Cloud solutions (Cloud Web Hosting)

A few years ago, services were the forerunners of the cloud:  

• Hosting www, 
• Email hosting.  

We didn’t need our own server with a working Linux environment to run these basic business IT services. We paid the hosting company an annual subscription for the number of email accounts and disk space used. We had a database service and a system to configure and manage a website (often   WordPress  ) at our disposal. The hardware, operating system and basic configuration were provided by the hosting company. 

The next stage was the era of VPS (Virtual Private Server) servers – virtual machines where you could choose the processing power of the processor (vCPU), the amount of RAM and the storage space. They had a pre-installed operating system (usually Linux), basic applications and a simple database (MySQL/PostgreSQL). We installed on them mainly applications available from the Internet. 

Instead of selling licenses, companies that developed software started offering their products on   a SaaS   (Software as a Service) basis. Application sharing is a cheaper and easier alternative to buying a license. And most importantly, we do not invest in hardware and software. We pay a monthly or annual subscription for cloud services, such as CRM. 

We pay for what we consume. 

Microsoft also started doing business in the cloud and offering cloud solutions for companies. The Azzure platform initially presented itself as a cloud development environment. Today it offers applications, virtual servers (VPS), databases, services, e.g. AD in the cloud, Intune and many others. Microsoft also offers a comprehensive groupware solution for companies in the cloud: Microsoft365, a suite of collaborative applications:  

• Teams   – a communication platform,  
• Sharepoint   – a system for storing and sharing files in the organization, which allows you to create work bugs,  
• Planner   – manages tasks in projects, 
• Forms   – create surveys for customers, employees, 
• OneNote   – a useful application for taking notes,  
• OneDrive   – a virtual file storage that gives you the ability to back up personal data, 

Other major providers such as Google or Amazon also offer cloud solutions for companies. There are providers that provide solutions for managing specific cloud services, such as digital identities for companies, and offer tools for authenticating users and applications.   

But what is the difference between the Microsoft, Google, Amazon cloud, i.e. the public cloud, and the private cloud, which Cloud4you offers, for example? The key is   to ensure the isolation of the customer environments. 

The private cloud at Cloud4You, a subsidiary of Support Online, is based on dedicated servers and dedicated network devices. Customers’ IT environments are physically separated from each other. A private cloud for companies built in this way meets all the   recommendations of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority  . 

By ensuring that cloud services are comprehensive, we ensure data security. We offer cloud backup with   insider protection   to protect against backup encryption or malicious deletion. In addition, for demanding customers for whom ensuring business continuity is a priority, we offer a replication service to a separate data center. To fully meet the requirements of ISO27001 or the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, we offer the possibility of making a copy of the data on an LTO tape (up to 30 TB with compression on a tape), which we securely deliver to the customer’s premises. Cloud data storage service as well as offline backup to tape ensure the IT security of our customers. Private clouds for companies use dedicated servers. Servers are virtualized using VMware or Hyper-V tools and provided in the form of virtual resources (vCPU, RAM and disk space). Full management by customer technicians or optionally by online support technicians. Disk resources are available as dedicated vSAN or as dedicated RAID matrix, we offer the possibility of expansion with HDD and SSD disks. 

To provide corporate cloud solutions – private cloud – we use dedicated network equipment with Fortigate routers. We select the right router performance for the needs of the cloud service. For demanding environments, it is possible to configure a cluster of Fortigate routers. 

A simple private cloud solution is servers that offer file resources –   Nextcloud  . A solution based on the Linux operating system. It allows data exchange inside and outside the company for customers. The system is operated via a web browser. We provide administrator management and backup for this type of cloud services.  

A private cloud for enterprises is the right tool to provide secure IT solutions and IT support that helps our customers develop their business. 

Cloud solutions, also called cloud services, are IT technologies that are delivered and accessible over the Internet. Unlike traditional IT solutions that require on-site installation and maintenance of hardware and software, cloud solutions are hosted on remote servers and are accessible online. This allows companies to access their data and applications from anywhere and at any time, as long as they have Internet access.

Cloud solutions can include all kinds of services, including data storage, business applications, software development platforms, server infrastructure, and more. These services are usually provided on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning that customers only pay for what they actually use. This allows companies to save resources, improve scalability and flexibility, and implement new solutions faster. Therefore, cloud solutions are becoming increasingly popular in various business sectors.

A cloud computing service is the delivery of computing resources (such as processing power, memory, storage, software, and networking capabilities) as a service over the Internet. Instead of investing in purchasing, configuring, and maintaining physical hardware and software, organizations can use the resources provided by a cloud computing provider when they need them, paying only for what they use.

For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure are popular cloud platforms that offer a wide range of services, including application hosting, data storage, analytics, machine learning, developer tools, and more. For example, businesses can use cloud computing services to host their websites, run business applications, process large amounts of data, or develop and test new software. Cloud computing allows businesses to easily scale and access the latest technologies without having to invest in expensive IT infrastructure.

Choosing a cloud for business brings many benefits. First, the cloud enables scalability and flexibility – you can easily adapt IT resources to the current needs of the business without having to invest in expensive IT infrastructure. Second, the cloud ensures availability and reliability – data and applications are available anytime, anywhere and most cloud providers guarantee high service availability. Third, the cloud can lead to significant cost savings as you only pay for what you actually use.

For example, a company may decide to move its CRM system to the cloud so that employees can access important customer information from anywhere. In addition, they can use cloud storage services to securely store and manage large amounts of information without having to maintain their own data center. Another example is using cloud-based analytics services to process and analyze large amounts of data, quickly gaining valuable business insights. Regardless of the specifics of the company, the cloud offers a number of opportunities that can help the company become more effective and competitive.