“The Cloud” is a place that many VPS companies refer to as the next logical step in the world of virtualized computing. It is imagined as a place in which multiple applications, OS’s and mission-critical servers can all be run under one massive, non-physical host that will not only allow for maximal use of resources but that will increase the productivity of all businesses that use it. While progress is being made in the progression from virtual private servers to cloud technology, a number of hurdles remain, the two most notable being overall Quality of Service (QoS) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Companies are often sold on the stellar reviews that virtualized servers receive and will begin migrating their technology in order to gain the benefits they offer. In many cases, however, this process begins to stall at 20-40% of a company’s total server infrastructure as the QoS of the data center they are using begins to drop. This is often due to the use of old storage and backup technology which does not work as well on virtual servers as it did on physical ones. Having many applications running under one hypervisor on a cloud sounds like a great idea, until a core system needs access to the entire core and I/O system and slows performance across the entire network.
TCO is also a factor; many providers claim they will have lower costs in the long term but the initial cost of migration is far higher than what a company is paying for their current physical hosting.
Providers must continue to increase both QoS and TCO and companies must take care to move only as much data as is prudent and fiscally viable.
Related News:
