What Basics Can You Ask For With Your Cloud Hosting Provider
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by: Dirik Hameed
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Word Count: 507
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 Time: 8:18 AM
A cloud hosting reseller purchases virtual storage capacity from a wholesaler and then resells it to clients. Whether companies are looking for software hosting solutions or full outsourcing of IT, resellers will provide the solutions that businesses need. Good resellers will provide excellent customer support in addition to multiple data packages designed to cater to different data storage and capacity requirements.
Software as a Service (SaaS) utilizes applications that are hosted on an off-site platform. Hosted email services are good examples of SaaS in action. With hosted email, clients access their accounts but do not host their accounts. SaaS provides many applications in addition to email for end users and also allocates the resources necessary to run those applications. Users do nothing except point their browsers at the applications that are available in the virtual environment.
Management of the cloud storage software is provided by Platform as a Service, or PaaS. In addition to allocating resources and scaling dynamically, some PaaS providers furnish infrastructure services. Companies will retain development capability even though they will be using an off-site platform. Basically, some services will remain in-house while others are delegated to the provider.
With IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, the host provides all equipment and support necessary to maintain and manage clouds. Networking components, hardware, storage and servers are included as well as configuration management tools and dynamic scaling. With IaaS, businesses get hosting and a full platform that includes equipment provision, equipment running and equipment maintenance. Some professionals call IaaS "Hardware as a Service".
In addition to services, providers should have strong customer support. End users may not have a lot of in-house technical expertise, and they will need guidance when dealing with cloud computing issues. Companies should provide FAQs and forums that customers can search on their own in addition to email, chat and telephone support. When users run into problems, the provider should step in to fix any issues promptly and with courtesy.
Multiple provider packages should be available for customers. Businesses will have the tools they need to expand for future storage requirements without having to invest in infrastructure on-site. A simple email or telephone call to the provider will increase capacity as long as the company offers tiered pricing structure. In addition, companies should have the freedom to choose either monthly subscription plans or billing on a pay-as-you-go basis, depending on the option that best suits their budget.
In today's market, many hosting companies are actually resellers. After purchasing virtual capacity at wholesale prices, resellers then parcel out that capacity to multiple clients at retail prices. Because businesses are actually dealing with a tiered system, they need to ensure that both providers are reputable to avoid any unfortunate problems.
Whether purchases of virtual capacity are made from a primary host or a cloud hosting reseller, businesses will realize immediate benefits. To suit their individual security needs, companies may choose either private or public solutions. The reliability, flexibility and scalability of virtual servers will allow IT departments to outsource many redundant operational activities.
About the Author
OnApp is a cloud reseller offering a variety of solutions. See them out for packages including cloud service
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