Unmanaged Or Managed Cloud Services? Which Is Best?
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Managed cloud hosting is a popular solution for companies managing their online operations. It ensures that everything is managed by the cloud provider, and you get to focus on other things. This means no concerns about the setup, monitoring, troubleshooting, security, and more. This third-party service provides all the tools you need in one place, and you should have less to worry about. While this is often the most highly recommended option for cloud services, it isn't for everyone. Some prefer to take on the responsibility of cloud management themselves, by hiring an IT team to deal with the server, infrastructure, maintenance, and everything in between. As you will see below, there are benefits to this approach in the right hands. So which is right for you? Let's go over some of the key considerations for choosing between unmanaged and managed services.
How Much Control Do You Want?
This is one of the deciding factors where people lean more towards unmanaged solutions than managed ones. The issues below may mean that other priorities overshadow this aspect. However, this is a major drawback to the managed approach. You're outsourcing work to another team and putting them in control of the operations and overall choices. That's great for those who don't want the responsibility and would prefer to focus on something else. However, it's not for everyone. Unmanaged services give users more say over how to run the service, what vendors to work with, and all the finer details. It's a lot of work to get everything set up past the default solutions, but it can work in the favor of companies with technological expertise. So, if you're determined to have everything in-house and give the reins to your IT team, this is the way to go.
How Reliable Is The Service?
Reliability is typically stronger with managed solutions than unmanaged ones because of the tech used within centralized systems. This generally leads to a stronger performance to help you improve your presence online and stay accessible. This centralized system can result in improved uptimes and greater availability of websites at any time. You should also find stored data and backups available on requests and easily recovered as needed. Can you be sure that your in-house team can perform to the same standards, with the same level of consistency?
How Experienced Is The Team?
You need to work with experienced teams that know the industry and its finer points inside out. This may be possible with an unmanaged solution if you hire the right people. However, these IT teams may not have the same experience and detailed knowledge as those running a dedicated managed solution. These experts can handle all the tech updates and work on scaling the system to your requirements. They can also deal with third parties on your behalf, such as cloud vendors like Microsoft or Amazon. They will know exactly what to ask when there are technical issues and how to get the best service overall.
How Much Support Do You Get?
User support is a big selling point when using a managed service for your cloud operations. With the unmanaged approach, you get the basic cloud infrastructure and are left to deal with the rest yourself. That's the downside of having so much control. There's no one there to turn to when things stop working, data goes missing, or other limitations begin to show. The managed solution is different. This team should be on hand whenever you need them to handle any immediate issues through troubleshooting or accessing data backups. These teams can also provide regular server monitoring and software updates to keep everything running smoothly. Ideally, this support will be there 24/7 as you deal with your global solutions.
How Secure Is The Service?
This is where complete control over a system can lead to some additional headaches. Unmanaged systems don't have the same level of security in place, and all the blame for mistakes falls on you and your team. Data breaches are a massive concern and can put the reputation of your business at risk. So, do you want to be responsible for any errors in an unmanaged solution with no centralized system? Human errors from your staff mean greater liability when something goes wrong. When you outsource the responsibility to an experienced team, the chance of those errors diminishes. A new and inexperienced IT team may also struggle to implement the right security plans at your end, whereas working with managed services can provide access to better backup operations. The managed approach isn't risk-free, but it can offer a lot more peace of mind.
How Much Will It All Cost?
This is where customers debate the merits of managed and unmanaged cloud services. Many argue that the managed approach is far too expensive. They don't like the high fees and monthly costs involved in getting a good package. Some of the high-end packages can be costly, but you do benefit from the added perks in the long run, especially if there are extra security features and storage solutions. You avoid this by going it alone with an unmanaged approach. However, there are other costs in setting up the systems, dealing with the servers, and paying for the expertise of the IT team. It might not be that cost-effective after all.
Managed Cloud Solutions Could Solve Many Problems
There are some clear advantages when working with unmanaged solutions, but only if you have the time, tech, money, and human resources to deal with it. There is a lot of control with this approach, and you aren't faced with limitations imposed by strict plans. However, there is too much pressure on your team to succeed and handle everything smoothly. Do you want your guys in charge of all the upgrades, program management, security issues, and back-ups? Or is it better to lean on professional teams via a cost-effective and scalable solution? Compare packages and suppliers to find the best fit and see how managed cloud solutions can make a difference to your operation.
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