#ManagedHosting Archives

Why Managed Hosting is the Best Choice for Legacy Applications

Posted on 28/10/202113/11/2021 by Tushar

Although the cloud has become a popular choice for businesses, one challenge many companies face is how to deal with legacy apps that won’t work in a cloud environment. Essentially, these businesses are left with three choices: to continue running the apps in-house, to redesign the apps to work in the cloud or to migrate them to a managed hosting service. Which choice a company chooses depends on its budget and on its long-term needs. In this post, we‘ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

In-house hosting

Hosting legacy apps in-house can offer advantages over cloud and managed hosting. Maintaining your own datacentre gives you greater control over your system and provides easy accessibility which can be important if you run bespoke applications. Private networks can also be beneficial for those that need to comply with strict data protection and security regulations.

However, a significant disadvantage of in-house hosting is the cost. When running your own data centre, there are three types of costs which you need to bear in mind. Firstly, there is the capital expenditure needed for hardware, software licensing, network infrastructure, data storage and for the backup infrastructure. In addition, there are operational expenses, such as support for hardware, software and network infrastructure, costs for datacentre facilities and power, and ongoing staffing and training costs. Finally, there are indirect costs resulting from planned and unplanned downtime.

Redesigning apps for the cloud

If you need to host legacy apps which are not cloud compatible, there is the option to convert them for the cloud. Whilst doing this can bring all the benefits that the cloud has to offer, it can be very expensive and take a lot of time. Doing so also means overcoming quite a few technical challenges. Refactoring an application to work in the cloud can be risky as there is the potential for things to go wrong during the conversion process. If the application is not thoroughly tested in development before going live, there is the potential that you could end up in a disaster situation.

Managed hosting

An easier solution for legacy applications is managed hosting. This service comes with servers, OS, SSD or HDD storage and networking, and can include features such as cloud connectivity, managed security and bespoke technical support. You are able to build the server to a specification that is ideal for your needs and choose an operating system that is compatible with your legacy application. In addition, the hosting provider will take care of the administration, management, security and support.

One of the main benefits of managed hosting is that resources are dedicated entirely to your company. This means that you enjoy the full capabilities of all the infrastructure that you lease. Should you need more capacity, you can scale up by leasing additional servers.

Cost is another benefit. As you’ll no longer need to operate your own datacentre on-site, the savings you make will easily cover the costs of a managed hosting solution.

Besides hosting legacy applications, managed hosting is ideal for a wide number of other purposes. These include hosting web apps, analytics, big data processing, data storage and backups, disaster recovery and development ops. This means, that you do not need to lease a managed server solely for the legacy app but can move other services over too.

Managed hosting provides the performance, scalability and high availability companies need, together with built-in security that helps them comply with regulations such as GDPR and PCI DSS.

Additional advantages of managed hosting

With the increased threat of cyberattacks, the advanced security that managed hosting provides helps companies keep their systems secure at an affordable price. Cybercriminals are employing ever more sophisticated techniques to target businesses and it is crucial that companies maintain robust defences. In-house security can be costly; measures such as creating a defensive infrastructure, managing vulnerability, maintaining up to date threat intelligence and keeping data protected and applications secure donâ€™t come cheaply â€“ especially when you have to staff a 24-hour security team. With managed hosting, this can all be done on your behalf by your service provider. A consequence of this is that in-house IT teams are freed up to concentrate their efforts on more business-focused operations that can improve the companyâ€™s products and services.

For companies wanting to benefit from the cloud whilst still continuing to use legacy applications, managed hosting offers the benefit of cloud connectivity, giving them the ability to connect their managed servers to the public cloud or, if desired, to other datacentre locations.

Conclusion

Working with legacy apps can be a challenge. If you want to migrate to the cloud, youâ€™ll need to go through the expensive and potentially risky route of refactoring your app, if you prefer to keep your app running in-house, youâ€™ll continue to need costly hardware and pay for the associated maintenance, IT staff and training. Using a managed hosting solution offers a better alternative, it is less expensive, highly secure and the managed aspect of the service means your IT staff can concentrate on more important matters.

All About Managed Hosting That You Must Know

Posted on 01/10/202113/11/2021 by Tushar

Businesses that need to expand or upgrade their IT infrastructure have a range of possible choices. One of the most popular is managed hosting. In this post, we’ll explain what managed hosting is, the benefits it can bring and what to look for in a managed services provider.

What is managed hosting?

Managed hosting is a type of service in which a business hires IT hardware from a service provider, such as Anteelo. All managed hardware, i.e. servers, storage and network, has single tenant occupancy, in other words, no other customer will be using the same hardware. This provides the company with all the computing resources that the hardware provides: bandwidth, performance, RAM, storage, etc., and gives the customer complete control of the hardware, OS, software and system security.

With managed hosting, the hardware is securely housed in the service providersâ€™ datacentre and the service provider takes care of its management, admin and technical support. The alternative is unmanaged hosting, where companies still hire hardware and datacentre space but choose to manage it themselves. Whilst some companies still opt for this, most find it easier and more economical to let the service provider undertake management on their behalf.

What is included in a managed hosting service?

The range of services included in a managed hosting package will depend on the individual service provider. Most hosts will provide and manage the datacentre (space, power, building maintenance, physical security, IT engineers, etc.), hardware, networking, operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.) and application infrastructure. It is also possible to extend services even more by adding application management, too. At Anteelo, we even offer bespoke IT solutions.

The list above covers a wide range of management and administrative tasks which are done on your behalf. These can include real-time server monitoring, performance optimisation, server patching, backups, intrusion prevention, application installation and so forth. Using these services means companies do not need to worry about hardware or other issues and can let their IT teams focus on more business-related projects.

Which IT uses are best suited to managed hosting?

Managed hosting is suitable for a wide range of IT uses. This includes hosting websites, as a means for extending in-house architecture and for running custom or legacy apps. Single tenancy hosting is also ideal for those who require exceptional computing performance, large-scale storage and Big Data analytics. It is also being increasingly used for backing up data and for disaster recovery.

With increasing regulation, such as the implementation of GDPR, managed hosting also offers compliance benefits for those companies that require tight data security. If you are an organisation that has a statutory requirement to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO), for example, if you process or store sensitive information or large amounts of personal data, single tenant hosting can offer increased security and help ensure compliance.

What to look for in a managed hosting service provider

It is not only the range of services mentioned above that you would need to consider if you were looking for a managed hosting service provider. Here are a range of other factors you would need to look at:

1. Technical support: Make sure your service provider offers 24/7, 365 days a year technical support. That way, if you have any issue, youâ€™ll know there is an IT expert there to help.

2. Firewall security: All managed hosting should provide strong firewall protection. Look for technology, such as Fortinetâ€™s Fortigate firewalls, which protect against a wide range of security risks.

3. Port speed: Network performance is crucial for todayâ€™s websites. Look for a 1Gbit port speed.

4. High–availability: If you are paying for a managed service, you want it to be available all the time. Make sure your service provider guarantees 100% uptime.

5. High–performance hardware: You should be provided with exceptional hardware such as Intel Xeon CPUs and SSD hard drives.

6. Full root access: If you are leasing a server, you should have full control over it. Ensure the provider you choose enables full root SSH / RDP access.

7. Control panel: the quality of the control panel you are provided with can make a huge difference in taking care of the tasks which are not part of the managed service. The best available is Pleskâ€™s Web Pro.

Is managed hosting the right choice for you?

There is a number of important questions that companies will need to ask before making the decision to opt for a managed hosting package. These include:

1) In what ways will using managed services improve your IT capabilities?

2) What are the financial implications of using a managed service?

3) If you are migrating to a managed service, how can you best manage the move to have the least impact on your business? Will your service provider help you migrate?

4) If you were to opt for unmanaged services, does your company have the in-house expertise needed to manage its own infrastructure?

Conclusion

Managed hosting isnâ€™t the cheapest hosting option available, however, it can bring enormous benefits. It can cut down significantly on the in-house IT resources you dedicate to server management, freeing up your staff for more profitable tasks. It can enhance your security and compliance and, with the right infrastructure, can improve your systemâ€™s performance and IT capabilities.

Which is Better for You: Managed or Unmanaged Hosting?

Posted on 22/04/202016/06/2021 by Tushar

If you have been looking for a hosting plan, you’ll no doubt have seen some packages described as ‘managed hosting’. If you are unsure what managed hosting is, how it differs from unmanaged hosting and whether it’s the right choice for you, this post will hopefully provide the answers you need.

The difference between managed and unmanaged hosting

Web hosting is the act of installing your website software and content on a web server so that it can be found and accessed over the internet. The web servers belong to your web host and are housed in a datacentre. Keeping your website or applications online is, therefore, a joint venture between the host and the website owner. The host takes care of the physical hardware and infrastructure and the website owner looks after the website software and content.

There is, however, a middle ground that can either be undertaken by the host or the site owner. This includes actions such as making backups, monitoring and optimising the performance of the server, installing and updating the server’s operating system and setting up and maintaining server security software, such as firewalls and malware and intrusion detection.

Managed hosting is when these things are carried out by the web host. Unmanaged hosting is when they are carried out by the customer.

It needs to be understood, however, that not all managed services are the same. Web hosts can offer different managed hosting solutions to each other and provide different managed services for different types of hosting. At the same time, some of these managed services are included in the basic price of a package while others can be purchased as an add-on service. Some enterprises even choose to work with their hosts to create bespoke managed services that are tailored around their specific needs.

When to choose unmanaged hosting

Choosing unmanaged hosting can be less expensive than managed hosting, but its biggest attraction for businesses is that it gives them far more control over their hosting. Apart from keeping the machines running, they take responsibility for everything else. Companies that have very complex IT infrastructures and which often rely on legacy software can find it easier to manage their applications when they have this level of oversight and control.

Of course, to do this, these companies need to have the extensive IT expertise to undertake all these management tasks themselves. This is usually achieved through a combination of employing experts and buying in third-party technical support.

When to choose managed hosting

The vast majority of companies choose managed hosting because it is more convenient and because they lack specific server management skills. While running a website has got easier, thanks to the development of user-friendly admin panels in platforms like WordPress and through the wide range of functions offered in control panels like cPanel and Plesk, the workings of a web server have, for many companies, remained an area over which they have little knowledge. If you have never had an in-house server and employed someone who can run it, unmanaged hosting can cause real problems.

With managed hosting, you can forget all about the more complex issues, such as installing PHP modules, load balancing, database optimisation or troubleshooting a server issue when something goes awry.

Indeed, today, even companies that have the in-house expertise in place to manage their own hosting choose to opt for a managed hosting solution. With a shortage of IT expertise available in the recruitment market and those that work in the sector demanding high salaries, it is far more cost-effective, productive and convenient to hand server management to the web host so that IT staff are freed up to work on more business-focused projects.

What to look for in a managed hosting plan

What you need to look for depends upon the type of hosting you choose. If you have shared hosting, for example, the simple fact that multiple customers share space on a single server means no individual customer could be responsible for server management – it’s always carried out by the web host. However, even with shared hosting, you should look for other server management solutions being included in a managed package – these include website backups and 24/7 technical support.

For more advanced forms of hosting where users have their own operating system, you’ll need to look for automated backup solutions, real-time performance monitoring, updating of OS, control panel and other server software and security software management.

Conclusion

Today, the advantages and convenience of managed hosting make it the number one choice for businesses. It removes all the burdens of managing your server and the calamities that can happen when a lack of know-how causes issues. At the same time, it allows smaller companies to get on with running their websites and larger organisations to put their IT expertise to more productive use.

The Smart Business Choice: Managed Hosting

Posted on 24/03/201922/06/2021 by Tushar

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to do everything in-house. You wouldn’t deliver your own letters, service your company vehicles or rewire the offices; you’d pass those tasks on to expert third parties like the Post Office, a garage or an electrician. Surprisingly, not every company uses the same logic when it comes to the complex matter of managing their IT infrastructure. There are, however, several advantages of moving away from a DIY approach and opting for managed hosting services and in this post, we’ll explain what they are.

Managed hosting – the basics

Managed hosting is a service designed to alleviate the server management burdens faced by in-house IT staff so that they can focus their time and efforts on business-related projects. Offered by leading service providers like Anteelo, it provides companies with all the hardware and computing resources they need (servers, high-speed storage, network, RAM, bandwidth, CPU, etc.) and provides a flexible range of management services which reduces the time, money and effort needed to carry them out in house.

With the hardware being housed securely at the service provider’s datacentre and its expert IT staff taking care of management, admin and technical support, companies find it easier and more cost-efficient than operating their own system on-site.

Range of managed hosting services

Different service providers offer different ranges of service. In general, however, the typical managed hosting package will include datacentre operations such as server housing, site security, national grid and back-up power, air-conditioning, building maintenance and IT engineers, etc., together with hardware and networking.

Aside from managing the infrastructure, other aspects of the provision will include the operating system (including updating and patching), application infrastructure, application installation, real-time server monitoring, performance optimisation, Next-Gen firewalls, intrusion prevention and remote backups. In addition, there is expert technical support on tap, 24/7.

Many hosts offer a flexible range of services, extending beyond those mentioned above to include such things as application management. Here at Anteelo, it is even possible to create bespoke IT solutions to meet the precise needs of your organisation.

Versatile uses of managed hosting

Managed hosting is ideal for a wide range of computing scenarios, offering practical solutions for website hosting, running legacy applications, extending company infrastructure and more. By providing single tenancy hosting, it is also beneficial for companies which need outstanding IT performance, significant data storage and which wish to make use of data analytics. Many organisations also use it to back up data and for disaster recovery.

The single-tenant hosting that comes with managed services also provides better compliance for organisations which need sensitive or personal data stored securely.

Aspects of managed hosting to consider

Aside from the information mentioned above, when looking at different managed hosting solutions, organisations should also consider the following aspects:

High availability: If you are hosting mission-critical apps on your managed service, it is crucial that they stay online all the time. Make sure you opt for a provider which guarantees 100% uptime.

Control panel: Although a managed solution, there are still aspects of your IT that you will need to take care of in-house, such as managing user accounts. A quality control panel, like Plesk or cPanel, will make this much easier to do.

Firewall: Not all firewalls offer the same level of protection. Next-Gen firewalls, like FortiGate, offer the most advanced protection from a wide range of threats.

Port speed: Port speeds of 1GB offer the network performance needed for faster loading websites.

High–performance: Whether carrying out data analytics or handling thousands of customer requests simultaneously, you want hardware that can perform exceptionally, such as Intel Xeon CPUs and SSD hard drives.

Full root access: You should have total control of your server, so make sure your provider enables full root SSH / RDP access.

Technical support: IT issues happen for a variety of reasons and when you least expect them. For this reason, 24/7 expert technical support is absolutely essential to help you get things sorted in the quickest possible timeframe.

Conclusion

The range of services included in a managed hosting package can make it more expensive than unmanaged hosting, however, it can work out significantly cheaper than managing your system in-house. You won’t, for example, need to spend capital on hardware or pay for overheads such as server housing, IT staff time, power or insurance. Aside from the savings, many of the technical headaches caused by IT management will be taken care of on your behalf, freeing up your staff for more critical tasks. In addition, you’ll benefit from tighter data security, enhanced compliance and servers which perform better.

Tag: #ManagedHosting

Why Managed Hosting is the Best Choice for Legacy Applications

In-house hosting

Redesigning apps for the cloud

Managed hosting

Additional advantages of managed hosting

Conclusion

All About Managed Hosting That You Must Know

What is managed hosting?

What is included in a managed hosting service?

Which IT uses are best suited to managed hosting?

What to look for in a managed hosting service provider

Is managed hosting the right choice for you?

Conclusion

Which is Better for You: Managed or Unmanaged Hosting?

The difference between managed and unmanaged hosting

When to choose unmanaged hosting

When to choose managed hosting

What to look for in a managed hosting plan

Conclusion

Delivering excellence, collaborating across time zones.

Take a look at our global hideouts.

Contact

India (HQ)

Atlanta, USA

London, UK

Dubai, UAE

Melbourne, Australia

Surabaya, Indonesia

India (HQ)

Atlanta

London

Dubai

Australia

Indonesia

In-house hosting

Redesigning apps for the cloud

Managed hosting

Additional advantages of managed hosting

Conclusion

What is managed hosting?

What is included in a managed hosting service?

Which IT uses are best suited to managed hosting?

What to look for in a managed hosting service provider

Is managed hosting the right choice for you?

Conclusion

The difference between managed and unmanaged hosting

When to choose unmanaged hosting

When to choose managed hosting

What to look for in a managed hosting plan

Conclusion

Managed hosting – the basics

Range of managed hosting services

Versatile uses of managed hosting

Aspects of managed hosting to consider

Conclusion

Delivering excellence, collaborating across time zones.

Take a look at our global hideouts.​

Contact

India (HQ)

Atlanta, USA

London, UK

Dubai, UAE

Melbourne, Australia

Surabaya, Indonesia

India (HQ)

Atlanta

London

Dubai

Australia

Indonesia

Take a look at our global hideouts.