For a long time, the work of hosting providers was limited only to the provision of services in the business sector. However, with the development of technological progress, such companies began to provide more and more new opportunities for ordinary consumers. Alexander Svadkovsky, CEO of is*hosting, will tell you about the benefits that VPS (virtual private server) can provide in everyday life.
It is difficult to imagine how modern business would exist if there were no companies providing hosting services on the market. Providers are responsible for maintaining websites, storing customer data, running ancillary services (such as a mail server or IP telephony), and many other tasks. Questioning the demand for VPS in workflows is out of the question. However, what can be said about his role in the life of a simple man in the street? As it turned out, quite a lot.
VPS as a virtual workplace
Representatives of many modern professions need to use very demanding hardware software in their work. But as it turned out, in light of the global pandemic and the massive transition to remote work, not all employees are able to provide themselves with sufficiently powerful equipment. At the same time, many companies are not ready to provide every employee with all the necessary equipment.
An excellent solution in this situation can be a virtual workplace. The transfer of all programs to the “cloud” will provide increased fault tolerance and stability and will make it possible to scale the power used. In addition, each employee will be able to access all materials from any device that has Internet access.
This approach can be useful not only for employees of large companies but also for ordinary users who are not able to equip themselves with a sufficiently advanced workplace. On VPS, you can place heavy programs for working with 2D and 3D graphics, software development, as well as any programs for which a high degree of protection and fault tolerance is important.
A modern alternative to cloud storage
Another area in which the relevance of VPS has sharply increased with the transition to remote work is the organization of file sharing in the corporate network. Most often, offices use local storage solutions built on the principle of NAS (network-attached storage), which, in turn, are connected to employees’ devices. And this means that when moving to the home office, you will need to organize access to work files in some other way.
Of the ready-made solutions on the market, there are already corporate rates for Google Drive, DropBox, and other cloud storage, but the use of these services may simply be unprofitable. VPS, for its part, offers very impressive amounts of data storage and also provides a separate Storage VPS service, which can cost the company significantly less. VPS is an excellent solution for creating an FTP server based on it in order to share large work files without being tied to local devices.
A smart home is not a luxury, but an element of comfort
Several scattered and installed at different times sensors can hardly be called full-fledged smart home systems. The same statement will be true with respect to a completely new set if, during its installation, a single control and data storage center were not created, and each sensor is simply engaged in executing a separate set of commands.
VPS is great as a central hub for smart home systems and IoT devices. Thanks to it, it becomes possible to send all the information to a remote server and analyze and store the accumulated data. This approach has a clear advantage when considering an old home laptop as a candidate for the role of “think tank.” Among the main advantages of a virtual dedicated server:
- It cannot be physically damaged, broken, or lost.
- His systems are much more reliable. Monitoring the correct operation of the VPS is the responsibility of the hosting provider.
- Depending on the selected tariff plan, a virtual dedicated server can be much more productive than any home gadget.
- The amount of storage provided can also be much larger than home drives.
To connect all devices into a single system, you need to build a VPN network based on a virtual dedicated server. All sensor indicators will be accumulated and analyzed within this network. You can also install all the necessary software for managing and continuously monitoring a smart home on the VPS.
First of all, VPS will be simply indispensable for those who use video surveillance devices in their smart home system. An almost unlimited (for your money) amount of memory allows you to store recordings from cameras for a long time. At the same time, the remote location of the server guarantees the complete safety of data from the hands of intruders who could also steal or disable the home physical media.
VPS is a new opportunity for self-development
By itself, working with virtual private server technologies can be a valuable and educational experience. On its basis, you can begin to study the development of sites and your own applications or master the skills of administering operating systems. Education in these areas opens the door to such professions as a tester, system administrator, and information security specialist and simply helps to better immerse yourself in the IT environment.
VPS can also be quite useful for those who do not plan to develop in the areas mentioned above. For example, on its basis, you can create a convenient, structured, and effective portfolio. After all, it’s enough to think about how often, when asked about examples of work, we send a client a folder in the cloud, a link to GitHub, or even a simple Google Doc. This approach is more likely to be associated with freelancers of the early 2000s than with modern specialists.
VPS allows you to provide your portfolio in any format. Whether it’s a simple website or a whole quest, a gallery of works, or the opportunity to demonstrate live in action your own applications, such a portfolio will definitely look much more professional and solid than a few files and links.
In the end, you can start a blog about your favorite hobby, an online store, or implement another long-cherished idea that requires your own website. It will be enough to spend a couple of weeks developing the initial version of the site using CMS and ready-made templates.
Also, VPS is well suited for storing valuable personal data, media files, and backups. For businesses, there are separate ready-made solutions in this regard, but as personal storage, a virtual dedicated server will do just fine.
VPS is a flexible and multi-tasking tool that can be useful not only for large companies or single freelancers but also for those who do not intersect with IT at all in the professional field. A virtual dedicated server can help in creating a remote workplace, arranging a smart home system, self-development, creating a structured and effective portfolio, as well as storing personal data. VPS, like many other previously highly specialized services, is becoming “closer to the people.” In this state of affairs, it remains only to take the best of what modern technology provides us.
