Maximum Flexibility Options in the Cloud

Cloud computing has become the go-to option for IT departments that need to cut their infrastructure and support costs while under pressure to keep up with growing demands on the corporate network. Given the potential cost savings available to companies that transition to a cloud computing model, its little wonder that the industry is projected to lead growth rates for the technology sector. That being said, experienced IT professionals know not to leap before looking. Not all cloud computing vendors are the same and the differences can make all the difference between an excellent experience and having to look for an alternate option.

If there’s one is one factor that’s become a key differentiator between cloud hosting services for IT professionals it’s customization —more specifically, lack of customization. There are thousands of different cloud hosting companies operating today with more coming online on a daily basis. But the majority of these services offer pre-configured plans. They offer cloud hosting as a commodity. This makes it easier for companies to sell the simplicity of cloud computing, but many IT departments quickly find these one-size-fits-all plans become limiting after deployment. They may also end up paying for services they don’t need, reducing the cost benefit.

Fortunately, as the cloud computing model has matured, more cloud hosting companies have recognized the need for maximizing the flexibility they’re able to offer customers. Doing so offers all the advantages of cloud hosting —including high availability, and automatic resource scaling— while keeping costs down by avoiding paying for options that aren’t needed. For example, where an application being hosted is a RAM intensive one, the option is provided to pay for additional dedicated RAM to made available to the cloud server hosting the application, boosting its responsiveness. At the same time, if the backup storage capacity required is low, then the GB of storage capacity dedicated to the application can be dialed back for significant cost savings. Flexibility to fine tune resources on-demand means a higher performance, more cost effective cloud hosting solution.

The other issue that can make or break any customer/vendor relationship is support. More than other business units within a company, IT departments highly value customer support that’s on top of things and always available. IT is a 24/7 operation with high standards to uphold and they expect to be able to reach their vendors at 3am if they need to. Cloud hosting companies like Togglebox that cater to IT professionals recognize this requirement; they offer an online help desk and live, 24/7 support chat to ensure customers aren’t left in the cold if they have a question outside of the typical 9-5 work day.