With Bare Metal Trend, Many Companies Face Sink or Swim Scenario

Bare metal computing isn’t new, but it’s just gained mainstream attention recently. Developed in 2009, bare metal sort of fell to the wayside as the virtualized cloud seemingly offered more security. Yet hackers have managed to have their way with servers even with the veneer of the hypervisor layer, and now companies are faced with the newest surge: big data.

Bare Metal Meets Big Data

Now that big data is a part of the picture for every business from hotel chains to manufacturing facilities, the virtualized cloud can’t offer the high performance, reduced latency, and responsiveness of bare metal when handling enormous data sets in real time applications. Now, enterprises who choose to use big data (especially if implementing Hadoop), bare metal computing is the clear choice. In fact, companies which opt to stay on virtualized cloud servers may get left in the deep end of the pool without a lifejacket.

Bare Metal Computing is Excellent for Tasks That Demand Consistent Performance

If all you need to do is analyze big data, and lag time isn’t an issue, a virtualized cloud server might meet your needs. All you have to do is set it up and let it crunch away while you grab a coffee. But when working with real-time applications in environments where the server has to be as responsive as an onsite server, bare metal simply outperforms virtualized clouds in spades. Losing the hypervisor layer allows the server to respond as if it’s sitting down the hall.

Bare Metal Computing is Ideal for Data Intensive Functions

Handling big data is no small matter, and virtualized cloud servers often get bogged down with the workload. Working with big data is faster, easier, and cheaper on physical servers, and there are no tenancy issues to worry about. In addition to the speed, bare metal offers flexibility, scalability, and efficiency that a virtualized cloud server can’t provide.

Bare Metal Computing is Perfect for Addressing Compliance Issues

Storing regulated data is problematic with a virtualized cloud, but bare metal eliminates this issue. Since the data is no longer stored in with all the neighboring data, there isn’t a compliance issue regarding sensitive data you keep on the cloud. Companies charged with storing and managing regulated big data—such as insurance companies, financial institutions, and medical organizations—can use a bare metal cloud when a virtualized cloud is prohibited.

Bare Metal Computing Might be Cheaper and Easier With the Adoption of OCP

Though still in its infancy, the Open Compute Project is picking up steam. This project, pushed forward by entities like Facebook, claims to improve efficiency by 38 percent, while lowering costs by 24 percent. OCP is to hardware what open source code is to software. OCP could potentially deliver bare metal cloud services even better and cheaper than it’s available now.

Will companies drown without adopting bare metal services? Perhaps not immediately. But the more big data becomes a factor in any business’ repertoire, the more bare metal has to offer in terms of consistent performance, better control, higher efficiency, and lower costs. As competitors adopt this technology, those left without it won’t be able to offer the responsiveness and flexibility necessary to maintain a high level of customer service.

While sticking with a virtual cloud may not drown you, it’s a good idea to keep a lifejacket handy.