The Cloud does not exist!

I regularly follow the discussions about the different Cloud providers. Sometimes I am a part of it myself. Maybe it's a surprise for you, but the Cloud does not exist. Behind every connection to the internet, you’ll find a data center filled with hardware, servers, storage and network components (yes also when using a "Public Cloud" :).

Some differences, that you might not have immediately thought of.

-What are the differences between the various Cloud (or shall we say Hosting) providers?

Brand and types of Hardware for example. Does your Cloud provider opt for normal or Enterprise solutions? This off course has impact on your up-time and performance.

-Technical lifetime, is your environment running on the latest hardware or is it already several years old? How are migrations to new hardware environments managed. And are they charging you additional to run on the latest infrastructure?

-Performance, does your Cloud provider opt for traditional disks, SSDs or Flash storage? What would you buy, or what do you need, to run your applications in a great way.

-Organization, is your Cloud provider technically or commercially driven? Technically lead company’s will adopt new technology’s in an early stadium, this often gives advantages in your possibilities for deployments.

In addition to the quality and speed of the hardware, the difference between the various Cloud providers also consists of the knowledge level of the organization. Some have a specialty, others don't. When you think of deploying a Cloud solution, consider carefully whether the provider has knowledge of the applications that you like to use. If you opt for a "Public Cloud" solution, keep in mind that your IT or application partner will have to design and manage the environment for you. The costs are therefore often less transparent. You pay for the "Cloud" and also for the Cloud support through your IT or application partner.

I regularly speak with SAP partners, who report that they are happy with Databalance as their Cloud partner. According to the partners, besides fast, recent, Enterprise hardware, Databalance has the technical knowledge of the application and this kind of knowledge is lacking with many Cloud providers.

If you are looking for clarification of the Cloud, please contact us. For a cup of black coffee, we will be happy to explain the differences and options.