PHOTO | AFP Clients can decide to have own servers and only pay for storage space and allied services in a data centre. However, this route can be quite expensive if it is not your core business since a full back-up system entails power, cooling systems, security and fire detection and suppression systems.
What you need to know:
The cost-effective and more reliable option is where clients outsource the data storage and back-up without having to invest in their own servers.
Since technology changes so fast, investing in own servers and software can be expensive since you need regular upgrades.
Technology is a key growth driver for most businesses but the fast rate at which innovations become redundant remains a big challenge for potential investors.
New technologies keep emerging every day and for businesses to enjoy the full benefits of the latest technologies, they need to make constant upgrades.
Server virtualisation is one such process that can save businesses millions of shillings due to reduced cost on physical server upgrades.
The concept behind this arose because computers are often underutilised when used by only one user meaning some capacity of the computers remain unused or idle for long periods.
During these idle periods, the computers can be used to service requests from other clients.
This model makes more efficient use of the computer’s resources, reducing the time the system is idle and allows users to share resources like saving files on a hard drive or taking turns in using a printer.
A virtual server offers the same features as a conventional hardware-based server without the need for physical hardware, space in a data centre or resources to purchase and maintain the server.
A virtual private server (VPS), for instance, is a virtual machine provided by an internet hosting service. Although running in software on the same physical computer as other customers’ virtual machines, a VPS is, in many respects, functionally equivalent to a separate physical computer, is dedicated to the individual customer’s needs, has the privacy of a separate physical computer, and can be configured to run server software.
MTN Business Kenya CEO Tom Omariba says data storage and back-up services is a must-have for businesses and server virtualization is one of the latest solutions that eradicate the need for frequent and costly upgrades as well as economical use of resources.
Capacity
“The days of vast capital outlay and resource hungry IT maintenance are over. Virtualisation of servers is the latest progression in data centre services and hosting… Most companies began with a collocation service requiring hardware to be placed in a data centre, typically having to raise capital to purchase hardware as well as maintain it.
Once businesses count the expense of maintaining a server and the costs of required services, they move to managed hosting environments where a third party like MTN Business to keep the servers current and secure, allowing organisations to focus on their core business.
“In 2011 MTN Business introduced server virtualisation to take away the huge cost of investment from customers.
There is a lot of waste in investing on physical server space which go obsolete rapidly. With server virtualization, you no longer worry about upgrades since this process is automated - meaning businesses can expand faster,” says Omariba.
The virtual server solution provides businesses with a complete server solution accessed via a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network or the public Internet.
MPLS is a mechanism in high-performance telecommunications networks that directs data from one network node to the next thereby avoiding long network addresses.
The virtual server is configured with typical components such as a processor, memory, hard drive capacity and network interfaces.
“This configuration can be customised on demand allowing clients to modify the capacity of infrastructure temporarily or permanently within hours, providing instant expansion or contraction flexibility other hosting solutions are incapable of offering,” explains Omariba.
The automation that comes with server virtualisation ensures rapid and reliable recovery of data.
The beauty with outsourcing data storage to specialists is that you save on capital expenditure, cut cost on staff and other human resources with no headache whatsoever on power, security and maintenance.
Storage
Companies that are yet to embrace secure data storage and management processes risk losing vital information on operations or even court cases due to lack of evidence.
“If you lose data, it will be very difficult to quantify the loss…data is precious and one cannot afford to take the process of back-up lightly,” warns Omariba.
For most companies, record-keeping challenges include insufficient space, safe storage, tracking the movement of records, retrieval limitations, disposal of old records, digital archiving, confidentiality and disaster recovery considerations.
Clients can decide to have own servers and only pay for storage space and allied services in a data centre. However, this route can be quite expensive if it is not your core business since a full back-up system entails power, cooling systems, security and fire detection and suppression systems.
The cost-effective and more reliable option is where clients outsource the data storage and back-up without having to invest in their own servers. Since technology changes so fast, investing in own servers and software can be expensive since you need regular upgrades.
An offsite data back- up sector is therefore emerging as a significant stakeholder in the protection of data, and businesses must be constantly aware of the challenges that arise as the reliance on data increases.
According to Omariba, records are key assets that any company must jealously guard to ensure business continuity in case of a disaster or computer breakdown.
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