More and more companies are outsourcing their IT infrastructure by relying on traditional hosting solutions or cloud services. Both solutions have one thing in common: they have the advantage that entrepreneurs do not have to worry about the procurement and maintenance of server hardware. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of uncertainty about this issue. So it’s high time to clarify the 5 most common myths about hosting.
Myth 1: The cloud is not secure.
Since IT basically has to do with countless and sensitive data, the topic of security is enormously important. The cloud is just as secure as an IT environment on the company’s own premises. A multi-level security concept is standard for many providers. Also read Hostwinds.com VPS reviewed, as the article provides an excellent example for such standards. As a provider, they offer many things that are too costly and cumbersome to operate in a company as a matter of course:
- Access protection: only authorized employees of the data center have access to the system.
- Backup: all data is regularly backed up at a separate, second location
With hosting products, we place great emphasis on data security and data protection. We operate a redundantly designed firewall and a multi-client directory structure in accordance with Microsoft recommendations. Similar structures are set up and operated by well-known companies such as T-Systems.
This also results in a multi-level and very secure authorization concept. Within this concept, customers and / or partners can, of course, access the resources they are responsible for and, if necessary, provide them with additive authorizations.
Myth 2: Poor performance due to hosting.
Data security and stable network performance cannot be separated. When the cloud increasingly replaces local IT infrastructures, the network has to take care of data security. High performance in the cloud follows the same rules and principles as in the local network.
We work with the latest server components and provide some of them centrally. This ensures that all resources used by the customer are up to date and are regularly professionally maintained. Thus, the data center works on the basis of the latest SQL Server version, so that our customers receive monthly improvements and performance increases.
We work hand in hand with the development of Step Ahead AG and Microsoft to achieve the best performance and stability on the databases. Here we go the way of optimization, not “masking” as for example through the use of SSD hard disks. Backups, optimization, monitoring – these services are included. A shared SQL Server offers many advantages here, especially in the current SQL Server versions. In addition to a noticeable performance improvement through intelligent caching, every customer ben
efits from our highly standardized maintenance services.
Myth 3: Once in, always in & cloud is cloud.
The dependence on one provider is one of the major concerns of many companies. Data migration to a new technology is a big hurdle and once the data is in the cloud, it seems impossible to recover it. When choosing the right cloud provider, you should consider what practices and industry standards are being followed.
Step Ahead has also tested the usability of the Azure Cloud as a platform for Step Ahead products in the context of evaluations and individual scenarios. Azure is a collection of integrated cloud services from Microsoft. For several reasons, Step Ahead has decided to continue operating and expanding its own data center.
In particular, the cost structure and performance of the Azure platform did not sufficiently meet the requirements of Step Ahead and our customers. In order to achieve a comparatively high performance with STEPS hosting, the monthly costs for the Azure platform have to be calculated significantly higher. The same applies to other pure hosting service providers in the market who do not have the experience with Step Ahead products.
Myth 4: My IT investments were in vain.
If you’ve been building your own data center and investing in your own hardware for years, it seems that when you moved to a cloud environment, everything was in vain. But our specialization saves you money and reduces your risk: you no longer have to run hardware on your own responsibility that can break and need to be replaced.
The monthly rate can be fixed over a long period of time and is therefore calculable. The fact that resources (hardware, software and employee knowledge) are shared results in cost savings that a company cannot achieve on its own. These are allocated to all customers.
Myth 5: Restrictions in Customizing.
Of course, it is important to you that you can set up individual adaptations for your applications, 
this is no problem. Here we offer several possibilities. For the sake of stability and professionalism in operation, we only demand that our general conditions in hosting are respected.
Because our specialization brings speed for you: All components and the installed software versions are optimally matched to the operation of Step Ahead products. We exclusively operate Step Ahead systems and know the requirements of the different servers inside out. Multiple redundant systems reduce the probability of data loss.
Conclusion
Myths are often the result of outdated information or rumours. Therefore, we recommend that you customize the solution according to your company’s specific requirements.
