There is an appropriate server solution for everyone, from small start-up firms that prioritise the cloud from the beginning to giant corporations that want to transfer to a cloud server. In this article, we look at the benefits of having a cloud server as opposed to an onsite server.
What Is A Cloud Server?
Simply put, a cloud server means your data, applications, software, or emails are hosted on a server somewhere other than your business property. Employees and clients can then access information using the internet, from any location using their computer or phone.
Having an on premises server typically means your business has a physical server, usually at your business location. The server will be maintained and administrated by your own IT team or an IT partner company.
With a cloud server, the server host maintains all hardware and software at their own data centre.
Moving To The Cloud
Whist migrating to cloud servers may sound scary for some businesses, most people in the UK are familiar with cloud services and how they work.
Many businesses already use services such as Google Drive and OneDrive to store data – both cloud storage services. The difference with having a dedicated off-site server for all your data is that usually, absolutely everything will be hosted off-site. For some business owners, that thought can be a little bit scary!
There is little to fear though as cloud server providers take extraordinary lengths to protect hosted data, applications, and email. After all, looking after other people’s information is what they do so it makes sense that they would protect their business’s interests.
Hosting offsite can be more secure in some cases too…let’s take a look at some of the biggest benefits of having a cloud server rather than an on-premises server…
Our Top Benefits Of Having A Cloud Server
Downtime Is Reduced
Increased server uptime is a huge benefit of cloud computing. There is nothing more infuriating than losing access to email or an application not working in the middle of your workday. With external hosting, downtime is kept to a minimum. This is because your service provider will have interconnected, and backup servers meaning that if the server hosting your data goes down, recovery will be almost immediate.
Security Is Boosted
With dedicated server hosting, your business benefits from the same levels of security that your server provider has (which is a lot!). This significantly increases your protection when it comes to cybercrime, particularly data theft. However, you still need to manage sensible security practices at your end, such as having a robust password policy.
They’re Scalable With Your Business
Most dedicated server providers will offer you options to scale your needs up and down with your business. Flexible contacts are handy too. This means you will only ever be paying for exactly what you need. For example, storage space can be upped when your business starts to grow, and you need more server space.
Save Money
A dedicated server can save you money both in the short term and in the long run. Using a cloud server when you’re a new or growing business means you will never have to pay out the initial hardware costs for an on-premises server. Long term, as cloud servers are maintained by their providers, you won’t run into any maintenance costs or the expense of new hardware when your business expands. Cloud computing can also cut your staffing costs as you will have less onsite work.
Backed Up Data & Disaster Recovery
Data loss is no joke and can cost businesses thousands, if not millions of pounds. Using a cloud server your data is always securely backed up so you have copies of everything if the worst should happen, from data theft to human error.
In addition, dedicated offsite servers are housed in locations where the absolute worst has been planned for – fires, floods, hurricanes etc. Should the worst happen, your data will be protected either by the security of the location or by moving data to another data centre.
It’s More Convenient
With a cloud server your applications, email, and data can be accessed anywhere, anytime by your staff and customers (with permissions in place of course). Accessibility on local networks can be constricted to certain locations or times which is inconvenient for how we work now. Think of how popular homeworking is now – much easier with a cloud server.
Dedicated Cloud Servers UK & Worldwide
At Balliante our focus is to ensure you work better, faster, and more accurately, using technology. We offer several options for dedicated servers to businesses of all sizes, both here in the UK and worldwide.
Our servers come with Free IPMI KVM Console, /29 (5 usable IPs), RAID options and IPv6 options. We also have a 100% uptime service level agreement, meaning you can access your data at all times.
We also offer web and email hosting if you aren’t looking to move completely to the cloud just yet.
If you have any questions about our IT services, dedicated servers or hosting services, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
info@balliante.com