It’s a decision almost every business eventually considers: replace existing IT Infrastructure or go to a Cloud Hosting Platform?
As on-premises servers age, they become increasingly unable to meet the demands of a growing organization. Cloud-hosted solutions represent a way out of the considerable financial investment in purchasing and maintaining server hardware, operating systems, software applications, and maintaining IT infrastructure personnel.
Many companies struggle to keep up with the demands of maintaining their own server infrastructure, from performing security updates or replacing outdated systems before they become obsolete. A long parade of security patches coupled with “end-of-life” system limitations increases the vulnerability of cyberattacks and the risks of IT system disruption. Running end-of-life systems puts your company’s financial health and reputation may be at serious risk.
For growing numbers of businesses, the best option isn’t investing in new, more powerful servers on premises; it’s making the shift to cloud-hosted solutions. Moving to the cloud alleviates many of the issues of managing and maintaining on-site servers while offering more effective protection of data and critical systems against potential loss or corruption.
This shift is not merely about upgrading hardware; it represents a strategic advance that boosts efficiency, flexibility, and scalability, and it is a move growing numbers of companies are making.
About 44% of traditional small businesses use cloud infrastructure or hosting services. That is compared to 66% of small tech companies and 74% of enterprises.
Aging servers are a predictable tale of degradation and headaches.
An aging server’s end-of-life story typically unfolds in a predictable timeline. Reliability becomes an issue, but the price tag for server replacement is substantial, which sometimes keeps management from greenlighting the investment. Most companies need to anticipate, budget, and fund this acquisition over time, sometimes for years – causing companies to operate aging servers longer than is optimal. User problems begin to mushroom. Downtime becomes more frequent. IT team members begin to spend increasing amounts of time and energy troubleshooting.
Transitioning to a cloud-hosted solution that breaks that cycle is priceless. Having a cloud service provider assist you with managing your system infrastructure delivers better security, enhanced Disaster Recovery, and significant lifecycle management benefits.
Just like the numerous software programs that converted from desktop installations to cloud-based applications over the past decade, managing production server infrastructure or at least your disaster recovery site can easily be met by cloud-based service providers. This shift disrupts the costly server cycle and offers maintenance, security, and expense advantages.
As cloud-based software solutions ease pressures for in-house application support, cloud server solutions enhance performance with improved processing speeds — while streamlining the responsibilities of the frequently-stretched-thin IT staff.
Free up IT personnel to support core activities.
Transitioning from on-site servers to cloud-hosted solutions greatly reduces the time required by IT personnel to maintain servers, storage, and update security patches. The cloud-hosting model reduces the expense of retaining a deep bench of costly IT support personnel. Instead of nursing aging servers, the IT team can respond more quickly and thoroughly to other company requirements, becoming more proactive, rather than reactive, to the needs of stakeholders.
Especially in today’s increasingly remote-work business environment, on-site servers often support employees working in different cities, states, or sometimes even countries. Server downtime & disruptions can have a long-reaching effect on a company’s workflow and lack the nimble response of a cloud-based solution, which has more redundancy built-in and can adapt quickly to mitigate downtime and restore operations.
Enhance security and reduce the risk of data loss.
Moving to cloud server hosting can also shift responsibility for security patches, updates, and backups to the cloud services provider. This can help ensure that key updates are made on time and redundancy is in place, minimizing any potential risk to your data, servers, and business operations. The shift can also enhance security. Many organizations still require control of their data but need help managing and protecting it. With the right cloud hosting partner, they will regularly update software and scan systems & files for problems, and monitor your systems for you.
Shift from capital expenditure to operational expense.
When comparing cloud server hosting to the in-house equipment, network, and technical expertise required, cloud server hosting can be considerably lower than the daunting capital investment required for purchasing and maintaining new on-site servers. Migrating to a cloud-hosted server solution reframes data management from a server-based data economy reliant on costly services to a service-based cloud solution. Like all technology, servers become outdated over time, and cannot supply indefinite service. With each upgrade cycle, organizations must purchase more capacity than needed today in order to have enough computing power, RAM, and storage to accommodate regular growth. A cloud server hosting solution allows businesses to “pay as they grow.” Its operational expense can be amortized over time rather than incurred as a capital investment, keeping costs predictable and easier to budget.
Navigate the transition with an end-to-end plan.
The journey to a cloud-hosted solution requires careful planning. A seamless transition includes a comprehensive assessment of infrastructure and critical data and systems to be migrated, data storage needs, and compliance requirements. Not every cloud is created equally. Scalability and available support should be carefully considered. After the plan is outlined and a timeline established, a solid cloud services partner can migrate workloads and implement proper network and security protocols to get users working again effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, hands-on training is available so the IT team can get maximum value from their new solution.
Partner with a proven cloud-hosted solutions provider
Migrating from on-site servers to cloud server hosting is an important business decision. Most organizations see a significant reduction in the capital investment versus the ongoing expense of maintaining and updating on-site servers. Additionally, shifting to the cloud increases security for businesses by reducing the risk of potential cyber-attacks or malware infection of end-of-life systems or those with outdated security patches.
Before deciding to transition from on-premises solutions to cloud-hosted solutions, it’s essential to do your homework. Not all cloud-hosted service providers are created equal. Make sure your business has the flexibility to grow with your hosted services provider and offers the flexibility to adjust your infrastructure.
When selecting a cloud-hosted solution provider, inquire about the availability of support services that fit the needs of your organization. Internal IT departments play a key role, and in most cases will continue to support and troubleshoot the network with the help of your hosted provider.
RenovoData collaborates with each client to design a smooth transition from migrating on-premises servers to cloud-hosted servers, while supplying a blend of disaster recovery solutions to meet your company’s recovery objectives. Our knowledgeable team has a proven record and will be happy to explain the benefits of our Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). For a complete overview of our Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) hosting platform and Disaster Recovery solutions, call 1.877.834.3684, browse www.renovodata.com, or email us at info@renovodata.com.
RenovoData is a leading regulatory-compliant, cloud data protection IT services company. Our solutions range from File and Database Backup, Server Recovery, Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), Custom Cloud Hosting and Consulting solutions for on-premises and hosted environments.