SoftLayer: A New Breed of Managed Hosting

Nov 24, 2015 | All Blogs, Cloud, Managed Services

Got Servers? Of course you do! Cloud or otherwise, servers need to be managed. A key consideration is “Who should manage them?” The answer depends on a number of factors. IT organizations of all types and sizes may benefit from managed hosting. Yet their rationale for whether to self-manage or utilize managed services can be as different as the organizations themselves. An organization might lack the internal skills or resources to manage its own environment. Yet, even with the required expertise in place, many organizations choose managed hosting so they can apply their own staff to higher value activities centered on their core business. Some organizations find managing their own hosted servers a logical extension to what they are already doing with their on-premise servers. Others find self-management a black hole for time, resources and morale. Just as cloud computing has not eliminated the need for dedicated servers, the need for managed hosting has not gone away with the advent of cloud computing. Instead, both services must evolve in order to keep up with the changing needs of those who choose to use them.

Introducing SoftLayer

You’ve probably already been introduced to SoftLayer at some point, but may not fully understand what makes them so different. Founded in 2005, SoftLayer, an IBM company, is now the largest provider of dedicated hosting in the world. How did they grow so fast? Innovation. SoftLayer is a true innovator in dedicated, cloud and hybrid hosting. The company is bringing this same innovative spirit to managed hosting, delivering a new kind of managed service that mirrors and reinforces many of the attributes of cloud computing, including unique pricing models, faster access to resources, shorter time commitments, self-service and more. The unique value proposition of SoftLayer Managed Hosting is better understood by considering its unique advantages across each of these five categories which are all critical for any type of on-demand IT, including cloud computing:

  1. Agility
    • Servers with operating system and basic application installs are ready within one business day of ordering, beating other providers by as much as two weeks or more.
    • Real-time status and reporting provides around the clock visibility of performance, availability, consumption and more. This up-to-the-moment information enables customers to make fast decisions and take action just as quickly.
  2.  Flexibility
    • Terms as short as 30-days eliminate expensive, long-term commitments and make managed hosting a viable option for more applications.
    • SoftLayer Managed Services are available on dedicated, cloud and hybrid environments, so customers may choose any or all of them to best meet their needs.
  3. Reliability
    • Automated deployment and management reduces the risk of human error and inconsistent configurations, giving solutions greater standardization and reliability.
    • SoftLayer backs this with a leading SLA that includes 100% uptime for both the public and private networks, as well as rapid response to alerts and hardware failures.
  4. Control
    • Through an extensive API, Customer Portal and underlying automation, SoftLayer puts unprecedented control of all environments—including managed environments—in the hands of customers.
    • The company also allows customers to self-manage certain elements of their environment while the SoftLayer managed hosting team covers the rest.
  5. Transparency
    • A straightforward approach to service packaging along with highly competitive pricing lets customers understand exactly what they are getting and at what price.
    • Even for environments under management, SoftLayer still provides full access to real-time reporting and other status information through the Customer Portal.

 

Another 5 Things to Remember About SoftLayer

  1. SoftLayer’s network is larger and faster than yours

SoftLayer’s network and capacity are impressive by anyone’s standards. 13 data centers house around 200,000 servers spanning the US, Singapore, the UK, and the Netherlands and serve over 21,000 customers.

  1. Virtual servers for convenience, bare metal for performance

SoftLayer offers virtual servers that can be set up in minutes and scaled as needed. For high performance workloads, SoftLayer can create bare metal servers for you, where you design the hardware to specific requirements, and still manage the server from the cloud.

  1. You can customize everything

Pick the right network speed and bandwidth, choose the right operating system, and pick the most appropriate security option with SecurityLayer Services.

  1. Manage your data center from the golf course

TheSoftLayer mobileapp (available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone) allows you keep an eye on your infrastructure from anywhere – even the 14th green.

  1. Create your first server in the cloud for free

You can create a cloud server using SoftLayer’s CloudLayer Computing forfree for one month. Give it a try.

In Summary

SoftLayer could be just what your business needs in today’s fast-paced and competitive market. If your organization requires high performance computing, or you manage very large databases, SoftLayer provides leading-edge, dedicated architecture and ease of provisioning specifically designed to accommodate high input/output intensity for online gaming, mobile applications and digital marketing. For larger organizations that need a correspondingly high level of infrastructure control, SoftLayer provides the ability to customize hardware, network control and control infrastructure via simple and intuitive application programming interfaces (APIs). Unlike some of its competitors, SoftLayer also provides a unified integration and control panel for multiple cloud architectures — allowing for easy platform integration across dedicated, virtualized and cloud servers.

Schedule a consultation to learn more about how Flagship and SoftLayer can make a difference for your business.

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