Infinite computing power, reduced costs in comparison to the purchase and maintenance of physical servers, as well as shared data access.
Let’s start with the definition of cloud infrastructure. A cloud infrastructure is a rentable combination of servers with select software installed on them, and this rental service is offered by cloud providers. Users create and configure the virtual servers that suit their needs.
A cloud infrastructure is an alternative to physical servers which eliminates the need to purchase and maintain equipment. A cloud provider has qualified staff and is responsible for the deployment, maintenance, and availability of that infrastructure.
Advantages of using a cloud infrastructure:
- Scalability. If you need to expand or reduce resource capacity, you can do it just by changing the configuration.
- Fault tolerance. In case of a server failure, the services will be automatically transferred to the backup server.
- Compatible with all operating systems. You can set up a corporate infrastructure based on Windows Server, Linux, and other server OS.
- Low costs. There is no need to buy and install equipment for data storage and data transmission. Just rent a virtual server and connect it to your corporate infrastructure.
How to work with it?
Depending on the business objectives, connection to virtual machines inside the infrastructure can be organized in several ways:
- RDP client. An employee connects to a remote desktop using the RDP protocol and gets a familiar working environment based on Windows, Linux, or other operating system.
- RemoteApp allows users to launch a separate application hosted in the cloud. This method is useful if there’s a need to restrict access to specific applications or to combine the work on a local computer with the work on a virtual machine.
- Web access provides working with an application or a remote desktop directly in a browser. Users just need to type a specific URL in the address bar and log in.
- VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides encrypted data transmission for all devices connected to the corporate network. While to connect to a local network you should stay in the office, with a VPN you can connect to a corporate network from anywhere.
- DirectAccess. This technology allows users to connect to the corporate cloud immediately after the Internet connection is established.
What does it benefit the team?
Depending on the selected connection method, the following features become available:
- Secure data transmission and traffic encryption;
- Access to the corporate network from anywhere in the world. This is a perfect solution for companies with remote employees;
- Scalability of the virtual network. This is useful if you need to quickly increase resource capacity, grant or restrict access to certain information and connect new employees;
- Access to blocked network resources. You will be able to work in foreign countries where there are restrictions on some Internet services.
Where to start?
To organize a virtual corporate infrastructure, you can contact a cloud service provider and deploy several virtual servers (VPS/VDS), then configure them for your business objectives using the methods listed above.
Serverspace cloud provider can be a great choice. Depending on the server virtualization platform (vStack or VMware), you can organize the cloud infrastructure in three ways:
- create a routable network and connect servers to it;
- deploy a server that will act as a router and provide internet access;
- connect isolated networks to the Internet by the Edge Gateway service.
Note: the entire infrastructure should be built within a single data center. Serverspace offers several data center locations: USA, Europe, and others. You can select a data center and configure other server settings in the control panel.
A nice bonus is a convenient billing system with 10 minute billing increments. This allows users to rent virtual servers for the required period and test them for a small cost.
Wrapping up
The corporate cloud infrastructure is a suitable solution for organizations with employees who work in different offices or remotely. Network security, low costs, scalability, and convenience are the main advantages of a virtual corporate infrastructure.
If you don't want to purchase and manually configure physical equipment to organize your company's workflow, you can find a reliable provider and move your infrastructure to the cloud. To do this, just rent a virtual server, set up a corporate network, connect employees to it and enjoy your work.