Cost and Control - What Role Do IT Architecture Models Play?
Content
For us managers, technical words do not play a role but what does are the numbers behind these words. But it is not always that easy.
This is why we will look today at the difference between a virtual private serveer (VPS) and a virtual data center (VDC). The words server and data center have already been in your hearshot but usually it is more like tomayto-tomahto.
But what if I tell you the difference between these technologies can mean a significant increase in efficiency and cost optimization. How so? Because if you pick one of these that does not fit you rneeds, youu can say goodbye to efficiency.
Costs
When we buy a computer, we are used to paying it and then we just pay for the electricity needed for powering it up. And there are some apps… and repairs…
The same goes for company IT – with costs it is not that easy. VPS and VDC have their characteristics which are connected to operating costs, options to adapt functionalities and also enlarge the environment. You figure our what your company needs and that points in the direction of the right of the architecture models.
operation
- Small company that needs basic CRM and accounting.
- Small company that develops applications for customers in the form of SaaS.
- Big company with its own dev department.
- Big company needing a gigantic storage.
Even though these model companies differ, they have one thing in common – they have to evaluate how to operate IT regarding their needs. The word choice is deliberate – needs not size – because the size of a company does not really play a role. A small company can have much bigger IT demands that a large company.
With VPS, we talk about operational costs for a pre-defined virtual server. For that you get charged with a monthly payment and with some providers, there are additional variable costs – for example data transfer. With VDC, we talk about operational costs for computing resources regardless of the number of deployed and active servers and commplexity of the network environment.
In our model cases, VPS could be a good choice for the first company, whereas nummbers 2 and 3 wouuld benefit more from VDC because they can set up everything from scratch.
why does it matter?
During selection, you can minize unused resources for which you would pay but would not utilize.
Flexibility
It is also important to take into account one more parameter when selecting infrastructure – the option to have a default setting based on your demands. With VPS, companies encounter one important aspect – pre-defined servers. This means that the company cannot adapt the size of one virtual server but from the long list it has to select one matching the needs. To scale, it is necessary to purchase another one closely matching.
With VDC, the options are much more flexible. The provider does not state how the servers look, the company does. For example with CLOUDPOINT, a type of VDC, it is possible to ask for custom server templates so the servers are truly tailored.
Thanks to the payment for resources, it is possible to have a large server at one point and several small ones the other. Whereas VPS adds costs, VDC optimizes them.
why does it matter?
Thanks to the correct selection. it is possible to closely cover the needs at any point in time.
scaleability
We have already mentioned this word in the previous paragraph regarding VPS. There, the process is pretty straightforward – additional need, additional new server.
VDC is another story. You don’t have to purchase everything all at once when you just need something. Remember, you purchase computing resources, you can just get what you need,
It is important to know if your company is static when it comes to IT or dynamic. A static company utilizes the same amount of recoursed during all its operations and only after a long time it can happen that some of the needs change. With dynamic companies, their needs change quite often, sometimes day by day.
It is necessary to have an option to work well with computing resources but also be able to change them fast. Not just those you have available but also those that are needed on top.
why does it matter?
Don’t pay for something that you may need in the future.
How to Make a Selection?
The answer is – so as to match your needs. If you ensure maximum efficiency of your IT, you optimize the costs. And the manual is simple – task professionals to create a full analysis for you.
