WHERE DO I PUT MY DATA?

Deciding which way to go has always been a tough decision for many businesses in every industry. Each option to store your infrastructure has its pros and cons. Here today we are going to discuss these pros and cons and which may be the preferred method for your business. Many IT companies our there will mainly push businesses to use cloud based infrastructure to generate monthly revenue, but these may not be the best option for certain businesses, and we will discuss those factors.

Let us start off with in-house infrastructure. Many companies have this type of setup in place either because they have not moved to cloud or feel its not financially profitable to do so. Having your own hardware in-house does allow you to have full control over the physical aspect and maintenance but brings along the burden of having to pay, and manage security, electricity and maintenance on the hardware. There are many factors that can overcome these burdens such as the number of servers/hardware you have in your business and if you already have invested money in the infrastructure. Having hardware on site also requires a level of expertise in all areas of server hardware, maintenance and security. Now this could also contribute to having 1 or more IT personnel to work on this environment. These individuals would also be required to keep up to date with new technology and security in the industry thus causing the company to have to spend more dollars on training, positions and maintenance.

Now I know what your thinking and that is in-house infrastructure does not sound too appealing, but you must ask your self how much do you care about up-time for your business? Nowadays most companies focus only on 99.9% up-time and are wiling to pay more for cloud solutions to avoid the costs and work required to upkeep an in-house infrastructure. Others focus on keeping the data and hardware in house to avoid 3^rd party involvement and want to have full control over there equipment and data. Either option will work but that depends on these questions you must ask yourself. If you answer yes to all the questions in one category than that is most likely the right option for your business based on your focus and direction.

In-house

1. Do you want full control over your hardware and software?
2. Do you want to avoid having to rely on an internet connection to work?
3. Do you want to keep all business data in house and physically in your server room?
4. Recovery times could be affected but is it more cost effective for you to keep it in-house?
5. Do you want to spend money on backup software and hardware that goes with your physical servers?
6. Do you want to have to upgrade the physical hardware as required?

Cloud

1. Do you want to avoid managing physical hardware?
2. Do you want to avoid having to pay for fluctuating prices on electricity, software and hardware?
3. Do you want to avoid training IT personal and have them on your payroll?
4. Do you want to have the ability to backup/recover your data anytime and anywhere?
5. Do you want to be able to add storage, memory, processing power to your environment with just a few clicks?
6. Do you want the security of having your environment stored off site in case of any emergencies?

Hybrid

1. Do you want to have full control over your environment?
2. Do you want to have a remote offsite backup in place to the cloud?
3. Don’t want to be reliant on an internet connected?
4. Don’t mind have your environment managed in house and/or by a 3^rd party?
5. You want to be able to backup more frequently offsite?
6. You don’t mind having your resources virtualized and physical which would be offsite and on site?

 

Cloud based infrastructure has come a long way over the years and is very stable. You can deploy a fleet of virtualized servers and gain access to them very quickly and securely. Having your data/hardware stored in the cloud allows for many  open doors for a DRP and backup scenario to layer on top of this solution. Unlike the in-house solution storage and processing power must be upgraded and/or added on the fly within minutes. There is no hardware to worry about or electricity to be concerned with. This allows companies to protect their data and have the flexibility to grow without the costs of hardware purchases and a professionals to install them. Focus is now set on growth of the company now that the infrastructure allows them to do so.

There is also another option called Hybrid that provides the best of both worlds. Hybrid can seems to have different meanings to different companies but the main fact is Hybrid allows you to have your infrastructure on site but allows your remote backup offsite into the cloud and have a DRP in stand by in case of any issues. You can use traditional IT setups with cloud infrastructures to extend current or new environments.

Here is a quick list of pros and cons between the in-house, cloud infrastructures and hybrid based on our experience and knowledge working with many companies in different industries. Remember either option doe not out way the other as it depends on the business and direction the company wants to go.

IN-HOUSE

PROS -Full control of your environment with no outside 3rd intervention -Physical access to your information -All data is in house and backed up in house -Not reliant on an internet connection

CONS -Higher number of IT personnel required -Monthly costs of cooling and electrical -Require and continues to require capital costs -Require space in your location(s) -Location must be secured, cooled and efficient redundant electricity

CLOUD

PROS -Does not require on site hardware -Fewer IT personnel to manage -Backups can be sent offsite and more frequently -Expanding resources such as storage, memory and processors on the fly -Can be access anywhere including backups for restores

CONS -Requires a stable internet connection -Somewhat of a limit to store in the cloud due to costs and availability -Data recovery times could be longer since they are coming from the cloud -Monthly costs for services

HYBRID

PROS -Not reliant on internet -Provide offsite DRP scenario in the setup -Can be accessed anywhere -Requires less IT personnel -Less hardware to managed -Restores can be on site and offsite more frequently

CONS -Has capital and monthly reoccurring cost

Which ever way you look at it, each option provides its benefits and downfalls. These will change depending on the company and the direction/focus they are taking. That being said, SirTek Group can assist with startup’s, upgrades and maintenance/support for any of these areas.

Our fully managed service packaged ensures the right setup fo your business and business continuty is our first priority. Being an extension of your business and providing an easy transition to modern technology is what we do best!

Call us today and let us help boost your business!