As with everything in the IT web hosting industry, it comes down to your ability to administer your own solutions. When it comes to finding the best managed Cloud vs. Unmanaged Cloud solutions on the market, it should be noted, that most providers offer unmanaged Cloud solutions over managed Cloud solutions.
The reason for this is simple: Managed Cloud services cost web hosting provider’s money in the form of IT support staff and technical knowhow. Moreover, to offer 24/7/365 managed Cloud support, providers typically pass along those costs to the client at a rate of a few hundred dollars per month.
But let’s back up a bit. Before we get into the “who is who” of Managed Cloud vs. Unmanaged Cloud, we need to chat a bit about what Managed Cloud services vs. Unmanaged Cloud services entails.
Unmanaged Cloud Solutions
Unmanaged Cloud solutions puts the IT knowhow on the consumer. When you purchase Unmanaged Cloud services, you go into the deal knowing all the technical issues, all of the IT support issues and all of the minor glitches which might occur within your Cloud will be handled by yours truly. Unmanaged Cloud services means no support of any kind. For this reason, Unmanaged Cloud providers supply there services on the cheap. Typically, with known providers like DigitalOcean and Solar VPS, Unmanaged Cloud services cost as little as $5 per month.
Managed Cloud Solutions
Right off the bat we need to tell you that Managed Cloud Services come at a steep cost. As mentioned before, providers like Linode, RackSpace and MediaTemple all offer Managed Cloud services however they offer it at a few hundred dollars per month. For the IT newbie who has no idea how to manage their Cloud solution or administer their Cloud VPS (be it Linux or Windows based), a Managed Cloud service provider is an option to consider. With 24/7/365 support covering tech issues like server migrations, server backups, MySQL/Apache fixes etc., managed Cloud providers bring a good deal to the table for the IT newbie or the company who simply doesn’t have the time to manage their own web hosting solution.
And yet, the problem with Managed Cloud service providers like Linode, RackSpace and MediaTemple is the amount of money they charge on a monthly basis for Cloud management. If the amount proved to be relative, that is to say close to one another, Cloud computing management would make sense however this isn’t the case. Instead of pricing a six pack of Pepsi to compete with a six pack of Coke – as the market demands – Managed Cloud service providers run the gambit in monthly pricing. While one might be $99 per month (Linode) and another might be $35 per month (Solar VPS), others might be $499 per month (MediaTemple) and $129 per month (Servint). The pricing model makes no sense. For those willing to pay as high as $1500 per month for Managed Cloud services (Media Temple, again) the price might seem like a great tradeoff for full Cloud management and yet, for those SMB’s not willing to plunk down a monthly mortgage payment for full Cloud management, industry pricing models seem designed to price out mostly everyone. Utilizing a cloud broker (such as QuoteColo), will help you define what is best for your company and your specific managed service requirements. We will help you research the most qualified managed and unmanaged cloud options so you can make an informed decision.
Is Cloud Management Worth It?
The answer to that question will wholly and fully depend upon your IT know how and your monthly budget. Now while it might prove true that for an enterprise level Cloud service, one which spans various data centers, public, private and Hybrid architectures, managed firewalls and BYOD/CYOD security needs, the managed Cloud is a great idea, for smaller companies and personal consumers who are utilizing a handful of Cloud servers, the managed Cloud might be out of reach. All angles (managed and unmanaged) will need to be analyzed!
So, in terms of Unmanaged Cloud vs. Managed Cloud services, is the Managed Cloud worth it? That is a question you are going to have to answer for yourself.