Managed server hosting is an IT service provision model where a cloud service provider leases dedicated servers and associated hardware to a single customer and manages those systems on the customer’s behalf.

When it comes to managing business systems, IT teams and decision-makers dedicate time and resources on;

• Security
• Maintenance and repairs
• System updates or upgrades
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Scaling
• Support

Managing the above aspects of business systems whether on-premise or on the cloud can take away time and resources from other core business activities despite having well-detailed business plans and budgets. For example, resources that can otherwise be spent on marketing activities can be redirected to unforeseen damage repairs or system crashes of an on-premise mail server.

Self-managed cloud server hosting

Most organizations today host their business systems on the cloud using self-managed cloud server hosting services. In self-managed hosting, your cloud service provider leases space on a shared server, a virtual private server, or a dedicated server.

However, management and maintenance of the server and all associated hardware/software remains with your IT department. This includes ensuring daily backups and a disaster recovery plan should you experience a disaster such as fire, ransomware attacks, etc.

For reasons such as inadequate expertise and human error, businesses on self-managed hosting continue to experience challenges such as;

• Missed, failed, irregular or incomplete backups
• Failed recovery attempts due to untested disaster recovery plans
• Ransomware attacks and other malware infections
• Stretched IT budgets due to indirect costs
• Frequent system downtime due to server crashes, damages, overloading, disaster, etc.
• Slow system performance

This is because many have not yet discovered the benefits of managed cloud services over self-managed.

Reasons why businesses are moving to managed server hosting services

The market size of managed cloud services continues to grow as business decision-makers realize the superior benefits of managed server hosting due to;

• Need to lower operational costs
• Increase in the rate and cost of cybercrime today
• Need for expertise and security
• Increased need for timely support
• No need for extra support staff

If you have on-premise systems that run your critical applications, this article is for you. If you already have a cloud service provider and are looking to lower your capital expenditure, eliminate downtime and get more value for your money, this is also for you.

Organizations that adopt managed server hosting services have more time to focus on core operations that improve their bottom lines have a less stretched out IT budget, a more productive staff that is well supported, an IT resilient network and, guaranteed business continuity.

Benefits of managed server hosting over self-managed server hosting

1. Lower your Operating Costs

There are indeed a lot of hidden costs to unmanaged hosting services. There’s a need to hire consultants, system administrators, and other staff to manage your on-premise servers.

However, going with a managed service provider eliminates these additional costs. If you hire a good hosting provider, you can save your money and invest in other core activities such as customer relationships.

2. No need for extra support staff

When you hire a team and train them to support your clients 24*7, it could be very expensive. Having professional support means there’s no need to train your staff or put in additional resources.

They will provide guaranteed 24*7*365 technical support. If any issue arises, they resolve it without affecting your traffic. You will save your company money, resources, and time.

3. Expertise & Security

Hiring experts enable you to focus on core business goals and competencies while data protection and business continuity is their top priority. Your managed hosting provider can ensure;

• Virus scanning  and spam filtering
• Ransomware protection
• Upgrades and scaling, etc.

This way they ensure they have an upper hand in security-related issues and you have peace of mind. In fact, they will identify the vulnerabilities before your servers are being attacked.

4. Server Monitoring

Managed services enable proactive detection of vulnerabilities and irregularities to ensure nothing impacts the productivity of your business. Thus, keeping your site and server working efficiently 24×7.

Whereas, if you go for unmanaged hosting, you will need a special set of skills or hire a tech team for monitoring and administrating your servers. Thus, multiplying your operational costs.

5. Support Anytime, Every time

A good and reliable managed cloud service provider will offer support to you 24*7 and can be reached through different modes such as live chat, support ticket, phone or email. The support staff is trained in resolving glitches and preventing minor issues before they turn major. This is one of the most popular benefits of managed hosting.

6. Reliable backup and disaster recovery

With managed hosting, you don’t have to worry about losing your data or experiencing system downtime.

It is backed up automatically and secured since a reliable managed hosting provider will have disaster recovery strategies to handle the loss if any.

Going unmanaged means you will not be able to back up your data efficiently and probably will lose some. If you lose data or experience system downtime, you are responsible for taking measures to recover and to prevent future occurrences

When to seek managed server hosting services

To help you determine if managed server hosting is the best solution for your organization, we ask business decision-makers the following questions;

• Are you a business running on-premise business-critical applications and systems experiencing rising capital expenditures?
• Does your business suffer from frequent downtime due to system crashes, power outages, internet disruptions/slow connectivity, etc. that is leading to loss of revenue and opportunities?
• Are you concerned about the dwindling productivity of your IT department and all other staff in your organization? Have you measured the revenue loss per employee as a result?
• Are you unable to quickly and securely scale up your business-critical systems and applications when the need arises?
• Are you worried about whether your data and business-critical systems are being effectively backed up and can be recovered in case of hardware failure, natural or manmade disaster?
• Are you uncertain about the security of your business-critical systems from unauthorized access, internal and external cyber threats?
• Is your IT department sufficiently qualified to offer round the clock support services to your users and ensure 24/7 service availability?
• Are your systems worn out and in the process of doing a full replacement? Is your budget stretched out?
• Are you afraid that your systems are susceptible to a ransomware attack?
• In light of recent events, are you looking to support, manage, and secure a remote workforce indefinitely?

Managed Server Hosting is the answer you may or may not have been looking for.

What do we have to offer in managed server hosting?

Pepea Managed Server Hosting is a managed service that allows businesses to achieve higher functionality and performance by hosting their business-critical systems, applications, databases, websites, and other software on the Pepea Cloud.

Hosting on our cloud platform offers the advantages of increased accessibility, reliability, seamless scalability and potential cost savings, as your business is freed from the hustle of investing in and maintaining on premise business-critical applications and systems on premise

Benefits of Pepea Managed Server Hosting

• You can work with peace of mind knowing that your data and systems are secure with virtual private networking within the organization

• With our ransomware protection feature, you do not have to worry about ransomware attacks

• Guarantee business continuity as we manage regular backups and snapshots of your systems and applications to ensure they are available in case of an unforeseen disruption

• Reduce capital expenditure as Pepea Cloud Server Hosting will save on costs and time spent by your IT department while running your own distributed systems and applications on premise

• Get ahead in your business by getting more work done without disruptions and periods of downtime. You are assured of service availability, connectivity and system uptime on our reliable hosting platform

• Make your business more flexible with the ability to easily scale up when the demand arises

• Experience increased collaboration and employee productivity with fast connectivity to your hosted platform and private networking enabled by secure VPN connections that allow your staff to securely access your systems anywhere anytime via a stable internet connection

Features of Pepea Managed Server Hosting

Pepea Managed Server Hosting is a business-critical service that powers up your business on managed servers nested on scalable hosting environments. Deploy and seamlessly scale your hosted applications, websites, databases, and other software on the Pepea Cloud and leverage high performance, functionality, and service availability

1. Managed

We handle the setup, scaling, secure access, and updating of your hosted critical systems and applications. We free up time for your IT department to focus on other core activities such as supporting your users and clients.

2. Secure

We secure your hosted environment by providing your users with encrypted access via stable virtual private network connections (VPN). Secure private networking increases collaboration and reduces the risk of experiencing denial of service or ransomware attacks

3. Scalable

Easily scale up and deploy upgrades within minutes when the need arises without worrying about resulting downtime

4. Backups and snapshots

We guarantee business continuity by monitoring automated regular backups and snapshots of your hosted business-critical applications and systems. Our disaster recovery as a service and the backup feature ensures that you can quickly boot up a copy of your server to recover your critical data and applications with minimized downtime.

5. Support

Round the clock world-class support services from a team of experienced technical experts to provide solutions, maintain high performance and availability of your hosted environment

Pepea to the cloud with Pepea Managed Server Hosting and achieve powerful functionality, effectiveness, and output while securing the continuity of your business.

Contact us at sales@ke.msgafrica.com visit our website for more information about our solution.

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