The beauty of the internet has provided so many businesses and individuals an opportunity to expand their revenues tremendously. People from all walks of life have emerged online with various concepts, established their independence, and achieved notable success. There are, however, times when that very independence can work against you - as is the case you're your company attempts to maintain a web server and entire data center from the limited space of your office.
While IT just might be your expertise and the core of the business, running your own data facility is costly in the terms of time, money and the deployment of physical resources. Aside from all the expenses you are likely to incur, there is the issue of day to day maintenance, which can be enough to overcome even the most successful company.
There is no mild way to put it - server administration and monitoring is a full time job, one that requires trained professionals capable of addressing any problems that might arise. Many companies have learned the hard way and made the move to outsource these tasks to companies with the special skills and forte to manage servers. Such a service is imperative these days, as you are liable to have a number of critical applications operating on your server. If those applications happen to endure problems or the server itself fails, this leads to downtime, which could result in the loss of clients and revenue.
How Does Outsourcing Work?
When outsourcing your operation, you are essentially leasing space on the premises of a third-party company. That company houses your servers, and possibly the servers of other businesses as well. Your equipment is physically protected, typically locked in a cabinet or wired cage. Outsourcing offers great flexibility, allowing you to upscale your operation and its requirements as the business grows - all without needing to pump much additional capital into the cause. When entering such an agreement, the company usually charges a set fee over a fixed amount of time, maintaining your server and all of its associated components while freeing you up for other important matters.
The remainder of this article will entail the disadvantages of hosting your own server and lead into the benefits of outsourcing the operation.
Expenses
Maintaining a server is a very costly procedure; trying to keep up an entire data center is even more so. Caring for a server involves software applications, along with hard drives and resources to keep the equipment running at peak performance. By handing over the management aspect to an outside company, you can enjoy cost savings of anywhere from 20 to 70%.
Limited Space
A thorough operation consists of several components; possibly multiple servers. Having enough room to store this equipment in your office is impractical and essentially a disaster waiting to happen. Outsourcing the equipment enables better utilization of that space, allowing your company to stick with the hardware it is capable of handling.
A Potentially Hazardous Environment
While it offers more capacity, a server is simply a computer, one that requires the utmost care. It's hard to imagine that any office space or in-house computer room would be equipped to provide this nurture. When your hardware isn't properly maintained, it is at the risk of overheating, power failures, and a host of disasters. By outsourcing the equipment, you can ensure better surroundings with precision-controlled ventilation and cooling systems.
Connectivity Issues
Trying to run an in-house data center limits the capability of your business, as it's forced to share critical resources with other machines in the network, including the precious internet connection you and your staff rely on to conduct business. When outsourcing the operation, you have the aid of your own T-1 line, supported by multiple backbones that provide a fast and reliable connection to the internet.
Limited Bandwidth
Bandwidth is one resource you simply can't live without. When this resource exceeds its limits, your business is in serious jeopardy, as visitors will experience considerable performance issues. Outsourcing provides you with increased bandwidth at a reduced price. Companies generally offer a robust capacity to ensure that your pages load at lightning speed.
Downtime
All the disadvantages listed above lead to one thing - downtime for your server. Without constant maintenance and updates, your hardware is bound to endure severe problems sooner or later. Outsourcing the server operation means a greater level of redundancy, which gives better assurance that your content will be accessible.
Vulnerability
The fact that you're running an internet-based business leaves your server wide open for exploitation. Viruses, worms, DDoS attacks: these are real threats with the power to cripple your operation. With outsourcing, you can be protected by firewalls and intrusion detection systems, which will identify and immediately neutralize these threats.
Conclusion
All in all, outsourcing your data center is one of the best decisions you can make. Unless you have the space, resources and expertise, such a move is an absolute must for the longevity of your business. The protection of your servers, along with the money you'll save, makes outsourced hosting a clear cut winner.
Adam Hobach is a Network Engineer with "CyberLynk.net". You can learn more about "Web Hosting" services online at http://www.CyberLynk.net © 2008 CyberLynk Network Inc. http://www.CyberLynk.net You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "Author Biography"). |
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