Are you ready to switch to the cloud for your hosting needs? Then we have three popular options worth learning about in detail before proceeding with a decision.
Red Hat
Red Hat is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) data virtualization and management tool that works in the cloud. It comes with life-cycle management through an integrated interface, configuration management, automated provisioning and software management. The integrated elements function right alongside the existing infrastructure, too.
There is also a Linux OpenStack platform that works with Red Hat Enterprise cloud computing. It comes with on-demand workload implementation and distribution. One major feature that differentiates it from other versions of Linux is that this one was designed specifically for the commercial market.
Despite all of the features that Red Hat brings to the table, it’s a very affordable option. This is especially true considering that this cloud solution can be launched for traditional needs or used as a foundation to build a custom service. To match the array of services offered by Red Hat, you’d need to use more than one proprietary alternative, which is another reason this company can be great for your bottom line.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t include Cisco, so let’s consider this company next.
Cisco
To most of you, Cisco needs no introduction. The company has more than 30 years of experience, so it should come as no surprise that its cloud platform is considered one of the top offerings in the industry.
The company offers an integrated foundation for your business’ private cloud. It’s comprised of a next-generation infrastructure with a large degree of flexibility that allows it to allocate shared resources within a data center but also across numerous data centers.
Despite the monolithic nature of this brand, Cisco’s private cloud offering is actually very flexible, too. It was designed to allow the user to provision and orchestrate software as necessary to increase speed, operational efficiency and user satisfaction. Data center automation can also be adjusted as necessary in a fairly effortless manner.
Depending on your organization, it may not be overly important that Cisco is incredibly user-friendly, but for those that will need less-experienced staff to operate this platform, its interface is a godsend. Even something as seemingly insignificant as its streamlined, aesthetically-pleasing presentation can make a big difference for new users.
Private Cloud
Finally, let’s look at what the private cloud brings to the table. If you’re familiar with public clouds, this application is very similar. In terms of scalability and self-service, though, a private cloud is going to excel. After all, as the name suggests, it’s 100% your cloud platform; you can do with it as you like.
You can also provision machines as required, change computing resources at a moment’s notice and create multiple machines to handle complex computing jobs.
While these may all seem worth it, the major drawback of a private cloud is that you don’t have the benefit of a company like Red Hat or Cisco backing it. Their customer service professionals won’t be available to help you.
This may not be a concern for those of you with dedicated IT teams who can handle both the hardware and software demands of hosting your own cloud, but the rest of you may quickly find that a private cloud can come with a list of demands.
There’s definitely no objective way of saying which cloud computing option from the above is going to be the best for your company. Instead, you’ll have to think about the unique features of your organization.
If you have that talented self-sufficient IT team we mentioned earlier, going with your own private server might be a very real, very worthwhile option.
If you’re okay handling a bit of the heavy lifting but would love knowing help is only a phone call away just in case, Red Hat is easy to recommend.
For those of you that want the most user-friendly, all-in-one option, Cisco definitely wins.