Cloud's Now the Default - But What Does That Mean For YOU?

In Q4 2021, for the first time, more money was spent on cloud infrastructure than non-cloud infrastructure, according to IDC.

This shift to the cloud offers significant benefits for IT professionals and their organisations.

IT Pros: Less Server Grunt Work

In-house IT roles are changing. Given the growth of cloud computing, there is less focus on physically provisioning servers, firewalls and storage devices in-house. Conversely, there is greater focus on evaluating, procuring and managing third-party hosted solutions via portals, control panels and change requests.

Outsourcing hosting will free up your IT team to focus on higher priority tasks, including tasks that are more visible to senior decision makers than server grunt work, which tends to be unappreciated.

IT Pros: Supplier Management Experience

Employers increasingly want IT staff with experience in managing cloud suppliers. They're placing less value on the technical skills required to carry out tasks that the organisation has outsourced to cloud providers. 

Faster Performance

Firms that switch to our cloud hosting service often find their sites and applications become much more responsive.

That's mainly because our cloud platform has been optimised by our hosting expects. It's also because our platform is highly scalable, with plenty of spare capacity available on tap. 

Scalability

Cloud hosting gives you the ability to easily scale the resources available to you without having to spend a fortune investing in capacity you may not need for years. You just rent the capacity you need right now, then upgrade only when you need to. That makes the business case easier, as you're ordering just in time, often to meet new customer orders or to support specific projects. Scalability is your cloud provider's problem, not yours. 

Cost Savings

If you're currently using dedicated hosting or traditional managed hosting, migrating to the cloud could cut your monthly hosting bill.

If you're currently hosting in-house, you may find outsourcing frees you up to focus on what you do best. Many of those tasks will have a higher return than trying to run a sub-scale hosting firm for internal use, especially if IT staff recruitment issues leave your IT team understaffed.

Modern Infrastructure

Servers get old. With on-premise systems, dedicated hosting and some managed hosting services, that hardware aging is your problem. With cloud services, it's your cloud provider's problem. 

They will typically upgrade or replace the underlying hardware periodically without you having to do anything. 

Faster Provisioning

Once you've migrated existing server workloads to the cloud, provisioning incremental capacity is typically quick, as cloud platforms have spare capacity on tap.

There's no need to order additional hardware, wait for it to arrive, rack it, network it and install OSes. Using templates, you can usually get things up and running fast.

Less Hardware Cluttering Your Office

If you're running out of space in your server room, or you're thinking of moving to another office, cloud hosting can make life easier - as hosting the server hardware is no longer your problem.

Superior Server Hosting Environment

Does your office have multiple feeds to the electricity grid, multiple data centres, backup generators and air conditioning designed for servers, not office workers?

No. Nor does our office. That's why we host our production systems in the cloud. You should consider doing so too.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Some cloud hosting providers, including ourselves, power their platforms with green electricity, so you can reduce the impact of your IT on the environment. 

Faster Data Transfers

Cloud providers often host in locations where connectivity is plentiful and cheap. That allows your cloud servers to have fast, low-latency connections to the outside world.

Enhanced Out-of-Hours Support

Your servers probably run 24x7, yet your in-house support team probably work shorter hours than that. By outsourcing to a cloud provider, you can ensure your hosting gets the attention it deserves without interrupting your in-house IT team's leisure time.

Improved IT Security

Many cloud providers have detailed processes in place to ensure good cybersecurity. For example, our processes have been independently verified as meeting the requirements of ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.

Some cloud providers may be able to take responsibility for guest OS patching, ensuring that systems get patched in a timely manner rather than when in-house staff finally get some spare time to catch up.

Service Level Agreements

Cloud hosting often comes with Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These quantify what level of service is to be delivered and specify what compensation will be provided if the SLA guarantees are breached. SLAs often guarantee escalation to more senior levels in the event that a fault is still open after a specified length of time. 

Reassurance for Customers and Corporate Insurers

Large customers and corporate insurers are often mindful that cybersecurity slip-ups could cost them dear. As a result, they often require suppliers and customers to set out their cybersecurity practices. Cloud hosting can often form part of those disclosures.

For example, "Our customer records system is hosted by an ISO 27001 certified hosting firm in data centre facilities operated by an ISO 27001 certified data centre operator. Our Windows VMs have their operating system patched by our hosting provider."

Increased IT Platform Homogeneity

Unlike the hodge-podge of new and old systems on-premises, cloud hosting allows all workloads to run on a consistent platform. 

Reduced the Dependence on Your Head Office

Should something happen to your office or its connectivity, staff working from your other sites and employee homes can still access the systems they need.

If your office is hit by fire, flood or theft, your server workloads are unaffected.

Learn more about hSo Cloud Hosting

If you would like to investigate whether our cloud hosting service is right for your specific situation, call 020 7847 4510 or drop an email to info@hso.co.uk.

We don't sell cookie-cutter hosting packages. Instead, we take the time to understand your objectives, then have our hosting experts craft a bespoke proposal designed to meet your requirements.

To get the ball rolling, give us a call, email us, or fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page.