VMware and virtual computing have had a profound impact on corporate computing. Businesses have not only maximised the use of computing resources, but they have also been able to develop new, more robust ways of using data and reducing the risk of service outages and loss.
Choosing a VMware-based cloud service offers even greater flexibility. In addition to these on-premises benefits, VMware Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides additional benefits:
Pay-as-you-use pricing
The usage billing model ensures that you only ever pay for the resources your virtualised servers and services use. This takes the multi-tenant virtual server model to the next level ensuring you never pay for unused capacity or redundancy.
Improved data security
A good VMware IaaS service provider will employ enterprise-grade defences, like the VMware NSX Edge Firewall, to protect your hosted resources. You will also benefit from the automated fail-over capabilities of cloud platforms, helping to reduce downtime. By replicating data offsite, you have an additional layer of protection against localised loss. Where there are questions of data protection and sovereignty, your partner will also be able to assist with ensuring systems are hosted in the correct geographic locations for compliance.
Simplified onboarding
On-premises or in the cloud, VMware uses the same management tools, regardless of where your assets are located. This familiarity allows your server management team to get up to speed quickly. The reduced learning curve accelerates deployments and reduces time to ROI.
Avoid common cloud pitfalls
Some cloud platforms require you to refactor your applications before deployment. With VMware in the cloud, you can transfer your existing on-premise assets to the hosted platform safe in the knowledge that they will continue to operate in the same way. This further accelerates the speed of deployment and helps to reduce the initial cost of deployment.
Cloud specialised support
Your in-house server team are already expert at managing VMware in an on-premise environment – but the underlying platform knowledge does not always apply directly to IaaS. With VMware in the cloud, there is no need for your team to retrain in cloud platform management – all those tasks are undertaken by your provider. This approach ensures all of your resources can be directed at your projects.
Migration assistance
No matter your level of experience with VMware, migration to the cloud always involves some level of risk. Your VMware IaaS provider has the skills and knowledge required to identify and minimise those risks. They will help you formulate a strategy that addresses application resource planning and sizing, cloud migration, training, documentation, and ongoing account management to ensure you realise maximum benefits from your new infrastructure.
Expanding your cloud presence
Depending on your cloud partner, it may also be possible to manage other aspects of your hosted infrastructure from the same central console. This approach allows you to expand your use of cloud services to include other key functions such as backup, disaster recovery and more specialised cloud computing operations.
Ready to learn more about VMware in the cloud and how your business can take operations to the next level of performance and reliability? Please give the WTL team a call .