Posts Tagged: "hosting"

Benefits of a Hosted Desktop

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For most people the computer is their connection to the world, both socially and professionally. For this same reason it is also an essential part of your daily life. If anything were to go wrong with your computer you could find yourself in a very difficult situation. As more and more people are becoming fully aware of the importance of their computer and the information held on, many individuals and businesses are switching to the solutions offered by a hosted desktop. For those not up to date on the benefits this offers, here are a few of the key facts.

It’s less expensive than you might think: With a Hosted Desktop solution, you only pay for what you use. You can clearly understand your own needs and therefore outgoings are both affordable and predictable with no unexpected expenditure over the horizon. By using a hosted service you need never worry anymore about having the most up-to-date software and hardware as that is now the responsibility of your host, leaving you with a state of the art system for just one low-monthly fee.

hosting

You get Support: A hosted desktop provider not only provides you with all of the most up-to-date hardware and software available but they also help you out when anything goes wrong. A quality host will offer a 24 hour service line that you can fall back whenever everything isn’t going according to plan.

Remote Working: Using a host means that you are able to log onto your own personal system from wherever you are in the world and from any machine. As everything is stored externally by the host it is always available and accessible, giving you the competitive edge and making sure that you never need to miss out on anything.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint: By using a hosted desktop you negate the need for on-site servers of your own running 24/7. You will need fewer PCs and spend less on electricity, and by using the host’s software and hardware you reduce the wear and tear and all the waste that comes with that.

Data Automatically Backed Up: In today’s day and age where information is truly power a hosted desktop gives you the surety that all of your most essential information is being looked after by professionals. Of course, you will still keep records of your own backed up for when you need them, but in the event of any serious malfunction, you can rest easy knowing that nothing will be lost and that everything can be revered at the touch of a button.

Security: Perhaps the biggest benefit of having a hosted desktop is the security and peace of mind that comes along with it. Placing the security of your data and your computer network in the hands of professionals means that you never need to worry anymore about viruses or failures as this is now the responsibility of the host.  All of your connections are secure and encrypted by the host and your privacy and security are fully guaranteed.

With all of these benefits, it seems like a no-brainer; hosted desktops are definitely the future!

The Differences in Data Centres

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There are four distinct types of data centre set-up that are available to businesses, each of which is clearly defined by its own tier. As you climb the tiers of data centres you will find that the resilience on offer increases and the amount of downtime decreases, allowing you to enjoy a more reliable level of service.

To help you choose the right type of data centre for your enterprise, here is an examination of the key differences between each tier and the repercussions that these differences can cause.

Tier 1

Tier 1 data centres are defined by their non-redundant capacity components and the use of a single uplink, which connects the server to the outside world. This basically means that if the hardware fails or the connection is cut, there will be no option but to endure some downtime and hope that normal service can be restored as quickly as possible.

Tier 2

A tier 2 data centre still uses a single uplink connection, but in this instance you will find that there are redundant capacity components to help to take into account the possibility of hardware taking a turn for the worse.

Data Centres

There is a greater degree of resilience and guaranteed availability in tier 2 data centres, which must boast 99.741% uptime compared to the lower 99.671% availability afforded to tier 1 users.

Tier 3

With tier 3 data centres, you get all the features of tier 1 and tier 2 set-ups but can also rely on a secondary power source being made available, along with multiple uplinks servicing it.

This means that one connection outage is not likely to take the whole system offline, while loss of power from the mains will be offset thanks to a back-up solution that will keep everything connected and ensure that data remains available 99.982% of the time.

Tier 4

Tier 4 data centres are at the top of the tree, with every single component tested and guaranteed to be tolerant of hardware faults. This includes the servers themselves as well as the uplink equipment, which means resilience and availability rises to allow for 99.995% uptime.

Tier 4 data centres will even go so far as to provide fault tolerance and dual power supplies for things like the cooling solutions, so there really is very little that can go wrong which has not been thought of in advance.

Of course, the type of data centre you choose for your business really relies on both your budget and how tolerant your company is of outages and downtime.

While tier 3 and 4 data centres may be more costly, this expense can be offset against the savings which you will make because you will not be affected by a lack of availability. Many companies require near constant uptime in order to avoid costly obstacles being flung in the way of their smooth operations, so the extra investment required for the use of a higher tier data centre is often acceptable.

However, a tier 1 data centre still offers decent performance for firms that do not need the absolute pinnacle of resilience and can handle small amounts of downtime throughout the year. Even basic data centres are still surprisingly durable and with constant improvements in technology and training, any problems are usually temporary.

The differences between data centres are largely determined by the levels of sustainability they offer, but businesses also need to look at other areas of the service that are being provided in order to determine which option will best suit their needs. This includes considerations such as capacity, bandwidth, location and cost, amongst a host of other concerns that should not be ignored.

Daisy Group PLC has Numerous Tier 3 data centre around the UK meaning we can guarantee your Data is not only secure but also available to you 99.9% of the time