Here’s a question – are we fast approaching a future where conventional servers as we know them today will be obsolete?
It’s a subject that’s been broached and explored endlessly over recent months and years, brought about by the sudden explosion in the use and convenience of cloud server technology. Quite simply, the long and short of it is that there are those who believe that it’s really only a matter of time until virtual servers and the use of cloud technology negate the need for standard physical servers entirely.

As for why, it all comes down to the way in which in a theoretical sense at least, virtual servers or off-site server providers offer a genuinely convenient and affordable option. They can eliminate the need for initial hardware investment and can at the same time deliver quality service and maintenance packages to watch over things. As such, it’s natural to assume that there will come a time when businesses at all levels turn to cloud server solutions primarily or perhaps exclusively, but is it all quite as black-and-white as this?

In a word, no.

While there are undeniable benefits that accompany the use of cloud server solutions, there are also distinct drawbacks. Convenient as they may be, to utilise the servers of a cloud-based provider is to inherently enter a server-sharing situation where performance and security cannot necessarily be guaranteed to the highest possible level. In addition, to work with cloud service providers is to put the very life of the business as a whole in the hands of a third-party – they mess up or shut down entirely, you pay the price.

And then of course there’s the way in which relying on cloud server systems that could be located largely anywhere in the world brings forth additional access/security risks given the constant and on-going transfer of data to and from the business/service provider.

So when looked at from a strictly object of view, it’s clear that the apparent ‘death’ of the server computer as we know it today isn’t something that’s likely to happen for some time to come at least. The cloud alternative as it exists right now is simply too imperfect to take over outright – particularly for those in business areas where performance, data security and consistent reliability cannot be compromised.