Cloud Computing, or cloud computing, is a term that has been used extensively in the information technology market. This technology is associated with mobility gains, cost reduction, and greater scalability of the IT infrastructure.
In addition, cloud solutions make desktops more integrated and easier to manage. Even so, there needs to be more clarity when defining strategies and concepts related to the model. For example, can you accurately highlight the difference between Cloud Server and Virtual Data Center?
Managers often doubt whether it is necessary — or even possible — to have both solutions within their company. There are still doubts about the advantages of each answer, which is fundamental for the business to define which tool is most in line with its needs.
Few institutions still need to surrender to the benefits of cloud computing. Large corporations to small companies are exploring the characteristics of the cloud in their businesses to a greater or lesser extent.
Given this, it is increasingly important to have the concepts prominent to make decisions based on knowledge. This is crucial so that the company can opt for solutions that provide better performance, lower costs, and a competitive advantage in the medium and long term.
Difference Between Cloud Server And Virtual Data Center: What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages?
As already explained, the big difference between the two concepts is that the Cloud Server must be considered on a smaller scale. In other words, the server is just one of the Virtual Data Center items. This, in turn, is an evolution and a more significant step in the technology employed.
Contracting only one Cloud Server as an isolated service is possible, maintaining the physical Data Center. However, whoever chooses to hire a Virtual Data Center is inevitably also taking the servers (cloud servers) since, in this case, we are talking about infrastructure (IaaS). The server is the basis of everything, while the Data Center is the solution.
The Advantages Of A Cloud Server
There Is Greater Availability Of Resources With Fewer Costs
In the Virtual Data Center, scalability is the main advantage. The contracted resources are reduced or expanded at any time with a click. And it will ultimately influence the way services are run.
The company will have more availability of its resources. Whenever there is an increase in user demand, the company will change the number of resources available for use. At the same time, costs will come down. If the business stops investing resources in the maintenance of new infrastructure, the expenses become more accurate.
With less waste of funds, the company can make new strategic investments. This will create a flow of improvements in the corporate environment, keeping the business competitive.
Experts Conduct Maintenance Routines
Another strong point of the virtual server is directing maintenance routines to specialized professionals. For small companies, for example, it is a strategic factor: even if the business has a small IT team, this will be an advantage to implementing any cloud tool.
As the service provider will have a team of employees responsible for managing resources in the best possible way, the business that invests in the cloud can hire more people to perform maintenance routines. Users will be assured that a support team will always be ready to resolve demands and solve problems.
The way the cloud is managed also makes this service more available. Suppose in local infrastructure, there is a need to keep teams prepared to solve problems all the time, and the resumption of services often depends on the ability of professionals to exchange parts in cloud computing. In that case, this does not happen: it is enough to direct the user’s data to an available server and thus ensure maximum availability.
Infrastructures Are More Personalized
Finally, we highlight how the cloud allows the creation of infrastructures with a higher level of customization. This is crucial to generate a high return on investment: the possibility to modify the IT and services structure at any time reduces the response time to market changes and gives users the ability to always take advantage of all available resources.
The Disadvantages Of The Cloud
Even though it is a prevalent model, the cloud can have some disadvantages. The first factor is related to the availability of services, which depend on a stable internet connection.
There is also the level of customization and control of cloud services. Even if it is high, the business will not be able to manage its infrastructure with the same power level as a physical Data Center. This can be a critical factor in markets with a higher level of regulation.
The Advantages Of The Physical Data Center
The most significant advantage of the local Data Center is the possibility of controlling resources in-house. That is, the business will manage its IT services within the work environment without its information being hosted in external environments.
For companies, this can be a critical factor. Markets with a high level of regulation or legislation requiring more significant control over third-party data demand that companies avoid the exposure of their information as much as possible.
At this point, the physical data center is a good choice. The company will be able to define its own access control rules and how systems are executed, maintenance, and backup routines according to its profile.
Disadvantages Of This Model
This model, however, has some disadvantages. Costs are less accurate, as the business must pay for the maintenance of infrastructure that needs to be utilized. In the long term, this can reduce the chances of the company’s inability to eliminate expenses in times of crisis.
It is also worth noting that the scalability is lower. It will always depend on the ability of the business to expand its infrastructure, which negatively impacts the response time to market demands. As resources are managed locally, the company may have higher expenses when compared to the cloud. There will be no apportionment of costs with other users, for example.
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