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Dedicated vs Cloud Hosting

Cloud Based Virtual Machines Dedicated Server
Charged by usage – the less you use the less you pay Charged regardless of usage – fixed/known costs
Instantly scalable with a cost basis that rises proportionally with size Scalable but requires investment in servers with cost doubling at each upgrade
Automatic and incrementally scalable Scale ups possible through clustering
Resources can be increased automatically Fixed/known resource availability
Automatic load balancing Load balancing requires multiple clustered servers
Reloading crashed VM takes only minutes with automatic failover services available Restoring a server can take hours – automatic failovers can be created if there is a server cluster
Self-administered or managed by SIS Self-administered or managed by SIS
Control of the VMs created only Full server control including operating systems choice
Performance related to cloud resource availability Performance always optimal

The comparison table above shows that there are benefits to be considered from either option. Running Virtual Machines in the cloud has some very attractive features related to scalability, load balancing and failover. The cloud solution is suitable for clients who have a varying and possibly unpredictable load demand and need a solution that offers maximum flexibility. Dedicated servers also have their place and are suitable for clients who have predictable loading and the hands-on availability of an administrator as opposed to a self-administered cloud based solution. SIS can also provide administrative services for cloud VM’s if the client does not wish to take on this task themselves.

From a cost perspective, a dedicated server can be just as cost effective as a cloud based solution depending on the type of server traffic anticipated by the client. Although a pay-as-you-go strategy is the basis of the cloud solutions we offer, increasing resources during peak hours may not provide a cost structure that is appropriate in comparison to a dedicated server which, (if correctly specified), will have sufficient capacity to cover peak traffic loading. The other aspect that may influence this choice is that a dedicated server can have a much deeper level of security and data integrity checking. Although reliable and secure as a platform, the cloud solutions do share memory space with other users so may not be deemed suitable from a security perspective; even though there would be no access from one VM to another, corruption of the server by others could cause system failure which might affect all users. SIS can provide dedicated servers which can be managed by the client through a control panel or managed by our administrators. We can offer 24/7 support and hardware administration, full backup and restore services are included in the plans we offer. Our services are priced to compete strongly with the cost of a business running these services in-house.

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