Bare Metal Cloud Vs. IaaS: Key Differences Explained

Cloud computing has redefined how we think about software infrastructure. It has given us scalable virtual machines, storage that can be accessed and expanded virtually, and server clusters that we can spin up at the press of a button. But what if you could get even more from your cloud? What if you could have not just virtual servers but actual physical servers? This is where the bare metal cloud comes into play. It offers users a level of control over their infrastructure, generally unrivaled by other cloud services. Let’s take a look at what it is, and how it compares to standard IaaS offerings

What Is a Bare Metal Server?

A bare metal cloud is a type of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud service that gives you full control over your servers. In many ways, it’s like your own dedicated data center but hosted in the cloud. You get exclusive access to your own hardware. It’s not shared with other users, so you don’t have to worry about network congestion, performance issues, or outages. And since you have full control, you can make any modifications. This includes installing your own operating systems, applications, and software. You can also perform routine maintenance, such as updating your system’s BIOS and installing new hardware.

Advantages of Bare Metal Servers

As we’ve outlined above, the main benefit of a bare metal cloud is your level of control. As the name suggests, you’re accessing the physical server. You have access to the hardware, the operating system, and the BIOS. This means you can make any changes you want and don’t have to worry about compatibility issues. Another advantage of a bare metal cloud is the performance. Since you have access to the server hardware, you can optimize it to perform at its best. You can also install any hardware you want, optimizing your server’s performance even further. You also get full access to your server’s network bandwidth. If you’re hosting a website, high network bandwidth is critical. It can mean the difference between a smooth user experience and website outages. You can also use a bare metal cloud as a disaster recovery solution. If your primary data center goes offline, you can simply move your services to the bare metal server in the cloud. Or you can use it as an additional location for storing critical data.

Some listed benefits to running servers on bare metal instead of using VMs include:

● No Hypervisor: One of the biggest benefits of bare metal servers is that they don’t require a hypervisor. A hypervisor is a software that is used to host VMs. When you’re running VMs, you need to install the hypervisor on the physical machine and then install the VMs on top of it.
● No Shared Resources: When using them, all of the hardware is dedicated to the physical machine. This means all of the hardware resources are available to that one machine. In a VM, however, all of the hardware is shared between the VM and the host machine. This means that if you put too many VMs on one host machine, the host machine will slow down.
● Increased Security: Another benefit is that they are much more secure than VMs. When using VMs, you have to apply security measures in two places: the VM itself and the host machine. But when you’re using bare metal servers, you only have to apply security measures on the physical server itself.

Bare Metal Cloud Vs IaaS

Since the bare metal cloud is similar to the IaaS model, we can’t discuss one without mentioning the other. To understand the differences between these two cloud service models, it’s helpful to understand the basics of what’s inside your cloud-based server. When you spin up an IaaS virtual machine, you’re essentially accessing a virtualized version of a physical server. The virtual machine lives in a hypervisor — a software layer between your VM and the hardware — and you have full control over every aspect of it. You can install applications, make configuration changes, and perform maintenance tasks. But you don’t actually have access to the server itself. You don’t have access to the hardware, BIOS, or anything else that isn’t contained within the VM. The same is true for virtual private servers (VPS). You still don’t have the physical hardware in your control. The cloud hosting provider owns the physical server; you can only access the virtualized version. A bare metal cloud is different. Here, you have full control over the physical server. This means you can access the hardware, BIOS, and anything connected to the physical server. Other cloud service models generally unmatch this level of control.

Limitations of Bare Metal Cloud

While the bare metal cloud offers significant advantages, it’s not perfect. There are a few limitations you should be aware of. First, accessing the physical server means you have more responsibility. You have to be responsible for any issues that come up. If a component goes down, you have to deal with it. Second, it’s typically more expensive than other cloud offerings. You’re accessing the physical hardware, and hosting costs are associated with that. The same is true for maintenance. If a component needs to be replaced, you must pay for it. And lastly, it’s a complex process. You must be skilled in managing physical servers and have the necessary tools. This is often the case, even if you use a managed service.

How to get started with Bare Metal Cloud

Bare metal cloud is offered by a few cloud hosting providers, and this service is generally only available to businesses. Before you sign up, you should decide what you need from a bare metal cloud, and you should do your research. Make sure the provider you choose offers the features you need. Next, you should decide whether you want to sign a contract or use a pay-as-you-go plan. Finally, you should find a provider and sign up. You can then get to work setting up your bare metal server. And once your server is up and running, you can use it to host your fastest-growing business app with no performance issues.

Summary

Bare metal cloud is a powerful solution for businesses with demanding needs. And while it’s an expensive solution, it’s worth it if it helps you meet your performance and scalability needs. If you’re using an IaaS solution, a bare metal cloud can provide performance benefits. And this can help your business to meet its goals.