What is online recruitment software? is it still cool to say ‘online’? Thats online a cloud or a server? Online as we know it is not as simple as that, look a little closer and you can see the differences.Let us look closely. I want to show you the disctinctions.??The cloud – This is usually the term most people use to describe any web based service. The cloud is anything online that is not physically near you. A cloud has always meant online, so if thats true. The general public are only aware of these thiings recently?
The cloud to me is a massive cluster of machinery designed to offer huge power and resources. It gives the 1 person outfit the resources once only afforded to huge corporations. Prior to this the app would be hosted on a shared dedicated server. The server could be packed with hundreds of other businesses. More than 50 visitors could cause the site to fall over in this instance. Others using the same physical infrastructure could jepordise your system.
A natural progression from this would be to get a dedicated server. This is a new scenario. Another way of looking at it is likening it to your own office block. Its your data and you have protected it locally. You lose the renting benefits when you own. You will need to maintain it on your own. A management service if offered is a good way to go. It is reassuringly expensive.
So is this the cloud? Technically yes. In reality, it is not the cloud that I am aware of. You will have space for more clients although this is limited and requires further infrastructure to accomodate. Configuring a new server each time is expensive.
The cloud as I understand it. Clustering enables numerous machines to work as one. Swith on or off the resources you need. The drawbacks. You are on a massive machine and not alone. Taking advantage of its power is the reason others will share it. This means it is not as secure as your dedicated server. That is the reason a lot of companies are holding back from using the cloud. When it comes to security, any advantages are wiped out if this cant be right.
Is there an answer out there? Its the way we host our recruitment software . Its called a private cloud. The machines are all grouped together to form one high availability system. You get the best of both worlds. Having limited resources and high costs is a disadvantage. Its one of the better solutions at the moment.How will it be hosted should be the first question you ask a potential partner. This is important as they all the look the same on the front. The impact to you business is significant. It might mean 1 hour or 15 hours offline.Most of our hosting funds are spent on scenarios that may never happen. We sleep at night.
Rob Rixon.