In-house servers. How to eliminate them with SIRKit360®
Businesses rely on LOB (line-of-business) applications to operate. Many vendors already offer cloud-based (SaaS) versions of their products to eliminate in-house servers. But what about vendors that aren’t there yet? If you’re tired of purchasing expensive server equipment every 5-6 years to host applications or data, SIRKit360® may be the answer.
Cloud Servers vs In-House Servers
SIRKit360® is a cloud service offered by SIRKit that can be used to host servers directly online, exactly as they were in-house, with no hardware required. SIRKit360® eliminates the need for expensive server equipment, keeps your server(s) private, and offers perks like enterprise-grade infrastructure to improve uptime, security and performance; You simply subscribe to the service instead of purchasing, maintaining and supporting in-house hardware.
After delivering our Gen1 service for seven years, we returned to the drawing board to design Gen2. Our Gen1 service was exceptionally reliable, with almost zero unplanned outages for nearly a decade, but the equipment was aging, and newer equipment is more efficient than ever.
Our primary goal for Gen2 was to enhance our Canadian-based service by introducing a new level of extreme performance using state-of-the-art technology while reducing environmental impact by reducing the amount of equipment and power required to run the service. Every client that moves to SIRKit360® eliminates internal hardware, saves costs, and increases the environmental impact. We see that as a win for everyone.
What makes Gen2 such a logical choice is its enterprise-grade features, most of which are too expensive for small businesses. For example, the service is protected by numerous physical servers and multiple internet providers, which automatically take over in case of a hardware or service failure. We also chose certified equipment from Tier-1 vendors to improve uptime, push performance and mitigate unnecessary risk. Enterprise platforms deliver extreme uptime and performance; therefore, clients automatically inherit the benefits by simply using the service.
Maintenance, licensing, support, and ongoing replacement costs for the underlying hardware are also eliminated; SIRKit covers everything as part of the service. You simply manage your private virtual servers directly or leverage one of SIRKit’s Managed IT Support Plans to have them entirely managed by us.
Here are several SIRKit360® Gen2 Cloud Server benefits:
- NVMe SSD Storage (exceptionally fast SSD disks that store your data)
- AMD Gen3 Epyc Processors (exceptionally powerful processors for demanding users and applications)
- 40gbps networking (each physical server has 4 x 10gbps network connectivity)
- 80gbps networking (each storage array has 8 x 10gbps network connectivity)
- Multiple Internet Service Providers (redundant connectivity to avoid service outages)
- A private Sophos XG Next-Generation Firewall (used to protect your Cloud Servers and offer VPN connectivity to your Cloud Servers)
- Backup generators, cooling, and power conditioning (ideal for avoiding service outages)
- Support for Windows Server, Linux, and Unix operating systems
- Local and Offsite Backups
- Disaster Recovery Site
Like anything, best practices should always be followed. As a team that protects our clients, we believe hosting data or services with the most appropriate vendor is essential. Therefore, as much as we would love to host everything for you, vendors like Microsoft should be used for certain portions of your business.
For example, Microsoft 365 offers E-mail, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and other services directly through their cloud. Some of these services are unavailable to host internally, and others will only be usable directly from Microsoft. Therefore, unless there is a specific reason not to do so, go direct to Microsoft. SIRKit is also a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) for Microsoft and can help you transition to Microsoft 365. SIRKit360® Cloud Servers can be used to host some of these services, but we don’t recommend it.
Where SIRKit360® shines is providing a cloud-hosted environment for line-of-business (LOB) applications that must be installed on a traditional in-house server. For example, platforms like Sage 50, Sage 300, ERP, CRM, or other client-server applications. Unfortunately, certain vendors do not offer reliable and effective cloud solutions for their software, and you’re required to install the software on your server. And in rare cases, vendors may not offer the specific version you need, such as Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.
Here are our preferred vendors for specific services:
- E-mail: Microsoft Exchange Online
- Shared Files/Folders: Microsoft SharePoint Online and/or Microsoft Teams Online
- User Files/Folders: Microsoft OneDrive for Business
- LOB (Server Applications): SIRKit360
- Remote Desktop Services: SIRKit360
As an MSP (Managed IT Services Provider), we’ve helped hundreds of businesses migrate in-house servers to the cloud. Portions of the existing systems are typically migrated to Microsoft directly, while others are hosted with SIRKit360®. Ultimately, the migration process can be pretty technical and impact your team if done incorrectly. The good news is that SIRKit’s projects and infrastructure teams have extensive migration experience and can assist with the entire process.
If your business relies on in-house servers, we strongly recommend putting together a long-term plan to leverage the cloud. The entire planet is evolving, and you don’t want to be caught off-guard with surprise expenditures or an application that can’t be used.
If you’re interested in chatting more, we would love to hear from you; There is no cost for the initial consultation. Alternatively, if you’re interested in getting a SIRKit360® Gen2 Cloud Server deployed right away, please reach out, and we can discuss options that make the most sense and offer the most value for your business.
SIRKit is offering two free months to businesses that sign-up for the service before January 31st, 2022. Please provide discount code “GEN2-ONLINE” to our representatives.
Click here to get more information about the service.