Everyone seems to be talking about moving their server hosting to the cloud – but why? What is cloud hosting? What’s so special about it?

Evorio is here for an overview into what exactly cloud hosting means, and why you should consider migrating away from your on-premise servers.

What Is Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting is simply delivering computing services over an internet connection – this could be servers, storage, databases or analytics. Instead of buying physical servers which often is expensive and time-consuming, you can purchase these services on a monthly subscription from a cloud provider. Your data and resources are stored in data centres owned by your chosen cloud hosting provider, rather than your own server hardware, which can come with a whole host of benefits.

Azure is one such cloud hosting provider and sits within Microsoft’s ecosystem. But why would you choose Azure over hosting on your own server hardware or premise?

Azure Vs On-Premise Hosting

There are pros and cons to both sides of the table, and one solution doesn’t necessarily fit every business.

First up, the pros and cons of On-Premise hosting:

On-Premise Hosting Pros

  • Total control – your data, hardware and software are all yours to control and do with as you please.
  • Allocate resources where you see fit.
  • Internal IT teams can address all potential vulnerabilities.

Cons

  • Large upfront cost to buy the server hardware.

  • You are responsible for the maintenance and any costs that come with it.
  • Longer implementation/setup times.

  • Subject to fluctuating power costs.

  • Requires a suitable environment to store an on-premise server with ventilation.

Azure Hosting Pros

  • Predictable costs.

  • Higher levels of security.

  • Simple scalability.

  • Quick deployment.

  • Access anytime and anywhere.
  • Maintenance is handled by Azure.

  • Easier to limit downtime, compared to an on-premise server..

Cons

  • Less control compared to an on-premise server.

  • Requires a constant internet connection.

What Do We Recommend?

Overall, we believe hosting your servers via Azure makes sense for most businesses. It’s cheaper on maintenance costs and setup fees, and gives you peace of mind knowing that if something were to go wrong, your data and resources are being handled by experts. Coupled with the flexibility of not having to purchase and power physical server hardware, this makes Azure a great choice for most organisations. Azure even offers reserved subscriptions, which can nearly half your costs compared to hosting an on-premise server

With the approaching end-of-life of Windows Server 2012, there’s never been a better time to move your servers over to Azure. Find out more about the Windows Server 2012 end-of-life here.

How Do I Move To Azure?

Migrating your servers from on-premise to Azure can seem like a daunting task – but you don’t have to do it alone. We can help to move your resources and databases over to Azure smoothly and swiftly, and help you take care of your on-premise server hardware, so you only need to worry about using your shiny new hosting platform.

Contact us at the button below to get the ball rolling on an Azure migration, or click here to look at Azure in more detail.