What is a Cloud Server, How Does it Work, and Its Advantages Over Physical Hardware

In the past, businesses needed to purchase expensive physical servers, allocate special rooms for them, and employ staff to maintain the equipment for proper operation. Now, companies have options to organize their IT infrastructure in a more beneficial and convenient way. One such option is migrating to cloud servers. In this article, we will explain what a cloud server is, how it functions, and why it is superior to a physical server.

What is a Cloud Server

A cloud server is a virtual computing machine that offers users the ability to work with software, store data, analyze large volumes of information, launch projects, and test applications via the internet. Cloud servers can be located anywhere in the world and provide their services remotely to users.

How a Cloud Server Works

Cloud servers emerged thanks to virtualization technology. Special software (hypervisor) divides physical servers into virtual computing machines that can be utilized for various tasks such as office applications, development and testing environments, online stores, etc. Cloud providers partition the physical server and grant clients access to its virtual part as an isolated environment.

How a Cloud Server Works

Cloud servers have become possible through the advancement of virtualization technology. Special software known as a hypervisor partitions physical servers into virtual computing machines. These can be used for various tasks, including office applications, development and testing environments, online stores, and more. Cloud providers split the physical server and provide clients access to its virtual parts as isolated environments.

Services Available Through a Cloud Server

Within this isolated virtual environment, businesses can take advantage of cloud provider services, acquiring IT infrastructure (IaaS), platforms (PaaS), or software as a service (SaaS).

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)Businesses rent virtual computing resources and storage from a cloud provider, deploying their customary business applications just as they would on their own equipment, and manage them independently.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)These are prepared platforms for developing and testing applications, virtual databases, machine learning systems, and big data processing. Examples include Codenvy for cloud development environments, Google App Engine for application hosting, and Docker for application deployment tools.
• Software as a Service (SaaS)These are ready-to-use applications that clients can employ immediately, without the need to deploy VMs, buy licenses, install software, or maintain and update it. Examples include 1C, Bitrix24, Office365.

The Advantages of Cloud Servers

A typical example of a cloud server is a public cloud, which offers several advantages over physical hardware.

Resilience and High Availability
All components of the virtual infrastructure are reserved and have no single point of failure. If a physical server breaks down, the hypervisor automatically restarts the virtual machines on other servers.

Quick Startup
Users can deploy a cloud server within minutes and start working on it right away. The migration of a single VM also typically takes no more than 30 minutes. If a business does not have time to manage this process, it can be delegated to the provider.

Cost Savings
Clients do not need to purchase, maintain, and update their own equipment or licenses, nor hire a team of staff. Cloud provider services are paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning clients only pay for the resources they use.

Easy Scalability
Clients can independently adjust the parameters of the cloud server, increasing the number of CPU cores, amounts of RAM, disk space, number of virtual machines, and network interfaces within minutes.

Security
The client’s data is usually stored in secure storages, and all equipment is housed in reliable data centers. In addition, the security system includes dedicated resource pools, firewalls, antivirus software, monitoring, and DDOS protection.

Conclusion

Cloud servers provide a reliable, convenient, and economical alternative to physical servers. By utilizing them, businesses can keep more money in circulation within the company, earning on it, scale their capacities faster, and compete in the market. To assess the benefits of cloud servers and services, consult with specialists.