Business & Finance Outsourcing

How to Choose the Perfect Hosting Platform

Many businesses these days need comprehensive IT systems in order to operate and for those who do, there are many alternatives to buying hardware and hosting it on-site; which could ultimately prove a very expensive option.
One immediate solution would be to outsource all of the company's IT requirements.
That approach involves a third party designing, developing, running, and maintaining all of its customer's technology needs.
The main advantage of this is that only a minimal IT presence would need to be held on site and the monthly fees would be a cheaper alternative to buying equipment.
However, a major disadvantage of such an approach is that there is no direct control over the applications and software, so any changes required would need to be arranged in advance.
An alternative solution to completely outsourcing all of the company's technology needs is to maintain some control on site, but have the hardware hosted by a third party.
Indeed, managed hosting offers an affordable solution for many companies.
A managed hosting company offers the use of a networked data centre containing hardware that operates on many different platforms and operating systems.
In addition, application infrastructure components allow that hardware to provide a safe, secure and reliable operating environment for applications for their clients.
The hosting company provides the tools, and any business taking up a hosting solution manages the applications and business software on the host's machines through their own IT department.
If all that sounds complex, what does it mean in layman's terms? Basically, an enterprise can run the latest software to ensure that its business runs smoothly, but without having to buy or maintain any of the expensive hardware.
The business can even specify to the hosting company on which platform its systems should be run, so any existing applications on locally hosted machines can easily be transferred to the new host's systems.
The advantages of a hosted solution include the ability to access all the company's applications at any time thus maintaining 100 percent control over the business process software.
Furthermore, any urgent changes can be made by the company's own IT specialists without involving any third party or the need to arrange anything in advance.
That flexibility and control is vital to many modern businesses so hosting offers a viable alternative to owning or leasing equipment on site, but without sacrificing immediate control as would happen in an outsourcing solution.
But for companies that need to expand their IT systems, managed hosting could be a cost-effective and efficient solution.


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