MyLoc: Delivering Private Cloud Solutions

To meet growing demand for private cloud services, myLoc is using Intel® technology to improve security and performance.

At a Glance:

  • myLoc managed IT AG has been running data centers in Düsseldorf, Germany since 1999, and has developed innovative hosting solutions for private and business customers.

  • myLoc recently launched its VIP - Private Cloud Solution in cooperation with HPE and Intel. The solution runs on HPE ProLiant Gen10 DL360 servers with the Virtuozzo Infrastructure Platform (VIP) OS and 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors.

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Companies want to focus on their business, not on the daily chores of server and IT management. From its three data centers in Germany, myLoc applies its 20 years of experience to offer its customers colocation, managed hosting, server hosting and private cloud services—based on Intel® technology. This offering enables customers to keep control of their data while also benefitting from reduced costs.

At a Glance:

  • Customers can maintain control of data and infrastructure while decreasing total cost of ownership
  • myLoc’s private cloud solution helps meet individual business requirements through a flexible and personalized service
  • myLoc’s private cloud services are 39 percent less expensive than a leading hyper-scale cloud service provider1
  • 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors provide the hardware-based security and high performance myLoc’s customers demand

Challenge

While public cloud services are a popular choice for some companies, others want more control over their data. For example, German companies with sensitive data often prefer that data stays on German soil to more easily comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. myLoc’s customers expressed a desire for a managed private cloud hosting option, where they could have the advantages of the cloud while keeping full control of data security and bare-metal infrastructure. myLoc sought an infrastructure solution that could provide private cloud services at a price point that is competitive with hyper-scale public cloud services, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Solution

myLoc recently launched its VIP - Private Cloud Solution in cooperation with HPE and Intel. The solution runs on HPE ProLiant Gen10 DL360 servers with the Virtuozzo Infrastructure Platform (VIP) OS and 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors. This hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution combines high performance, scalability and maximum data protection in one balanced, fully managed service. myLoc’s customers expect to always have access to up-to-date hardware, so it made perfect sense to use the latest Intel® processors in the VIP Private Cloud solution. 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors enable myLoc to offer high performance at the same price compared to the previous-generation processor.2

Results

The VIP - Private Cloud Solution provides both cloud-based high performance and efficient security features, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, firewalls and intrusion detection solutions (IDS)—all at a price that comes in about 39 percent lower than a similar infrastructure hosted in the public cloud at a leading hyper-scale cloud service provider.1 Customers appreciate the ability to keep close control over their data while decreasing hosting and management costs.

Designing a Cost-Effective, High-Performance Private Cloud

An IDC study indicates that private cloud spending increased 28.2 percent from 2017 to 2018,3 and the global private cloud server market size is expected to reach $183 billion by 2025, rising at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.4 percent.4 Off-premises private cloud—such as the VIP—Private Cloud Solution offered by myLoc—in particular, is seeing strong growth, driven by customers’ desire to more easily comply with national and regional data protection regulations.

The challenge for myLoc was to design a private cloud solution that could open up new opportunities and attract enterprise customers. The solution must provide access to the latest hardware performance and security innovations. Other considerations included keeping costs to a minimum to maintain a competitive edge compared to public cloud service offerings and choosing a scalable design that could quickly respond to increased performance requirements.

VIP - Private Cloud Solution Fits the Bill

After evaluating several options, the myLoc team chose the 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor family as the powerhouse of the new private cloud solution. That decision was made based on the processors’ excellent reliability as well as the ability to provide more cores for the same price point as before. Using mainstream processor models that still include new hardware security mitigation and fixes for a wide range of vulnerabilities was another benefit. The new processors’ increased memory speed also helps myLoc customers that have memory-hungry workloads.

The solution runs on the VIP virtualization software, which is a simple hyperconverged foundation for private and open cloud that enhances resource utilization, reduces costs, and delivers high server execution rate and accessibility. With software-based security features built-in, VIP provides an easy-to-use management console that can support a private cloud that ranges from a few servers to complex server farms with high-availability clusters, firewalls and load balancers.

And the best part? myLoc’s private cloud customers enjoy all the benefits of private cloud at a cost that is 39 percent less expensive than hosting a similar number of virtual machines (VMs) at a leading hyper-scale cloud service provider.1

“Most customers ask for Intel; they think it is more reliable.” —Sascha Prütz, cto, myLoc

The Right Server Completes the Picture

The VIP - Private Cloud Solution runs on the HPE DL360 ProLiant Gen10 server, which supports the 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor family with up to an 11 percent per-core performance gain over first generation5 and with memory speeds up to 2933 MT/s. myLoc and HPE have a long-term relationship; HPE ProLiant servers are an essential component of myLoc’s solutions. These rack-optimized servers deliver performance, resiliency and scalability for business-critical workloads. ProLiant servers are also considered the world’s most secure industry-standard servers6 and provide an agile infrastructure that enables software-defined intelligence through services such as HPE OneView, HPE InfoSight, and HPE OneSphere.

“With 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, we are able to offer our customer a high-performance private cloud solution at a great price/performance ratio” —Sascha Prütz, cto, myLoc

Meeting the Future of Private Cloud with Confidence

myLoc’s VIP - Private Cloud Solution helps to give enterprises a cost-efficient solution to host their own cloud in a security-enabled data center, while maintaining more control over their data and infrastructure. By combining the reliability, power, security and scalability of the latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors with the HCI capabilities of VIP and HPE ProLiant servers, myLoc has built a private cloud platform that can grow with customer needs while keeping hosting costs low. Using this solution, myLoc’s customers can preserve close control over data locality and infrastructure while decreasing total cost of ownership.

Spotlight on myLoc

Since 1999, myLoc managed IT AG has been running data centers in Düsseldorf, Germany, and has developed innovative hosting solutions for private and business customers. In 2006, myLoc managed IT AG became a subsidiary of virtual minds AG, and in 2009, the two areas and colocation and hosting were merged under the current name of myLoc managed IT AG. As a result, myLoc can also offer services of extensive cloud hosting and managed services in addition to pure colocation and management of customers’ servers.

With more than 60 employees operating three data centers in Düsseldorf, myLoc has over 2,500 square meters of data center space with room for 65,000 servers. The company also operates the world’s largest Lampertz security room per LSR18.6 construction regulations. This room helps protect sensitive systems in the context of colocation products for major customers, including banks, insurance companies and others.

The top priority of myLoc managed IT AG is the availability of the data center. Outstanding availability is achieved through sustainable and redundant arrangement of all relevant systems and a sophisticated, proactive monitoring system. The company has 300-plus customers that rely on myLoc’s hosting and colocation experience so they can concentrate on their core competencies.

“To remain competitive, we are constantly striving to be efficient in our business without compromising customer service. HPE solutions are integral to our successful growth, and we rely on HPE for innovative hardware and services.” —Christoph Herrnkind, ceo, myLoc