Managed Hosting: Systems To Scale

Assuming you operate a successful managed hosting operation, there are a variety of information systems you'll need to scale your business. Some of these systems are outlined below.

- The managed hosting business is no different to any business. It requires systems to track client details, authorised contacts, contract status, and recurring billing items, with payment history.

- Managed hosting services involve obtaining licenses from Microsoft and other vendors including VMware, Parallels, and RedHat. These licenses are usually monthly recurring fees and a system to track and update license usage will ensure smooth management of licenses.

- Datacentre operations of managed hosting operations include systems to manage IP address allocations, VLANs, rack allocations by client, and network switches with port allocations by client.

- Other systems relevant to a managed hosting provider including DNS zones, bandwidth usage history, change control history, and all servers/devices with usernames/passwords.

Managed hosting involves the intense integration between a variety of different systems that have been traditionally segregated in classic IT environments. Always think in terms of scalability - what happens when you have 100 racks, 100 network switches, 10,000 customers, and 5000 servers to manage. It's in this context where the information systems described for managed hosting become invaluable.

By: Critical Ops

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