Physical Servers Vs. Cloud

The differences between a physical server and a cloud server can create confusion. In just a few words, a virtual server that is hosted by a cloud computing company (Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud are the most common), known as a cloud server, allows users to utilize its resources remotely just by using an internet connection. On the other hand, a physical server is hosted by you most commonly within your office environment.

Physical servers are relatively safe, independent, easy to operate, and offer good performance, but they cost more on the purchase, maintenance, upgrade, security, and expansion of the physical infrastructure.

Cloud servers are flexible, easy to deploy and migrate. Cloud solutions are highly dependent on the internet condition. Especially if are not managed properly, cloud solutions can cost more in terms of feature expansion and business continuity.

NOTE! The functions and operating systems supported by cloud-based servers are identical to those of traditional physical servers housed in a local data center. In addition to that, they can have comparable performance features.

Should I Choose A Physical Server?

Complete access to a dedicated server is one of the main advantages of a physical server. This means that you will never encounter delayed processing during busy time intervals, you will be able to configure it, upgrade it as you see fit.

With just a few exceptions, there will be no interruptions on the company-owned server. However, if you need a powerful server, physical servers might take up a lot of your office space. This means that you are responsible for keeping up the space where they are located, as well as for any service or repairs that may be necessary, which might be problematic if something goes wrong, stuff like power outage, natural disasters, etc.

Or Maybe A Cloud Solution?

As opposed to physical servers, cloud-based servers allow users to run several operating systems at once, maximizing the use of the available hardware and eliminating the need to run separate servers for each operating system. One of the main benefits is the lower cost, which is perfect for both small and large organizations.

Also, when it comes to data encryption, it can be difficult for some organizations to encrypt data across their entire environments, but with public cloud providers, such as Microsoft Azure, organizations have various options to closely manage encryption or encryption keys.

Automation of any tasks is one key feature of cloud solutions that is extremely helpful to any business. Additionally, it allows users to make repairs faster by signaling any interruption in automated processes brought on by a malfunction.

The backup and recovery processes are handled easily with virtual servers that can switch to another computer if a server happens to fail.

Therefore, to choose between a cloud solution and a physical server, you must identify and compare the advantages you would obtain, but also the downsides.

For example…

If you run an e-commerce website with seasonal traffic surges, a cloud server would easily allow you to scale up and down.

If you are working on a project that requires a custom server, then a physical server is probably the better option.

If you manage a small business or a startup and you barely afford the physical infrastructure and maintenance cost, then configuring a cloud server is a more appropriate solution.

Physical servers are reliable, standalone, and relatively easy to use. However, it is more expensive to buy, manage, update, and expand the physical infrastructure. Cloud servers, in contrast, offer more flexibility, state of the art security, a pay-as-you-go option, quick deployment, a simple migration, and require no initial hardware investment.

NOTE! Microsoft alone spends $15 billion annually on cloud research and development, with 1$ billion dedicated to cloud security.

Conclusion

Cloud technology provides a high degree of adaptability, agility, and privacy. By choosing a cloud server over a physical server, you have the possibility to optimize costs by adapting your spending. Sometimes, combining cloud and physical servers may be most beneficial, as this option can offer organizations the best of both worlds.

Nowadays, even huge organizations are moving their online operations to the cloud for more flexibility. If you are unsure of which environment is the best for you, please reach out with any questions. Our engineers will guide you towards a viable solution.