There is no doubt that virtual hosting is changing our world for the better, improving our finances, reducing our carbon footprint and giving smaller businesses a fighting chance, but we mustn’t get bogged down by the myths.
You don’t find men without baggage. And you don’t find women without a wardrobe full of skeletons (or shoes). All good things come with their shortcomings. Even the environmentally and pocket friendly virtual hosting comes part and parcel with a few annoying snags. With eminence follows hearsay. And this leads to exaggerated stories, grapevine gossip and a bunch of myths that sends the consumer into a spiral of virtualised confusion.
Despite the fact that tech gossip has gotten the better of us, virtual hosting is still an incredible phenomenon that has changed businesses and IT systems everywhere. But in order to fully comprehend the true virtual hosting benefits, we must eliminate the myths.
The Virtual Hosting Myths, Corrected
The cloud is innocent. The main problem stems from the vendor. There’s no denying that virtual hosting can offer benefits that are truly priceless to a business and evidence already proves that companies can turn things around even in a recession.
But vendor hype could be the downfall of a good thing if we don’t nip it in the bud now. Vendors were quick to jump onto the virtual bandwagon as soon as cloud computing hit the market with manifestations such as Software as a Service, Platforms as a Service and various software stacks and commodities that have evolved. Here are the top 3 myths that could trip you up:
1. There’s one type of cloud - Nope. Cloud computing and virtual hosting encompasses such a wide range of things. Most of us don’t realise that when we are uploading pictures onto Facebook, we’re in fact, uploading onto the cloud. The term ‘cloud’ simply describes the internet. Within cloud computing, you can get SaaS / Software as a Service, IaaS / Infrastructure as a Service, or PaaS / Platform as a Service.
2. It’s as easy as 1, 2, swipe - Yes and no. This is where your research is needed. If in doubt, ask. Some vendors can blind you with fancy tech jargon, but forget to tell you that there is a certain level of legwork needed once you have swiped your credit card. Depending on what you require (eg: IaaS or SaaS), there could be configuration or installation required. Always make sure you know exactly what is required of you, and what you expect from your money. Check before you swipe, or it could get complicated.
3. The cloud is for everyone - Not exactly. Everyone’s welcome to the cloud, just as they are to any commodity. But does the cloud suit everyone? Only time will tell. Virtual hosting can help to reduce energy bills for SMEs and can even help to free up more valuable time, but not everyone is suited to virtual hosting.
Do You Need Virtual Hosting?
If you are looking for a quick and simple way to compute through virtualisation, SwitchLink can help you today.
