• Solutions Overview
• Big Data
  • MongoDB
  • Riak
• Disaster Recovery
• Hybrid Environments
• Private Clouds
• Virtualization
• Web Apps and SaaS
• Small to Medium Business
• Large Enterprise

Hybrid Environments

Very few cloud-centric applications’ needs will be met by a single-technology, deploy-once-and-use-forever environment. Infrastructure and performance requirements shift and scale in all directions, beginning with development, on to production, and through the ebb and flow of user demand.

SoftLayer is the only provider that lets you create true hybrid, dedicated server + virtual server environments, for the level of flexibility and scalability that Internet-scale applications demand.

Because of our unique network design and fully automated platform, physical and virtual servers are seamlessly integrated on one network, with one API, management system, ticketing system, and no special cross connects or tricks required. Your compute, storage, and network resources can be deployed and managed on demand, and connected between SoftLayer data centers worldwide.

Our wide range of virtual server solutions lets you choose exactly the level of virtualization and performance that your hybrid environment requires. Leverage public cloud servers, deploy a turnkey private cloud on demand, or design your own private cloud using industry-leading virtualization applications including Citrix Xen, vmWare, or Microsoft Hyper-V.

And our revolutionary Flex Images™ image management and deployment system lets you capture an image of any kind of server—physical or virtual—and then deploy it on any other kind server, allowing you to easily provision or migrate between either technology.

Optimize your environment to your application’s changing needs at any point in its lifecycle. With SoftLayer, you can have a true hybrid environment that always delivers the best—and right mix—of all technologies.

Example Use Case 1: Cloud Bursting

Rapidly deploy virtual machines as Web or application servers to meet sudden spikes in user demand, using Flex Images to quickly provision the new systems based on images captured from physical or virtual systems. When demand has receded, spin down the cloud servers, and only incur costs based on your temporary cloud utilization rather than purchasing a permanent surplus of expensive, in-house hardware.

Example Use Case 2: Application Development

Quickly and cost-effectively design and test a new application’s environment completely out of public cloud servers. When your architecture is finalized, move it to dedicated servers knowing your solution is optimized, tested, and ready for production.

Example Use Case 3: Corporate Virtual Desktop Deployment

Deploy dedicated management servers and public cloud servers to create virtual desktops and workstations with standardized configurations and images for employees worldwide.