Virtual servers are the next “big thing” in the world of data use and storage, at least according to the companies that provide the service. In truth, most providers are actually looking beyond the virtual to the next-gen cloud, but virtual servers have not yet quite worked out all the bugs. VPS options are rapidly increasing in the marketplace as more and more providers – from Microsoft to Amazon – get aboard the virtual train. The idea is that a virtual server provides the same functionality as a physical one, but without the need for a business to have the physical hardware on-site. Providers say that businesses will be able to access all of their data and even make changes at a basic level, thanks to the partitioning that goes on when using a VPS – all machines on the system think they are the only one there. But does it really work? Is it really worth the cost to move away from the known?
In a word – maybe.
On the plus side is the fact that any instance of an OS a company chooses to run will be separate and independent from all others on a server. With the right hypervisor, companies can make the changes they need and never have to worry about other VPS instances getting in the way.
On the flip side is the I/O problem. Backup and restore options are still being handled the same way they always have, which leads to sudden and unpredictable I/O use and a loss of performance for all instances on a VPS.
Though VPS technology offers a leap ahead in terms of data storage, functionality is still in the development, evolution and refinement stage.
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