Businesses looking to move to the cloud will eventually need to decide between a managed or unmanaged cloud solution. The choice here really depends on the business’ unique requirements and desires, and both delivery methods have their benefits.
In an unmanaged environment, the cloud provider’s role is essentially to keep the lights on for the cloud service. A business rents the cloud resources from the provider and receives full control, sole access, and freedom in regards to managing that environment. With unmanaged cloud, the organization still receives the same core cloud services, but without support for customizations or third-party software it wants to install. The provider will support the operating system and default configuration. Unmanaged cloud computing offers companies large storage capabilities and easy access to their cloud solution while eliminating the CapEx that would normally be required if they did this all on their own.
An unmanaged cloud solution is a good fit for businesses that have an established IT team in place and truly needs minimal assistance. This team should be comfortable running the solution and knowledgeable of cloud technology. Many businesses use an unmanaged cloud for software development and testing, as it is a flexible, efficient and affordable environment.
A managed cloud solution is RapidScale’s specialty, though we provide both options. In a managed environment, a customer receives the full support of RapidScale around the clock, complete with white-glove service and a clear cloud roadmap designed specifically for the business. This method has RapidScale managing the computing, operating systems, storage, networks, complex tools and tasks that are associated with infrastructure maintenance, add ons, and more. Essentially, it allows a business to tap into the full power of cloud technology without needing to become experts themselves or spending the time handling the technology. Aside from the obvious benefits, this enables organizations to concentrate on their core products and services, while remaining efficient and up to date. They also save money and work with RapidScale cloud experts who can handle everything for them.
A managed cloud environment is a good fit for businesses that don’t have an IT staff, or are uncomfortable fully deploying hosting software. It’s often the best option for mission-critical workloads, and allows a business to offload a lot of the work.
So what should a customer consider when deciding which cloud delivery model is the best fit? Here are a few questions they can answer:
- Could your team deal with downtime if there was a software problem?
- Are you comfortable applying security patches remotely?
- Do you need complete control and sole access to the environment?
- Is unmanaged cloud worth the extra work you’d take on?
- How knowledgeable is your team on cloud technology?
The choice between managed and unmanaged cloud computing depends on how an organization wants to use the services. What is the balance of flexibility desired versus the support required from RapidScale? This is something a business needs to seriously consider, in addition to its existing staffing and future business needs.
Want to learn more about our managed cloud solutions? Visit our Cloud Solutions page here!
This post originally appeared on RapidScale CloudUniversity here.
