NEWSLETTERS
 

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

 CIO BlackBerry News and Tips
 CIO Research and Analysis
 CIO Microsoft
 CIO Insider
 
 
 
SUBSCRIBE TO CIO
 
Are you involved in setting the direction for your company's IT budget or strategy?

Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!

 


Fri, Sep 19, 2008 15:51 EDT

Navigating the Labyrinth: Choosing a Hosting Infrastructure

Topic: Infrastructure

Current Rating: 5 Comments: 0

Making the decision to host your IT infrastructure is a complicated task—so complicated, in fact, that we sometimes hear customers refer to the process as "navigating the labyrinth." But hard as it is, navigating the decision can be easy if you focus on a single question: What is my strategy for success? In other words, if your business is an instant sensation in the market, how will you scale to meet the demand? A success strategy must be built into your IT plans from day one. This includes laying out plans for the architecture, support, supply chain, language, features, operating system and hosting service level you require.

Many organizations get lost in the labyrinth because they ask: “How cheaply can we get online?” The resulting “strategy” invariably involves self-hosting and a vague intention to add servers as Web traffic grows. This works for a while—until traffic suddenly spikes and more servers must be added immediately. The unfortunate reality is that most businesses are not capable of adding additional servers to their IT infrastructure on short notice. After the additional servers are delivered, they still have to be provisioned, installed, tested, secured and brought online. Plus, the organization must put a support plan in place for all of the ongoing patching, routine maintainance, and data center environmental problems that may arise. Suddenly a 24/7 IT support team is needed and a redundant architecture is required. Without these, companies are forced to put in long hours of server maintenance or withstand costly downtime—hours that should be devoted to achieving business goals.

What are the options you have for Hosting?

There are many other ways of navigating the labyrinth, but choosing the right solution for your organization is easier if you keep the original question in mind: “What is my strategy for success?”

• Colocation: The first alternative to “Doing IT Yourself” (DIY) is colocation. Colocation is another version of DIY hosting. In most major cities there are vendors that rent out space in their data centers. They supply the cabinet, Internet connection, power, environmental controls and physical security while you own the gear and maintain it yourself including the OS, software and licenses. While outsourcing physical space and power is very helpful, responding to success will involve the same challenges as self-hosting—manpower, knowledge, readiness.

• Managed Hosting: Another viable option is managed hosting. Here the value proposition changes as you no longer have to worry about running a data center but also don’t own your hardware. Servers can be added with a single phone call, so the hardware aspect of your success strategy becomes simpler. The hosting service provider maintains the hardware and the operating system, keeping it patched and secure. You only need to worry about your business applications.

• Cloud Hosting: The next level is the cloud, where the hosting service maintains the hardware, the operating system as well as the programming interfaces. You only pay for the resources you use, reducing capital expenditure, and you can scale your usage in real time to meet fluctuating user demands. Everything necessary for a success strategy is offered by the cloud vendor—except that you are limited to the cloud's APIs and the programming languages the cloud supports.

• Software-as-a-Service: The last option is software as a service (SaaS). It's the least flexible hosting option, but the one that offers the lowest cost of entry, especially with standard applications like email or CRM. With SaaS you can purchase a canned application for a few dollars per month per user, and you are freed of all maintenance headaches, both hardware and software. In using SaaS, success or failure

You do not have flash or javascript support.
Average (1 vote)
5
 

Post new comment

* Subject:
* Username:
* E-mail:
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Homepage:
* Body:
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <blockquote> <strike> <p> <br>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
More information about formatting options

* Denotes required field.

Start a Conversation
Click to post

Got something to say? We want to hear it! Click the Post button to get started. GO»

EXPERT ADVICE
See our roster of experts.

Advice & Opinion from more than 113 of IT's most insightful thinkers.

  PARTNERS       WEBCASTS    
 

Windows 7 Webcast Series

There's a lot of buzz about Windows 7 out there. Each month in our webcast series, listen to analysts and customers discuss how Windows 7 and the Windows Optimized Desktop is impacting large companies around the world. Learn how they evaluated Windows 7, including the cost of deployment, deployment strategies, and tangible benefits.

Sponsored by Microsoft  Listen to on-demand Recordings »

 

Service Level Management Best Practices Life Cycle Overview - Improve Service Levels

Best practices for Service Level Management (SLM) is a process for consistently meeting customer requirements and delivering on IT's promises. See the steps required to ensure high-quality SLM.

Sponsored by Compuware  Read this White Paper »

 

Keeping Your Members Safe from Online Scams and Predators

In order to keep fraudsters out, romance sites must deploy effective solutions that look at information independent of what is supplied by users. A device fingerprinting solution such as iovation ReputationManager™ provides unique insight into the computers being used to create multiple accounts and exposes hidden device-account relationships that identity-based fraud solutions often miss.

Sponsored by iovation  Read this White Paper »

Resource Alerts

Get instant email notifications by topic when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library.

Resource Alerts

Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library. Don't just be up-to-date—be up to the minute with our new Resource Alerts.

Defend Against Blended Threats: What You Need to Know

Blended Web and email threats are becoming increasingly complex and represent a huge...  View Now »

 

Prescriptive Actions to Reduce Risk

In this Webcast, learn best practices for effective systems management in a heterogeneous environment and keep client systems cost under control.   View Now »

 

Webcast- Vantage 11: Redefining Application Performance Management

Compuware's latest release, Vantage 11, is a major advance in end-to-end application performance management--bringing together proactive issue identification, quantification of business impact and problem resolution into a single solution. Tune in to learn how Vantage 11's top-down approach helps you make better decisions and dramatically lower operations costs.  View Now »

Resource Alerts

Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library. Don't just be up-to-date—be up to the minute with our new Resource Alerts.

 
NEWSLETTER

Sign-up for the Blogs & Discussion Newsletter

 
FEATURED SPONSORS
 
 
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

Return on Information: Google Enterprise Search pays you back. Get the facts.

VMware. The source for Business Infrastructure Virtualization.

ShoreTel tells businesses to untangle from competitors' complexity and turn to its brilliantly simple UC solution

See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Streamline IT Costs. Boost Performance with WAN Optimization.

Build your 1st app FREE with Force.com

TDWI checklist helps define data readiness for analytics. Download report.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

The rules of infrastructure management just changed.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Interactive Q&A helps you discover key ways to maximize IT assets.

Ready to virtualize tier one applications? Check your virtualization maturity.

Think you can't afford a Cisco Switch? Cisco Catalyst Switches are now more affordable.

Five minute business analytics assessment. Immediate results.

The Case for Investing in Business Analytics Technology. Read white paper.

Upgrading to VMware vSphere with vWire

Top 10 Lessons Learned for Corporate 3G Mobile Broadband Deployments

CRM Built for IT: The Executive Guide to Selecting CRM that Meets IT Needs

Return on Information: Google Enterprise Search pays you back

ROI of Application Delivery Controllers

Making Consumer Two-Factor Authentication Simple and Cost-Effective

Mining the Cloud to Ease the Enterprise Compliance Burden

Solve Five Key IT Security Challenges with Cloud-Based Authentication

White Paper: Right-Sizing Your Power Infrastructure

AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service. Expand on demand

Trend Micro ranked #1 against real-world malware. Read more.

Webinar: Jump-start your in-house e-discovery with Ringtail QuickCull from FTI Technology

Top Five CIO Challenges

Read the RSA report: Security for Business Innovation

64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.

Increase UPS efficiency without sacrificing protection.

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

Reduce risk, gain agility. See how Progress can help your business.

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

World-class trading technology solutions from NYSE Technologies.

If You're Paying for Telecom, You're Paying Too Much. Contact Asentinel Today.

Trade-In your old printer and save up to $1,000 plus free recycling!

infoBOOM! - The Mid-Sized Company CIO's Exclusive Community

Live Webinar: Applying Business Analytics. Click here to learn more

Removing Barriers To Better Server Virtualization Efficiency

4G Revisited. The Continued Evolution of Wireless Mobility.

What's Next for Enterprise Resource Planning?

Maximizing website Return on Information with high-quality search

Gartner Magic Quadrant, Application Delivery Controllers 2009

Authentication as a Service by Forrester Research

Cloud-Based Authentication for Next-Generation Extranets

Cut Costs & Green Your IT Operations with PC Power Management

White Paper: 4 Customer Service Myths