Intel® Core™ Processors
Learn More about Intel

Cloud server

Simplify Cloud Server Management with Dell Technologies

Cloud servers have radically changed the way that enterprises approach IT infrastructure. By providing Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) via an internet or dedicated network connection, cloud solutions allow enterprises to access compute power on-demand while no longer needing to worry about the underlying infrastructure. Cloud-based servers also enable enterprises to scale rapidly while reducing the cost of provisioning computing resources.

As enterprises adopt a growing number of cloud technologies, the task of managing cloud servers and other cloud infrastructure can quickly become a challenge for IT teams. Every cloud platform has its own tools and processes, creating a cumbersome management experience that results in added cost, complexity and risk.

When seeking a way to manage cloud servers with greater efficiency and ease, more enterprises today look to solutions from Dell Technologies.

The Challenge of Managing Cloud Servers

A cloud server is a virtual server that is operated in a cloud environment and accessed via the internet. Cloud servers provide the same functions as physical servers, but they offer several additional benefits.

Ease of provisioning and maintenance.

A cloud server can be provisioned far more quickly than physical servers, and the responsibility for managing and upgrading servers belongs to the service provider rather than an enterprise’s IT staff.

Cost-effectiveness.

Cloud servers enable enterprises to avoid the capital costs of provisioning hardware and software on-premises. A cloud server also saves money by allowing businesses to pay only for the resources they use.

Scalability.

With a cloud server, enterprises have access to elastic cloud capacity for scaling up and down quickly and easily.

Integration.

Cloud servers can be easily integrated with other infrastructure such as cloud networking and cloud storage.

Managing a single cloud computing server is not a significant challenge. But when multiple servers are combined with other cloud services and public, private and edge cloud environments, IT teams can quickly become overwhelmed by the difficulty of managing multicloud solutions. The task of cloud migration – critical to moving applications and workloads to the right cloud resource – can stretch out to days, weeks or months as administrators are limited by unfamiliar tools and inconsistent infrastructure.

Dell APEX Cloud Solutions

Dell APEX is a suite of cloud solutions that make it easier to deploy and manage a hybrid cloud. Providing a single operational hub with a consistent operating model, APEX simplifies management of cloud servers, applications, storage, networking and other resources across public cloud, private cloud and edge locations.

APEX includes:

  • A robust, hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform with cloud management/orchestration software and full stack integration, providing everything IT teams need to run, manage, automate and secure an application portfolio across multiple clouds.
  • Pre-tested, best-of-breed infrastructure from Dell Technologies that IT teams can use to build hybrid cloud infrastructure with independent scaling of storage and compute.
  • Data Center-as-a-Service delivered as a fully managed, subscription-based service that brings the simplicity and agility of the public cloud to data center and edge locations.
  • Partner Clouds, extending a seamless hybrid cloud experience to major providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and more than 4,200 additional cloud partners.

The Dell APEX portfolio offers cloud servers for a broad range of requirements.

  • Compute & HCI enterprise cloud servers deliver simple, on-premises cloud experiences with scalable compute resources via subscriptions. Dell APEX Private Cloud makes it easy to scale VMware workloads across data center edge locations, while Dell APEX Compute offers scalable and secure compute with bare metal.
  • Storage cloud computing servers offer a wide range of storage solutions. Dell APEX Storage for Private Cloud makes it easy to customize storage with elastic file, block and backup target services. Dell APEX Storage for Public Cloud optimizes data with enterprise-class block, file and protection storage for public clouds.
  • Cloud platforms modernize cloud deployments with on-site cloud ecosystems for Microsoft Azure, VMware and Red Hat OpenShift.

Comprehensive Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure

The foundation of APEX is an HCI platform, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) on VxRail, and a set of software components, VCF, that greatly simplify deployment and lifecycle management of a hybrid cloud server. VCF provides a complete set of software-defined services for compute, storage, networking and cloud security, along with cloud management tools for running traditional or containerized enterprise apps in public or private cloud servers. Dell Technologies HCI platform can support the most demanding workloads and applications. Together, these technologies provide the simplicity, flexibility and economics of public cloud servers as well as the security, control and reliability of private cloud infrastructure.

Accelerate Innovation. Simplify Migration. Reduce Costs.

With APEX, enterprises can:

  • Accelerate innovation by accessing elastic cloud capacity to scale as needed and increase speed-to-market.
  • Simplify migration by providing administrators with familiar tools and models, increasing efficiency and reducing risk.
  • Reduce costs by relying on flexible pricing models for hybrid cloud servers and choosing an optimal mix of public, private and edge cloud resources.
  • Improve cloud security with a single security framework that covers all cloud infrastructure.
  • Streamline management with a consistent experience across all clouds, helping to lower management overhead and increase efficiency.

Cloud Server FAQs

In cloud computing, a cloud server is a virtual server that provides a business with compute power delivered via the internet.

A cloud-based server enables enterprises to avoid the effort and capital expense of provisioning, deploying, managing and upgrading physical servers on-premises. A cloud computing server provides compute power on-demand, enabling easy scalability as computing requirements change. With a virtual cloud server, enterprises pay only for the resources they consume, helping to significantly reduce costs.

Cloud computing provides convenient, on-demand access to a shared pool of virtualized computing resources that can be provisioned quickly and accessed via the internet or a dedicated network connection. Cloud computing enables businesses to access compute power, storage, networking and other IT technologies as a service, avoiding the need to provision physical infrastructure on-premises.

A public cloud server is owned and operated by a provider that offers cloud computing services to customers over the internet. Public cloud servers typically offer compute, storage, networking, applications and other services to businesses on a pay-as-you-go basis. In contrast, a private cloud server is provisioned, operated and used by a single organization, typically within its own data center. Because it is managed by an internal IT team and accessed only by users within the organization, a private cloud server may offer more control, customization and security than a public cloud server.

A hybrid cloud server combines the benefits of a local, private cloud server with the scalability and efficiency of a public cloud server. A hybrid cloud server seamlessly synchronizes data and files between public and private clouds, allowing organizations to choose the enterprise cloud server that is best suited to each workload in terms of compute power, costs and security.

A managed cloud server is a cloud server where a third-party is responsible for operating, maintaining, monitoring and supporting the server. In contrast, an unmanaged cloud server is one where an organization’s IT team is responsible for provisioning equipment, configuring systems, managing hardware and software, monitoring performance and handling ongoing maintenance. A managed cloud server enables organizations to outsource many routine and important tasks to a cloud services provider with the expertise and resources to manage and secure cloud computing servers more effectively.

A dedicated cloud server is a cloud server that provides cloud computing resources to a single organization or “tenant”. Most virtual cloud servers are shared by many users, which can result in competition for bandwidth and may cause security concerns for some enterprises. A dedicated cloud server is often preferred by enterprises running resource-intensive workloads or by highly regulated businesses that need enterprise cloud servers offering more control and customization over bandwidth and storage options.

Learn More about our Solutions

Cloud

Data Protection

Data Storage

Remote Work

Intel® Core™ Processors
Learn More about Intel