everything out there in the cloud. Some solutions will still need to be kept in house or on device, closer to the ground. For many companies, the best configuration will be somewhere in between, which the article refers to as the fog.

Either way cloud, ground, or fog, SysGen can help you determine the right set up to meet your specific business needs. Contact us to support your Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer or Vancouver-based business anytime!

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The pros and cons of cloud vs in house servers - Edmonton