Virtual data center or physical: how to understand which option is best for your business

When it comes to finding an environment for developers to test a new application, need to implement a powerful CRM system, or just need technical resources to run a business, a choice has to be made between physical and virtual data centers (IaaS). Both options have their advantages, which we propose to familiarize yourself with in more detail.

Physical and virtual data center: the main differences

First of all, the visible difference is:

• implementation method;
• launch speed;
• the specifics of the work;
• fault tolerance;
• cost level.

A physical data center involves the purchase or rental of service equipment and the search for a site for its placement. And a virtual data center is a direct rental of the provider’s computing resources. From this key difference, all others follow.

It will take more time and money to launch a physical data center, since it will be necessary to find a room for installing a data center, ensure uninterrupted power supply to it, take care of the cooling system, as well as fire safety, hire security guards and other personnel to maintain equipment, equip server rooms sites and get certified. And this is not the whole list of mandatory tasks.

In the case of a virtual data center, all these concerns fall on the shoulders of the provider, and the client company receives a ready-made solution.

A physical data center provides more independence, the ability to configure hardware, but comes with a lot of obligations and costs. A virtual data center guarantees the prompt provision of the company with all the necessary resources, but excludes access to the server machine.

Which data center is best for your business?

Large companies can afford to equip their own physical data center in accordance with the latest technological trends. However, the more capacity is needed, the more difficult it is to predict the costs of maintaining and upgrading such a center in the future.

When connecting virtual data centers, the client company pays at fixed rates only for the consumed resources. In addition, at any time you can quickly increase the ordered capacity, eliminating downtime.

Medium and small businesses, especially at the start, do not always have enough money for a high-quality arrangement of a personal server center. In this case, it is also more rational to make a choice in favor of business virtualization. In addition, it should be noted that virtualization provides almost one hundred percent fault tolerance. In the event of hardware failures or any kind of errors, the data will be stored in the cloud and the work will be resumed as soon as possible.

Thus, virtual data centers are suitable for both small and large enterprises that want to quickly establish a working infrastructure, save money and ensure business continuity. But it is highly discouraged for startups and small businesses to invest in organizing a physical data center.